It’s that time again – where has the year gone! Whatever it is we have been doing, it hasn’t left any free time! But looking back –
SPRING……
We saw in the New Year with champagne and fireworks at a nearby party. It was surreal to see the fireworks being lit by a burly Margaret Thatcher who never let go of her handbag – it was one of those parties. The Y2K bug struck in the form of streaming colds and coughs. The Yule’s New Year walk was delayed slightly, but as it was raining that day, we went straight from the bucks fizz to the long boozy lunch and omitted the walk in the mud.
It was all too soon before Rory returned to Edinburgh, and the rest of us went back to work. Fleur by this time was working for one of the University departments at Danbury Park, and sharing the driving. Graeme embarked on a top secret project codenamed “Vienna” which, sadly, was not in Vienna at all, but East Anglia. This project collapsed in ruins every two to three weeks, (Goodnight, Vienna), then rose again phoenix-like but in a slightly different form. This went on for some months, but fortunately IBM continues to pay, work or no work. He also fitted in another trip to Riyadh.
New Year – new activities! Johnstons go to the gym! A super health club opened up in Chelmsford, so the Millennium resolution was to get fit. Fleur was driving the little red car by this time, and it was hardly ever off the road.
Rory came home (briefly) for Easter and demanded the big blue car to go to interviews in Borehamwood and Reading, and then on to Somerset (to see Amanda, as they had been parted for several days). By the end of March, Rory had been accepted for teaching in Japan, accepted for a PhD course, and had three job offers. Needless to say, he sold out to Mammon, so we put away the airline timetables.
Once again Graeme joined Judith and her art class for a short trip to Paris, taking in the Musée d’Orsay, a chunk of the Louvre, and Rodin’s house, along with a few nice meals. On returning to Danbury, we were met off the coach by Rory and Amanda, who had been brought back from Somerset to meet us.
Fleur and friends went to Wembley Arena to see Puff Daddy, Sisco, Donell Jones, L’il Kim (only those under twenty will have any idea who these people are).
We were very concerned about relatives and friends in Zimbabwe, especially as e-mails and phone calls failed to connect.
SUMMER…..
Early in the term Rory had exams, but we didn’t hear very much about them. How could we help, anyway? Fleur had more physio on her knee, but this was not very effective. Graeme and Judith went to the West Country to visit friends in Minehead, Rick Stein’s in Padstow, Louise and new baby in St Blazey and Rita’s special birthday in Weymouth. Judith and friends appeared on Kilroy(!), and Fleur and Judith visited the Tate Modern in the opening week – great spider! Fleur applied for and succeeded in getting a job in Chelmsford, to start on return from holiday.
Fleur’s favourite club in Chelmsford closed for refurbishment, and to everyone’s amazement, she decided not to go to the re-opening, but gave up clubbing, late nights and alcohol in favour of the healthy life and going to gym several times a week!
Three Johnstons set off for Florida early in June. We arrived in Miami and drove south to the Keys in a tropical storm, but got more and more relaxed with every passing milemarker. The Keys are a delight, very laid back to completely horizontal. Key West was super, and very, very alternative – even the taxis are pink. We followed in the footsteps of Michael Palin to visit Ernest Hemingway’s house and see the five-toed cats. Harry Truman’s Little White House was also very interesting. Now totally relaxed, we cruised through the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands to Naples on the Gulf Coast (Florida, Rita, not Italy!). Added airboats to our forms of transport! We stayed in a villa in the grounds of a splendid hotel, with our own swimming pool. Naples has the largest Barnes & Noble bookstore in the States, and the smallest Saks Fifth Avenue, both very close to the hotel. Naples was great, too, terrific restaurants and shopping. We had to go away earlier than usual in order to put in a brief appearance at work before going to Edinburgh for Rory’s graduation.
Fleur started her new job in Chelmsford, and drove the little red car until we found a little silver car for her. Rory had bought a little navy blue car in Edinburgh to bring his stuff home (and Amanda and her giant pot plant), so the front garden became a car park – much shuffling of cars with Ecosse stickers if anybody wanted to get out. Rory started work for One2One in Borehamwood, but subsequently got moved to Barnet. The daily hundred mile return trip on the M25 was not much fun, and the property search began.
Edinburgh put on a scorcher for Rory’s graduation day in July. He pleased us all very much by getting a first in nerd studies (Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering). Amanda collected her Masters in Gender and Society that afternoon as well. Her “specialist subject” is women and martial arts (the moral of this is, don’t mess with Amanda, or you’ll get a good kicking!) Rory’s graduation photo is too ghastly to reproduce here – but we can see what he’ll look like at forty!
Fleur had seen another orthopaedic surgeon about her knees, and began yet another course of physiotherapy. Surprise, surprise, the surgeon’s wife is a physio, but a rather special one, being physio to the British Olympic team. Fleur is still athletics mad, and struck up a very good relationship with the lady who massages the legs of Linford Christie, Darren Campbell, Steve Backley (phwoar!!!) and knows all the athletes well.
Not much swimming for us this summer, as although there were some hot days, they did not coincide with the weekends. There were, however, some memorable barbecues and garden parties. The guys and gals in Judith’s office decided to take up croquet on the lawn in front of the office. We reduced the simplified game to fit our half hour lunch break, and played almost every day. We had the Grand Championship during the week that She Who Must Be Obeyed was on holiday! The more co-ordinated people also used our pitch and putt course, and some even played tennis after work. Some of us just went to the pub.
AUTUMN…..
Early September sees International T’ai Chi Day, and all the local clubs give demonstrations in the pedestrian precinct. (Overheard conversation between small boy and his mother: “Mummy, mummy, what are they doing?” “That’s line dancing, dear, come away”.)
A great two-day wedding of friends Rachel and Toby in Danbury. We have now experienced the cataclysmic effect of champagne and Archers on empty stomachs!
Operation Vienna has turned out to be in Norwich where Graeme and his team are supposed to be creating an internet bank, but in fact are doing very little as no decisions seem to be made about what is required. But at least the client is still happy to pay for them. We hoped to have a little holiday in October, but holidays were vetoed for the team, until it was too late. They owe us one.
Graeme’s sister Karen was 40 in September, and unbeknown to her, umpteen Johnstons descended on Chester and threw a surprise party for her!
WINTER…..
The days grow shorter. The round of committee meetings gets underway again, as do the candlelight suppers and Sunday lunch parties.
Operation Vienna has at last got organised, and Graeme spends most of the week in Norwich, working long hours again.
After many delays and frustrations, Rory exchanged, completed and moved into his flat in St Albans on 8 December. Amanda has a job with an Internet company in the City and has started to commute. (Oh, I remember commuting – a long time ago…) Rory is learning Iaido which involves wearing voluminous black skirts over the jitsu pyjamas and whirling wooden swords round and round.
At the time of writing, Graeme’s mother has had three falls and a broken hip, (but no submissions) and is now recovering well in hospital. She will have soon done enough research to compile the definitive guide to Edinburgh hospitals. (The Royal Victoria gets only one bedpan in the Una Johnston Good Hospital Guide).
Only a few more drinks parties, office dinners, the panto, midnight writing of cards, then it’s Christmas Eve and time for turkey – and bliss, vegging out for a few days, before preparing the Harry Potter Millennium Party – this is where we came in. Then Graeme and Judith are to work on their retirement plans. (There is already a draft Gantt chart…)
With all best wishes for Christmas and the New Millennium.
Graeme & Judith ([email protected], [email protected])