It’s back! The cheesy classic from yesteryear!
Rose’s ‘Big’ Birthday Not So Big because of Pandemic
In September, Rose celebrated her 60th birthday. We had plans to mark the occasion with a big party, but the pandemic had other ideas. In the event, we had a series of smaller get-togethers (gets-together?) and very enjoyable they were too. We were particularly pleased that Matt, Jill, Wini and Ellie were able to celebrate with us in the UK.
A new grandchild
In August 2020, Alan and Rose travelled to Berlin. There was some anxiety that we might not be able to fly, given the restrictions of a worldwide pandemic. But we arrived at Berlin’s Schönefeld airport and, to our great relief and joy, were greeted by Matthew, holding baby Eleanor Rose (Ellie). Ellie was holding a sign welcoming her Englische Großeltern (Grandma and Grandpa).
This was not the first time we had met Ellie. In fact, Rose flew to Berlin for the day (yes, from Manchester to Berlin and back in a day) in December 2019, when Ellie was just days old. Alan, Rose, and Lizzy, then went to Berlin just after Christmas.
As well as the joy of seeing Matt and Jill, Wini and Ellie, we also got to spend New Year’s Eve with them and Jill’s dad, Jurgen, and his partner Heike. They have an apartment with a great view over Berlin, which was the perfect place to spend New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks across the city. (They do fireworks in a big way in Berlin.)
Ellie was born on 26 November 2019 and so has now celebrated her first birthday.
Matthew does something with computers. He’s a freelance IT person and recently had his first job interview conducted entirely in German. It seems to have gone OK.
Worldwide Family Jewells
Of course, our first grandchild, Jonah, lives in Melbourne. No chance of getting there and back in a day. And, in 2020, no chance of getting there at all, or of them coming to us. In fact, the last time we saw Chris, Erin and Jonah was in September 2019, when they came to the UK. We were able to be together with all three of our children for a fabulous wedding (Colin & Anna) and a wonderful weekend at Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest.
Jonah was born in January 2018, meaning that he will soon be celebrating his third birthday.
Chris also does something with computers. He works for HotDoc, “Australia’s largest and most trusted patient engagement platform”. His job is to stop the baddies getting in to their computers.
Lizzy is the only one of our children we can see without anyone needing a passport. She lives in London with Chris. (No, not her brother. This one is Chris F.) Lizzy still works in comms in the charity sector, but she has recently changed jobs and is now Head of Communications and Engagement at Working Chance, a charity which helps women with criminal convictions find a job they can thrive in.
Given how spread out we all are, it’s great that we can keep in touch via video calls. We have been able to link up Berlin, Melbourne, London, and Warrington, on a number of memorable occasions. Alan says, ‘Of course, we were doing video calls with family long before it became popular’.
1000 Mile Challenge
For three years, Rose and I have attempted to walk an average of 2.75 miles a day (not including the steps we normally take). Over the year, this amounts to an extra 1000 miles of walking. In 2018, Alan accomplished this on New Year’s Eve. (Rose joined in later in the year, so didn’t get the total herself).
In 2019, Rose got her 1000 miles, but Alan missed out due to unplanned illness late in the year. At the time of writing Rose has just completed this year’s challenge and Alan is hopeful of joining her. Alan says, ‘Of course we were doing daily walks long before it became popular’.
Lockdown
In March, just before the first national lockdown, Rose was taken ill with suspected COVID19. No tests in those days, of course, but it seems likely and she was really quite poorly. (Alan probably had it as well but with mild symptoms.)
Alan’s mum, Sylvia, died in April, aged 84. She had been in a care home for 18 months, living with dementia. On 17 April, we were told that she had been taken ill. She died a week later.
Coronavirus restrictions meant that we couldn’t go to see her, or to be with Dad. Dad and Pauline spent the whole of the week locked down with her, so were with her when she died. Her death certificate gives ‘suspected’ COVID19 as a cause.
On the day before Mum’s funeral, Dad, George (now 92), was taken into hospital where he tested positive for COVID19 and was given oxygen. He has since made a good recovery, but not being able to attend his wife’s funeral was clearly a difficult thing for all of us. (The pandemic had also meant that Mum and Dad were apart on their 65th wedding anniversary in March, the first time ever.)
Sylvia’s funeral took place at Gloucester Crematorium on Thursday 14 May. Only four of us were able to be present – Rose and I, Pauline and Bish – but the service was livestreamed. (Dad, in hospital, was unable even to watch the livestream.)
When we got back from the funeral, the care home where Rose’s dad, Austin (92) was, rang saying they were concerned about him. Restrictions meant that Rose was allowed to visit for just one hour the following day. Austin died while Rose was with him. Her brother and sister, Andrew and Celia, were also ‘there’ via video call.
Austin’s funeral took place in St Helens on 3 June. The coronavirus meant that he could not have the church service at St Julie’s that would have been appropriate, and only immediate family were able to attend the crematorium. The funeral cortege, however, called in to the church, where many others had turned up to pay their respects.
It was a surprisingly cold day, but we enjoyed a glass of champagne and some pork pies in the garden.
So, we end the year saying, ‘Here’s to the vaccine and a brighter 2021!’
We hope your muted Christmas will bring you comfort and joy, and that the coming year will hold many blessings.
Stratocastermagic 