A very
merry Christmas & prosperous 2021 to all our Friends |
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As is the custom Rosedale News will be on the web at www.gwsjms.me.uk/xmas20.htm. |
What a Year! Well what a year it’s been, or not!! Started well. Usual Christmas events including the birth of our new granddaughter, Anwyn, and then a few months of normality. Since the end of March everything seems to have stood still so there isn’t much to report. Graham received a Government letter saying he had to shield as he had asthma and COPD and of course we are both in the vulnerable category with regards to our age. No choir or WI for me, no Masonic or Probus meetings for Graham. However, the dog has had good long walks every morning and we are very glad that we live where we are as there are open fields and plenty of footpaths around the village.
IHolidays as such have been non-existent but we did manage a few days with Katherine, Santi and the boys in July. Ivan and Oscar had been off school and had been self-isolating and we planned the visit when Santi and Katherine had been away from work for at least 7 days. Only stops on the drive up to Inverness were for toilet breaks for us and the dog. We had a pleasant week with good, if windy, weather and managed to celebrate Katherine’s birthday while we were there.
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Debbie, Chris, Mikie & Ben |
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We have managed to visit Chris and family a few times. Debs has been on Maternity leaver and Chris on furlough for two days a week and working from home for the rest of the time, so we felt safe to visit. Even so we have only seen Anwyn in the flesh for about three times and she will be one on 12th December! We do manage frequent video meetings with them and Anwyn certainly recognizes us on the monitor. Ben is into coding, he is modifying computer games with Java Script - clever lad, must take after his dad.
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Graham and Janet We were fortunate that we were able to have a wider family get together on 29 February, when Graham's cousin reached the grand old age of 70. We enjoyed what turned out to be the last large gathering of the year.
There have been some pleasant events since March. The village has been great with offers of shopping etc. and a picnic tea for VE day celebrations. Janet has become an expert at on-line grocery shopping but I admit that I would rather choose my own things, especially in the fruit and vegetable line. Morrisons’ and Sainsbury’s vans have been arriving quite frequently. Just wish Aldi would deliver!! Both of us have been heavily into online meetings with Google Duo, Microsoft Teams and Zoom helping us keep in touch with leisure activities including masonic, WI, Choir and up to August schools. We have almost daily online chats with Anwyn. |
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| Katherine, Santi, Ivan & Oscar | |
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All the boys have been off school from March to September in Milton Keynes and August in Inverness and although they have had plenty of work from their schools they have missed their friends and the school routine. Ivan, who is coming up to exams next summer, has been working hard all through the summer. He is very self-motivated and works very hard as well as constructing some kind of video games, not that I understand what this entails, and has earned nearly enough to buy himself a new mobile phone. He has also built a new gaming computer from scratch, researching and sourcing all the components. He continues with the Air Training Corps although most of their activities have been online since the spring. On Sunday he took part in their Rembrance service with a short reading. |
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| Janet | |
My four college friends and I usually meet up a couple of times a year either in Manchester or in each other’s homes for a lunch, natter or sometimes a theatre visit. Since lockdown we have been able to have zoom meetings and we have managed to get Anne in on the meetings. She lives in Toronto so it’s been great to have her in on the calls. |
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Graham and Megan Graham resigned as Vice Chair of Governors at the secondary school after over 30 years service. They made a very nice little presentation to him from Staff and Governors of County High School, Leftwich Graham is still able to do his three miles or more each day with Megan although at the age of 10 we wonder how much longer she will be so active. Masonry still continues to have demands on his time as he is both the secretary to his lodge and the treasurer of a side degree as well as work as a Trustee for the Cheshire Freemasons Charity. The charity has been busy supporting good causes such as Food Banks, Mental Healh and Hospices to name a few. These are spread throughout Cheshire and the Wirral. Many have found things difficult during the Covid Pandemic Graham has been foirtunate to continue hiking in and around Cheshire with his Probus Long Walkers Group. Unfortunately in recent weeks the pub lunches have had to cease again but will hopefully resume by the year end..
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