Another year has past! Christmas is the time for catching up with old friends and sharing our family news.
Christmas! … As I get older the days fly by so fast – I think that I have missed the last posting date for cards. I am never sure which is worse, sending none or having them arrive around the new year.
The boys, well young men really are happily settled into their own busy, creative and rewarding lives.
The boys, well I don’t see them as much as I would like too, but then who wants to schlep up the motorway for 5 hours to look at rain? I feel a bit guilty that I don’t go and visit them, but I love it here so much its hard to leave – even for a weekend.
Handsome and intelligent No 1 Son and his equally intelligent and beautiful wife have had an interesting year. No 1 Son bravely decided on a complete career change and moved from his chosen profession in the financial sector to teaching, where he is currently doing extremely well. No 1 Daughter in Law continues to do stunningly well in her veterinary practice and she has a new addition to the family in the form of a puppy called “Timo” We are looking forward to meeting him at tomorrow.
No 1 Son worked for a finance company that went to the wall – I do hope that he enjoys teaching – it is something that he has wanted to do for a long time. But you hear so much about teachers and stress these days and of course the salary is somewhat lower.
Fingers crossed the puppy does not demolish everything in sight. No 1 Daughter in Law says it chews everything, chair legs, carpets, fingers, shoes.
Creative and amusing No 2 Son continues to dazzle, designing and maintaining the web site for a well known online wedding portal. He now has a team of people under him. Adorable and gorgeous No 2 Daughter in Law multi -tasks, holding down her job, as well as getting further accounts qualifications. The thrilling news is that they are expecting a baby in March. To say we are all over the moon with happiness is an understatement.
No 2 Son works very hard and I can not believe he is going to be a Dad. When did he and No 2 Daughter in Law get to become old enough to do such grown up things. Eeeeek … I am going to be a Granny!
Charming and individual No 3 Son is no longer with nice girl friend, but leads a fabulous and social bachelor life in London, when he is not at work helping designers and architects make the right choice for the marble and rock they require for their projects. He is also keeping in contact with the American side of the family. I am so happy that he is spending quality time with his cousins when they visit London.
I worry about No 3 Son and hope that he is not to sad after his split with “nice girlfriend”. Men with menaces keep coming up to him and demand that he hands over his phone. He doesn’t of course, thank goodness he is a fast runner.
The boys are all coming up here for Christmas, so it will be glorious to have a good old family get to-gether and spend time catching up and sharing our holiday time.
It will be great to see all the kids again, lets hope that the Trivial Pursuits, Monopoly, and Charades don’t come out this year – it always ends in tears, usually mine.
It is a shame that our heating has died, why do these things always happen just before Christmas – anyway I have told the kids to bring hats, scarves, gloves and boots and that’s just to wear inside the house.
On the job front, I now have several stunning gardens that I tend. The owners are delightful. I am thinking of cutting back a few hours next year to spend time developing my own garden and of course spend more time in the studio, which has been sadly neglected this year.
These old bones are struggling with kneeling in other peoples gardens 24/7 and I think I am going rusty. My ladies keep plying me with lunch, cakes and chocolate – it’s no wonder my toes seem hard to reach these days.
Wales continues to delight and amaze us with the glorious scenery that surrounds us all the time. It now feels as if we have never lived anywhere else.
It also continues to amaze me that there is no decent supermarket within an hours drive (or shops). This year the scenery has been covered with rain clouds – but perhaps next year will be better. Most of the folk around here knew me, or the family when I was a child – and I don’t think they realise that I have lived away for the past 30 years.
Although the work on the house has not gone as speedily as we originally envisaged, we do have to remember that these old houses are prone to a spot of damp. The builders, however, will endeavor to find out where it is coming from in the New Year. This has not stopped us from starting on the internal decorating and I have had a jolly month making curtains.
If the builders don’t get things sorted out soon – I shall go mad. At least the damp patches are very interesting and our guests can squint at them to make a map of the world and then pick out all the countries and oceans.
Here is wishing you all a lovely festive period
With Warm regards and Seasons Greetings
from
Mrs Grumpy and Shedman
Shedman retired to his Shed at the weekend – I expect to see him again about mid January!
I do hope that you have a fabulous time – whatever you are doing over the holiday period
Love
K
xx
Lol@ Mrs Grumpy!
Very interesting and amusing letter Karen!
I hope you have a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year with your family
liz´s last blog ..Snow in Sheffield
What fun to be able to accurately read between the lines! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that the sun begins to shine! gail
Gail´s last blog ..O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
Have a wonderful time.
MNGarden´s last blog ..Baby GQ
Hi Karen! I enjoyed reading your letter!You have a great sense of humor. I hope all of you will stay warm! Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy 2010!
Tatyana´s last blog ..Everything Is Ready
My mom never got her cards out by Christmas, so she started calling them holiday cards. With that approach, you could send them out around Valentine’s day and still be OK . . . or even St Patrick’s Day, or Easter
VW´s last blog ..200 Red Roses for Christmas
Have a wonderful Christmas with your family, Karen and here’s hoping for a slightly less damp 2010.
HappyMouffetard´s last blog ..Ephemeral garden art
That is the sort of Christmas card I would like to get – late or not. Very amusing. Have a lovely time.
Arabella
Arabella Sock´s last blog ..Advent Countdown – December 22nd
Most amusing Karen. I always hated these computerised letters but have to confess to having joined the trend. The response back has been positive my friends are delighted to be able to read my letters for once!
I think I might like to arrange a blind date between your number 3 son and my number 1 daughter ( that’s if she doesn’t find some stray man on her trip to Brazil). Either she’s too picky or men can’t stand long red haired women, where are those pre raphaelites when you want one?
Have a lovely Christmas
Joanne´s last blog ..A SPRINKLING OF SEASONAL SNOW
Good Morning Karen,
I throughly enjoyed reading your letter last night but was too tired to comment. I love reading the polite and then the real voice to oneself in between. Lovely Gail is first to write what I thought last night perhaps about the same time … it is fun to truly read in between the lines. You are so clever and compose a very good letter! Awful about your heat and as parents it is so hard to see our children suffer from broken hearts. Congratulations on the budding grandchild! I hope you have a lovely family gathering! Happy Holidays Karen to you and yours! Best Wishes, Carol
Carol´s last blog ..Midwinter’s Darkest Day Towards Rebirth of Light
Hi Karen – fancy you being a grandma in March!!! Your 3 sons sound fab and it sounds like you will have a very busy weekend. One of my highlights this year was the day we spent gossiping in your garden and thank you for your support more recently when I was struggling. You will probably have picked up that I have some more gossip so will get in touch with you in the new year
Have a lovely time
Helen
Helen´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – 23/12/09 Morning light
Tee hee Karen
Sounds like you’ll all going to have a lovely time, whether it be the black or blue version which is closer to the truth!
Have a great Christmas and see you next year
VP´s last blog ..ABC Wednesday 5: W is for…
Hi Karen, Great letter. Much love to all the boys and Shedman-wrap up warm and have a lovely holiday.
Oh you’re the best, I wish all letters were written like that. The truth will out! Have a very Happy Christmas with your lovely family and roll on 2010 – a baby awaits. xx
Carrie´s last blog ..My Merry Christmas Wishes to everyone
LOL – now that’s the kind of Christmas letter I like to read. If you don’t get the damp problem sorted, it’s possible you could find Jesus or Mary in one of the spots & open your doors as a paying tourist attraction. Merry Christmas to you & yours.
Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..A Christmas Card from Me
I do love your version of the “dreaded” Christmas letter! So much better than the usual “brag and gloat” version. Hope you have a Happy and Warm Christmas!
Helen´s last blog ..25 Days of Christmas Santa Ornaments – December 23 – The Globe and Moon Santas
A most delighful and amusing letter Karen. I am sure that you will enjoy the festive season with those lads and I hope that Shedman emerges for his Christmas lunch. Great news about your imminent grannyhood:) Wishing you peace and happiness at Christmas and in the new year!
Anna´s last blog ..‘From A Fairy To A Child’
Hi Karen. Hope they all arrive ok. Give those weary bones a rest for a while and don’t even think about tulip bulbs for a couple of weeks. If you need a hand knee-capping the builders in the new year, I have contacts!! You have to admin that the scenery is rather wonderful at the moment. Snow capped mountains and even some sunshine. I’m sure Shedman will appear once in a while …. Happy Christmas
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Karen.
Great letter, Karen – I actually like getting the normal Christmas round robins, but yours is better
I’m catching up with several posts here – was sorry to hear about your Welsh rain. We had a pretty miserable November too, but at least it only rained outside. Now all my waterlogged pots are frozen solid and I am wondering whether anything will survive the winter.
Happy Christmas, and best wishes for a warmer and drier new year!
Juliet´s last blog ..Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Grim Reality
Brill letter. Now its just drink and food for three days!!! Dobby is right the the snow capped mountains look wonderful, but Im sorry to say it is now raining. Better take shed man a rain coat so he can come back and forth for meals. My number 2 daughter has arrived, next its my sister and her daughter(about six tonight). Then we are off to midnight mass in dyffryn if you want to come. Have a wonderful christmas Grumpy and shedman XX
A lovely post – and it was nice to be kept up to date with your family. Have a great Christmas and New Year. All the best (and I hope it stops raining over the festive season!)
easygardener´s last blog ..Beware what you wish for – it might come before the waterproof boots!
Happy holidays Karen and thanks for all the great blog posts in 2009. Hope that we can meet up next year and gallop round some gardens in your neck of the woods together!
Charlotte´s last blog ..On the second day of Christmas ….
Just stopping by on Christmas Eve to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a delightful New Year. Thank you for a fabulous year of beautiful photography and amazing prose.
Hi there Karen, I’ve never seen your letters before and thoroughly enjoyed reading about your family… especially between the lines
Just wanted to stop by and wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2010 especially this year now with all your family at home:-D
shrl´s last blog ..Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you and yours! Sounds like a lively bunch, and congratulations on the impending addition to the family.
My parents’ heating just went out, too, so we’ll be spending the holiday weekend similarly wrapped up. Glad to know we’re not the only ones.
Meredith´s last blog ..is that a jingle?
Poignant, Karen.
I’m moved by this.
It will haunt me.
Lucy
Lucy Corrander´s last blog ..WILD FENNEL IN DECEMBER
Hope you and yours are having a splendid Chritsmas
uphilldowndale´s last blog ..Christmas Day
Hope all arrived safely and that there were enough of you to warm the house up! Ian would retire to a shed for a couple of weeks if it were not for the food. Do you ferry it out to him? Congratulations on the imminent grannyhood. We have had daughter and son in law and four week old new grandson here – I am loving it. They are very happy and very knackered!
elizabethm´s last blog ..Christmas – so how did it go?
Belated wishes for the holidays, Karen! Funny how time flies, isn’t it? Seems to go faster as we get older..no, I’m not going to think about that.
jodi (bloomingwriter)´s last blog ..The cranky gardener creates her own sunlight
A belated happy Christmas to you and yours, karen. An early Happy 2010 to you all, too.
HappyMouffetard´s last blog ..The aiming of the shrew
Merry, merry, Karen! I much prefer your kind of Christmas letter, with all the juicy under-the-voice bits thrown in–life is so much more interesting and rich than a cleaned-up version lets on.
I do hope Number one son enjoys teaching. I do, and find it very rewarding, in spite of the stresses.
Happy and safe New Year to you and your loved ones.
Susan Tomlinson´s last blog ..A simple journal for left-handers who like to keep their pencils handy. (And for other people, too.)
And now it’s time to say ‘Happy New Year’. Before long, we’ll be sending Easter Greetings!
Hope 2010 is even better than 2009; less rain, less knee-ache; that the sun remembers which months it’s supposed to shine – and good art.
Best wishes
Esther
Esther Montgomery´s last blog ..CHRISTMAS ONE – (THOUGH DON’T TAKE CHRISTMAS TWO FOR GRANTED)
Dear Karen – do hope you all had a lovely Christmas – I imagine with no heating it must have been very cold – I was in Cornwall this year with family and despite being cold we certainly didn’t have all the snow elsewhere had… just a few days of black ice which kept us off the roads! It’s always hard at this time of year – enjoying all the yummy food and being certainly less active than at other times of the year and when the time comes to start gardening again – it takes a while to get back into the swing!! I dont’ think looking at the tempertures that I’ll be doing much gardening work for a few weeks at least… time to catch up indoors. Anyway – do hope that 2010 is a good year for you – take care Miranda x
Happy New Year Karen! Loved the letter but am now puzzled why locals hadn’t realised you’ve not lived there for 30 years. Is that the usual time lapse between house calls in Wales?
Dawn/LittleGreenFingers´s last blog ..Radio Times, Doctor Who and yet another ‘Review of the Year’