Here you will find four pages devoted to pictures and news of recent family activ- ities, followed by examples of research projects of mine in South London, North Kent, and South Wales. NB: The family pages of this website are regularly updated.
Our family is growing:-
Margaret & Martin in Wales The grandchildren: Katie, Bel & Abi Jenny confined to her wheelchair now
Abigail Alice Blake (5lbs 5oz), born at home 3.30 pm Tuesday April 3rd 2012!
Congratulations to Lizzy (who laboured), Ben (who delivered), and 18 month old Katie (who slept through it all)!
STOP PRESS:
Jenny celebrated her 65th birthday on March 30th!
. . . . ___ . . . .Jenny celebrated her 65th birthday on March 30th!
What the Dickens have we been up to in Southwark, and in the East End?
On Tuesday February 7th, Margaret and I and a few friends from St Stephens Church braved Arctic weather to join in Southwark Cathedral`s `Dickens in Southwark` celebrations, involving a Guided Walk around the Borough, a talk in St George the Martyr Parish Church, a Choral Evensong with Dickens Readings, and insights into Dickens' life from celebrated biographer, Claire Tomalin. It was a fascinating day, and a selection of my pictures (with captions) from the day can be viewed on the `Pilgrimages` page of this website. . . . . ___ . . . .
Two visits to the 2012 Olympic Park:In early February I joined the younger members of my family for a first visit to the site of the London 2012 Olympic Games between Bromley-by-Bow and Stratford. I walked around the western perimeter of the site on the so-called Greenway (mainly paved towpaths and cycleways), and visited John Lewis in the Westfield Shopping Centre, which currently has the best viewpoint of the main facilities.
Then in late March Margaret and I enjoyed a Guided Walk from Bromley-by-Bow to Pudding Mill Lane DLR station via the historic Three Mills site, organised by Mary Datchelor Old Girls Association. To our surprise and delight, we were accompanied by Alan, Shelley and Jenny (former friends and neighbours) on the second walk.
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Plans for 2012:
The Queen's Jubilee: St Stephens Church is hosting a second visit of the Choir of St Eustache Church in Paris on the Jubilee Weekend of June 1st-3rd, and they will join in our celebrations. They will give a Concert in St Stephens on the Saturday, lead our Celebration Family Eucharist on Sunday morning, and also give a Concert at St James' Piccadilly. It is hoped that our Church Choir will later make a reciprocal visit to sing in Paris.
The magnificent interior of St Eustache Church in the centre of Paris
The St Eustache Choir leading our St Stephens Family Eucharist in 2oo8
Two holidays are already booked:
1) To the Brecon Beacons with the family in the second week of August. We are returning to Beacons Lodge near Libanus, which we enjoyed last year:
Katie loves the Brecon Beacons, it seems! A family barbecue, overlooking the Tarell Valley and Pen y fan
2) To Pieve di Ledra in the Italian Alps with Jenny at the beginning of September. This will be a week in a self-catering apartment near Lake Garda, followed by three nights in the Black Forest area of southern Germany. We are going by car, and hope to revisit some of the places on the Lake Garda-Oberammergau trip we enjoyed two years ago, as well as seeking out new delights:
Lake Garda (Pieve di Ledra is on the smaller lake near the NW tip); the southern Dolomites are on the horizon
On Tuesday May 8th we had our annual day trip to Calais, to do some sightseeing in Pas de Calais and French Flanders, to enjoy some regional cuisine, and to restock our cellar:
Ferry entering Calais harbour The charming town of Cassel was our main stop, with a new Flanders Museum (which was Marechal Foch's HQ in the Great War). They were remembering May 8th as the 67th anniversary of the end of WWII with a procession to the Church.
The Queen's Jubilee: St Stephens Church is hosting a second visit of the Choir of St Eustache Church in Paris on the Jubilee Weekend of June 1st-3rd, and they will join in our celebrations. They will give a Concert in St Stephens on the Saturday, lead our Celebration Family Eucharist on Sunday morning, and also give a Concert at St James' Piccadilly. It is hoped that our Church Choir will later make a reciprocal visit to sing in Paris.
The magnificent interior of St Eustache Church in the centre of ParisThe St Eustache Choir leading our St Stephens Family Eucharist in 2oo8
Two holidays are already booked:
1) To the Brecon Beacons with the family in the second week of August. We are returning to Beacons Lodge near Libanus, which we enjoyed last year:
Katie loves the Brecon Beacons, it seems! A family barbecue, overlooking the Tarell Valley and Pen y fan
2) To Pieve di Ledra in the Italian Alps with Jenny at the beginning of September. This will be a week in a self-catering apartment near Lake Garda, followed by three nights in the Black Forest area of southern Germany. We are going by car, and hope to revisit some of the places on the Lake Garda-Oberammergau trip we enjoyed two years ago, as well as seeking out new delights:
Lake Garda (Pieve di Ledra is on the smaller lake near the NW tip); the southern Dolomites are on the horizon
On Tuesday May 8th we had our annual day trip to Calais, to do some sightseeing in Pas de Calais and French Flanders, to enjoy some regional cuisine, and to restock our cellar:
Ferry entering Calais harbour The charming town of Cassel was our main stop, with a new Flanders Museum (which was Marechal Foch's HQ in the Great War). They were remembering May 8th as the 67th anniversary of the end of WWII with a procession to the Church.
No doubt there will be other trips and holidays (some booked at the last minute), as well as our usual visits to Herne Bay!
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