December 2014

A Happy and Blessed Christmas to You All

The Bartlett family wish all our family and friends the special blessings that this time of year affords. We sincerely hope that you will read this blog when preparations have been made for the big celebration and you will be able to enjoy scrolling through our annual news. 

As always, as we prepare it we realise how fortunate we are to have such wonderful family and friends. You will see that the majority of photographs are of people and not places. It is you who make our lives so rich and this is our main thanks this year.

Tom has found time to run quite a few times this year and despite threatening to cut back manages to keep treading the pavements; writes and paints whenever opportunity affords and has indulged his hobby as family taxi service with great frequency! He has been through a transfer of his company to a charity provider and is thankful for continuity of employment. 

Linda snatched as many moments to quilt as possible and has completed the star quilt after two years. She is loving ink pencils onto fabric and has played with these too. She has taken up Tai Chi and swims regularly before work. Lots to look forward to there. Linda spent a considerable time of her working year in a school for children with behaviour difficulties and alongside now knowing how to swear profusely she learned to respect and care deeply for the children's futures.

Samuel is in his second year at the University of Birmingham studying History and Political Science and is highly interested in the Middle East. He is organising events for the university Aussie rules team he plays on and a whole lot more. He is planning a year studying abroad next year and then will return to Birmingham for his final year.

Eleanor is in her final year at school and has just sent her UCAS application off for university entry next year. She also works in Sports Direct. It is a busy and demanding year for her, but she is forging ahead to the future. 

Mollydog is getting a little creaky and deaf, but she is a dear and much loved by all; which we (Linda) hesitate to say for Peaches the corn snake. However, Linda has been known to talk to her!

So have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. We will be focusing ours on being thankful for the real reason and our church events are central. Today we will be rehearsing for the Nine Lessons and Carols at St. Faiths, where Tom and Linda are in the choir and Intelligence tell us that Santa will be driving through the village on his sleigh tonight. On Monday we will join our village singing carols outside the Manor, drinking mulled wine and eating mince pies; and singing in the candlelit midnight carol service on Christmas Eve is the real start of Christmas for us.

With love from Tom, Linda, Samuel and Eleanor xxxx