BIBBA'S APPLE BITES - CHRISTMAS 2005

Applefield, 23 Chalk Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7LW
Phone: 01243 641470 Email: andab@messages.co.uk

Family and Farm:  The main projects at Applefield this year have been digging in our small swimming pool  and planting a hedge on two sides of our field.  In October we adopted 20 rescue battery hens to increase our poultry after the fox used us as a drive-thru during the spring.  They arrived very thin and bald, but are now very happy, almost feathered free range hens who produce lots of eggs each day.  We hatched one gosling this year, who was the pride and joy of all the whole gaggle, as geese do total family child care!  Josephine (pig) was taken off to the pork pie factory in the summer, but Princess was too lame to go the same way so is awaiting her end.  Thomas our labrador had to end his happy life shortly after his 16th birthday in August. Jack felt lonely without him, so we have just adopted an 11 month old Beagle called Holly.  She is adjusting to farm life after Basingstoke!  We have had 2 litters of kittens this year.  We kept one kitten each time, making nine cats at Applefield!  They work well at the mice, but love sitting by the Aga and on our beds!  In May Daddy was “blissed out” by a 10 day holiday in Berlin and Dresden with Auntie Anwyl and Uncle Mike and their neighbour.  In August we drove in our full van down through France to the Alps where we had been lent a chalet for a week.  It took us 3 overnight stops to get to the beautiful village.  Anda found the high altitude made her quite breathless, but she was inspired to paint and I had a brilliant ride up the mountain in the cable car.  It was a fantastic adventure for all of us.  Last weekend we celebrated Mummy’s 60th birthday with a 2 day family open house and her dream of a balloon flight is coming true soon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Alexandra (Anda/Alex):  Anda completed her National Diploma in Graphic Design at Chichester College in June and is now studying Fashion and Textiles.  She now has 60 Anda Card designs and sells them from home and in 2 local farm shops.  She always needs new customers.  All her designs can be seen on the Anda Cards website: http://groups.msn.com/andacards

George: In addition to various freelance teaching positions around the city of Shenzhen, George is engaged in marketing work for an online electronics shop exporting goods from China, and is organising a group tour to Hong Kong and the Canton Fair in April 2006. He came home last Christmas, and in September/October.  While he was home he set up a webcam on the computer for us so now we can ‘see’ him and chat using the microphone as well as keeping in touch by email.  For those who have asked George’s latest email address is bailyrg@gmail.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Elizabeth (Bibba/Lizzie): This year I graduated with a BA (Hons) in Childhood Studies: Early Years. I now have a job as a Teaching Assistant at a local primary school on Mondays, helping children from all year groups on the computers and with reading.  I edit Wellspring-West Sussex which is a newsletter for families with disabled children, and work on this through the year.  I gave a talk at a Muscular Dystrophy medical conference in London in April and recently spoke at the West Sussex Head-Teachers’ conferences about Wellspring. In October I went on a course to learn how to be a mentor to secondary school pupils who want to go to university, which may lead to some work next academic year and am working with a group to make a guide to help students with special needs with their future plans.  I am the family secretary, and help Anda with her website and have recently created a new Applefield website which I am keeping updated with our news and photographs: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bailyfamily/             

HAPPY NEW YEAR!