Christmas Newsletter 2007

Hello and welcome to my annual online Christmas newsletter.

The renovation and alterations to our house have continued throughout 2007, we have now completed two en suite bathrooms plus an extended kitchen. As I write, the builders are back replacing the dining room ceiling which was damaged in the summer by a major leak from a faulty water pump. This has also required re-plastering two walls, however the good news is that this room was next on our list to redecorate and we have also been able to open out the original fireplace, which will look more in keeping than the gas fire that was there.

On the academic front, Kate returned to university full-time in September to complete the final year of her music degree. This requires a high level of organisation and commitment on her part. Harriet passed the Kent Test (11 Plus) in January and now attends the same local grammar school as Maxwell. Harriet has attained Grade 3 on the violin and Maxwell has attained Grade 5 on the trumpet this year. He is a member of the Combined Cadet Force at school and was asked to play The Last Post and Reveille on Remembrance Sunday at the war memorial in Sandwich. It was cold and pouring with rain, but he played both pieces note perfectly in front of the assembled veterans and civic dignitaries. I felt very nervous for him but also enormously proud. I scanned in the photo below from the local newspaper, although please accept my apologies as the quality of the original was not very good.

Pfizer announced a major reorganisation and downsizing in January, which was a very stressful time, but fortunately R&D activities continue in Sandwich at present. I chaired the "Short Papers in Pharmaceutical Analysis" session again at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester during September. We did not have a major holiday this year, with all the work continuing on the house, however I did manage some sightseeing whilst in Atlanta in June:

Atlanta skyline		Fountain of Rings in Centennial Olympic Park, Atlanta
CNN Building		501 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, birthplace of Martin Luther King
Tomb of Martin Luther King, Atlanta

We also spent October half-term in Rushden where we visited friends and relatives. I did manage to go fishing one day on the River Ise, and we also spent a day on a narrow boat in Warwickshire with our friends Linda and Graham.

Leuciscus cephalus		The boat had been beautifully restored, but the figurehead still needed some work

I still cycle to work whenever possible, come rain and shine. How I hate it though when the farmers cut the Hawthorn hedges! My cycling statistics so far this year are tabulated below:

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for 2008.

Stephen

Back to home page

Last edited 08/12/2007 22:11