Back Row from left: Emma, Nerys, Tim, Pennie, Gwilym, Emily, David, Briony, Kate, Tomos, George.
Front Row from left: Charlie, Jackson, Abigail and Matilda.
This
Newsletter is long, I've tried to cut it down, edit it and make it more
readable but as it will join my other 26 Newsletters in the State
Library I try to put in as much of our year as possible. I hope you Enjoy and make it to the end
safely. cheers Pennie
Griffiths Family
Christmas Newsletter - 2011
I
thought last years joint Christmas Letter was a great success so I'm continuing
along the same lines this year with contributions from family, but firstly here
are a few of my favourite quotes heard during the year.
In
Macau: I'm with
Tilly and we're looking at photos of Pennie and David taken in the 1960's.
Tilly
looks very closely at the computer, she looks closer at me, back at the photos,
then even closer at me and says, with brows furrowed and in a very puzzled
way. 'Pennie? why did you change
your look?'
At
Gwilym and Emily's Spectacular Wedding.
School
Mate of Gwil's to friends:
'I've never been to a Wedding before, Weddings are fantastic!' Friends: 'Nah they're never like this Mate,
you've started too High!'
At
home: David
had given Charlie a very long piece of bamboo to play with and I was constantly
saying: 'Charlie, get that stick
away from Jackson', 'Charlie! Watch what you are doing with that stick.' Till eventually I muttered under my
breath... 'That David needs a good smack for giving Charlie a stick!' To which Charlie said... 'Pennie, David is coming from the
garage, would you like me to do it for you?'
Then the best of all, but pardon the language. David is about to drive
Jack and Charlie into the City to attend the Opening of the Harry Potter
Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum and I check with David that he has
everything.
Wallet?
yes. Keys? yes. Phone? 'Oh
Shit!' says David as he jumps out of the car to rush inside and find it. The look on the boys faces is one of
shock and their mouths are open when Charlie says to me very seriously. 'Pennie, wasn't it lucky David didn't
say Fuck!' I have to tell
you I almost fell over and have giggled about it ever since and... yes it was
lucky Charlie, very lucky!
First
to contribute once my request email went out was Gwilym, for the second time in
two years! You are a Winner
Gwillo! but we already knew that
didn't we!
Gwilym and Emily were married earlier this year! Their
wedding was a spectacular event, (as you can see in this years photo) which
broke all the 'wedding rules' with a fantastic vintage fairground theme. One of
the highlights, apart from the beautiful ceremony, were the many performances
during the night. These included a contortion act, hula hooping performer and
even a slightly risque burlesque act towards the end of the night. The one and
only Tom Griffiths, who dressed as Elvis for the occasion, also performed on
the night with his amazing 'Three Waiters' troop. Their honeymoon took Gwil and
Em to Miami, the Caribbean Island of Turks and Caicos and then to New York!
They are still
enjoying life in Newtown and are planning to do major home renovations next
year, which will involve knocking out walls and going up a level (budget
willing). Gwilym's community
garden has made some good progress. He has formed the 'Newtown Sustainability
Group', a registered association with an elected committee. The project has
full support from the school (who own the property) and has recently received
some very healthy funding, check out the website Camdenville Paddock. Gwil
and Em hope to be self sufficient with fruit and vegetables by mid next year!
This
Christmas will be spent with Em's cousin in France, which will hopefully be
their first white Christmas! They fly via Macau to see TEAM-G on the way and
will also travel through Paris and Amsterdam on their way to Berlin for New Years Eve with friends.
Emily is still Head
of Commercial Integration for The Foxtel music channels, she had another busy
working year with lots of fun, gigs and met some terrific people including
Alice Cooper!!
There are a lot more photos of this Spectacular Wedding to be found in March 2011 on the
right hand side of this Blog, scroll down.
**********
Next up... is Timmy T.
The
year started well as I took to the cricket pitch in my capacity as Jackson’s
team coach and came away the proudest Dad in the land as his team coasted to
victory without losing a wicket and completed a season without loss. I
now sit on the Hornsby District Cricket Club as the Milo In2Cricket and under 8
& 9 coaching coordinator.
Jackson's greatest highlight was getting a Hat Trick in one of his games
and a mention in the local papers as well.
I
realised an ambition by successfully growing hops in my back yard and come
harvest time, along with the use of liquid malt and an ale yeast converted my
bounty into a quite passable summer style pale ale. I
continued with my role as treasurer of the Hornsby Heights Public School ECO
food garden and helped out at working bees and fund raising. The garden
is looking marvellous.
The 3rd bedroom extension is looking good and is on track to be finished by
Christmas. The new year will no doubt include a painting working bee or
2.
It’s
been a very busy year with one thing and another and has ended with terrific
news for Charlie and I as we will be playing Milo cricket during the lunch
break on the hallowed turf of the SCG on day 1 of the new year test match.
The match between Australia and India is the 100th test held at the SCG
and should be a memorable day. An exciting end to an exciting year.
David's contribution!
(How come the men in our family are the
first to contribute! Don't you
just love them!)
1. The Bad news.
Got a speeding fine and a parking fine, both quite unfair and
unnecessary.
My leg had a fight with the chain saw. The Emergency nurse said
"So, it's you and the chain saw eh?". Possums ate my tomatoes and
stripped the flowering apricot tree's leaves.
2. The good news. Our adorable children, two Wonderwomen and two
Supermen, continued to amaze us
with their cleverness and thoughtfulness and loveliness. Our grandchildren
ditto. provided some very memorable encounters, pithy remarks and wise sayings.
With my brother Andrew and neighbour Sandy, his wife and their friend
Moira I was led down 500 vertical metres into the Colo Gorge by what proved the
wrong path. After some periods of mild terror, exhilaration and exhaustion I
emerged three days later from the 600 metre vertical climb greatly strengthened
in mind and body.
Strong
enough to sign up for Highroadforoz, the repatriation of a Sydney Albion Double
Decker bus, like mine, from Glasgow to Sydney overland. To read the road signs in
Kazakhstan I undertook to learn Russian. My Ukrainian hairdresser lady comments
"orchen kharashor" (very good) from time to time which is very
encouraging. Her name is Bela and she is from Lvov. The strizhka costs $20 but
I don't know the word for twenty yet. Because of bus trip I signed up for Facebook!! Pennie and I used our $2.50 Senior's bus/train/ferry
concession a lot. At Woy Woy we had fish and chips and found a REAL Gallipoli
Lone Pine tree, from which to try to raise a seedling.
**********
From Nerys - written by Pennie.
Charlie
started School this year and Nerys continued her involvement in the boys school
but retired as President of the P&C Mothers Fundraising Group after a
successful 12 months of hard work and fun. Nerys, much to our excitement and a little horror, turned 40 in October. Pennie, David, Briony, Kate, Gwilym and
Emily all helped mind the boys so Nerys and Tim and another three couples could
celebrate in real style up at the Hunter Valley.
Three
quarters of the way through the year Nerys decided to go back into the
workforce and landed her first job in several years, on her first
interview. She is working in a brand new nursing home organizing
the activities for the older people, she loves the job but only a couple of
weeks after starting she discovered that not only does she need her Gall
Bladder taken out but her right kidney was badly swollen and damaged from a
blockage in the ureter which has, over the years blocked even further damaging
that kidney. Nerys has had the
operation and although still in Hospital as I type the news is good, her kidney
will eventually recover. The pain
she's suffered has been debilitating but she is young, she is healthy and she
is fit so we have high hopes for her full recovery. And the nice thing about this... even though she'd only just
started her new job, they are holding it for her when she is well enough to
return! I think that says it
all... they know they are onto a good thing employing our Nerys!
**********
From
Pennie.
David
and I spent last Christmas in Macao with Tom, Emma, Abigail, Matilda and
George, we were treated royally by them all and enjoyed every new experience
including several wonderful shows and several opportunities to hear our boy
sing! Melting moments that's for
sure. But what we still smile
about is the fact that Tomos goes off to work each day in a suit and tie
looking very dapper and handsome!
Gwilym
and Emily have to be congratulated for not only arranging the most Spectacular
Wedding ever seen but the most Spectacular Show as well. The Wedding took place in an old
warehouse in the factory district of St Peters, quite close to where they
live. The look on Taxi Drivers
faces was priceless as they dropped guests off for this Wedding! Inside this unassuming warehouse was a
collection of old fairground equipment mostly in working order! We rode the Merry-go-Round, we listened
to musical Organs, we ate fairground type foods but much classier, we watched
performers, Mr Whippy arrived in his van with Gelato's instead of soft serve and at the end of
the night David's big Red Bus, driven by a friend, arrived to take the guests
to Central Station to continue their trips home. The ideas, the execution and the presentation of the whole
event was indeed Spectacular!
For me, this
year hasn't run as smoothly as most, my little car was hit from behind and took
12 weeks to fix because the Insurance Company of the guy who hit me tried to
wriggle out, but I won in the end,
I was in the right after all. My
Dad's Estate has been very time consuming and complicated mainly because of a
couple of investments going under from the past recession and because the
Retirement Village Mum and Dad lived in for 21 years went into Liquidation. I am dealing with two different
Solicitors trying to finalize things.
My Mum, Rosie hasn't had the best of years, in and out of hospital but
she is settled at the moment, is always positive and looking forward to
Christmas here at Turramurra.
After
some pestering from Gwilym and some urging from Adrian a Blogger friend, I
started my 'Europe by London Taxi Blog', which was selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia who asked permission to Archive it... I feel quite
chuffed by this and although I've had to leave the Blog for a couple of weeks
while I helped Nerys and the boys I am looking forward to getting back to it
after Christmas. The memories come
flooding back and with the help of Google Maps and Wiki I feel as though I'm
doing the same trip we did in 1968 to 1970 all over again. Great therapy it is! Oh
and I'm still quilting and knitting... I knitted a new jumper for David, it's exactly
the same pattern as I made him 45 years ago, (I also made one for myself) I needed help from Ebay in the end
to find the same Aran pattern and bought an old copy for $1.50, it's 30 stitch
and 32 row pattern came back to me after a few trials and errors. Wonderful for the memory.
Our
Christmas Day will be the smallest in memory... David and I, Nerys, Tim, Jack,
Charlie and Rosie. TEAM-G will stay in Macau, Briony and Kate
will go to Kate's parents down the South Coast, Gwilym and Emily will be in
Paris, brother Tim will stay on the Central Coast with his extended family, my
sister Meredith lives in Perth and my Brother Nick and family will be in
Dubai. 7 for us here which is a
lot different from the possible 30+ in past years.
**********
From Briony and Kate.
Briony and Kate
had an awesome year in 2011 with trips around NSW as well as a few weeks
overseas. Briony enjoyed a wonderful trip to Macau with TEAM-G. She felt
like royalty arriving by helicopter from Hong Kong, enjoyed eating at exquisite
restaurants including a Michelin star restaurant as well as soaking up the
entertainment scene with 'Cirque de Soleil' and the 'House of Dancing Water'
shows. Bri absolutely loved spending so much time with Tom and Emma and all the
lovely kids and was fascinated by the fusion of Portuguese, Macanese, Chinese
and Western influences shows.
Briony
then moved onto the South of France for a long overdue visit to our family
friend Marie-Therese, while there she appeared on French Television.
Marie T organized an excursion with the film crew who only spoke French
so it was a bit of a surprise when Bri realized she was meant to jump off the
cliff. Watch her jump here. After
surviving this crazy but wonderful adventure, Briony moved onto Fromelles where
she paid her respects to the late Pte Raymond Charles Bishop. Last year a
military cemetery was established to acknowledge the Australian soldiers whose
identities were unknown until recently. Without ever meeting this brave young
distant cousin, Bri was overcome with tears for Ray’s mother and family who
never knew where their beloved son died during the battles of WWI.
It was an incredibly moving experience to be able to pay respects
by placing a poppy on Ray’s grave on behalf of the family.
Next
stop was the beautiful city of Paris to meet Kate and her Mum. Paris was just
magical with a view from the hotel room of the lovely River Seine and the
sparkling Eiffel Tower. We had to keep pinching ourselves to make sure we were
really there.
Kate.
While Bri
was having all this fun in Macau and the South of France, Kate and her Mum were
living it up in uptown Notting Hill, London. For her Mum’s 60th birthday,
Kate treated her to an overseas adventure to the UK and Paris. One of the
highlights were front row seats at ‘Phantom of the Opera’ at the West End.
Kate and her Mum were the only two Australians amongst 40 odd Americans on
their tour through England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland, learning about their
family heritage first hand in Europe – a very moving experience for both of them
AND of course the sensations of Paris on their arrival in France.
Overall,
it was an incredible year for Bri and Kate who are very grateful for their
wonderful families and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. They now look
forward to their Italian adventures planned for 2012.
TEAM-G
This
year Tom has held Auditions in New York, London and the Philippines with some
success, he's always looking for Singers, Gondoliers and entertainers for the
Venetian. In the New Year he will be seeking 50 artists in China for the new
Sands Casino opening. We iChat
with TEAM-G in Macao quite often, sometimes for hours at a time... actually I
should say I iChat with Abi, Tilly and Georgie while Tom and Emma get on with
things around their home... could you call this Babysitting?? I just love it... no matter what we
call it.
Tom
told me in our chat today that Tilly shares the same birthday as Elvis, David
Bowie, Shirley Bassey and Stephen King!
Wow!
Emma
has had a constant round of all sorts of Shows to produce in Singapore, China,
Hong Kong and Macao, Bollywood and Arts Fringe Festival were just two of the
ones she told me about, she took George to Shanghai for a show and has a big
show on in Hong Kong tomorrow, unfortunately Vilma their nanny is ill, so Emma will
take the three children with her, luckily she has her trusty friend Affie to
help, and the children love their unofficial Godfather, Affie and the shows of course.
Earlier
this month Emma organized a Flash Mob on the forecourt of the Venetian, you can
check it out here, see if you can spot Tom and Abigail. Emma tells me she can
be seen in the back row but I can't find her. TEAM-G
have enjoyed lots of family travel as usual starting with a trip to Disneyland in Hong
Kong for Tilly's birthday, a trip to Australia for Gwil and Em's wedding, and
the usual summer jaunt to England to see Emma's family and expect much of he same in the new year.
**********
The
other day I was speaking to Charlie on the phone and told him that David and I
were delivering Smith Family Christmas Hampers for the poor families tomorrow,
we're taking presents, food and Christmas cake to the families that don't have
much money, I told him.
Like
in Africa? says Charlie
:-) Not quite
Charlie but close enough. It won't
be long before he's joining us as our children did when they were young.
Happy Christmas Everybody!
