As the snow has now properly reached Anglesey, such that I am not able to go to work, I can finally put finger to keyboard and get the Christmas letter written, sent in Christmas cards AND posted on the blog. Since I started writing this last week, we’ve had 20cms of snow on Anglesey, a place where we never get snow because we’re too close to the sea! There was even snow on the beach right up to the waterline and glorious clear blue skies to go with it. We have even been out on cross-country skis (hopefully I will post some photos to go with this) and I had a very brief go but had to resist properly, having only just had new joints this year! Temperatures went as slow as -14 degrees 2 days ago, as well! Apparently Lapland (where a colleague has just been) was only -15. And we had more snow last night (21st) to add to what’s still there. Roads are less clear this time round but the sun is shining. In fact the only day it wasn’t clear skies was the night of the eclipse of the moon - typical.


This year has been somewhat dominated by my operations – new hip in January followed 6 months later by a (2nd) new knee in August. I have recovered well and quickly from both but realise that the knee will take a while longer before it truly feels natural and pain-free. Paul, as ever, has been a wonderful nursemaid – I don’t know how other patients manage without one to cosset, feed and boost flagging morale. He will no doubt be relieved that I have no plans to repeat the experiences for a very long time.

It was very sad for all the Griffiths that Paul’s Mum died in May after a few difficult weeks in hospital. We did however give her the most wonderful send-off in a cardboard coffin decorated with bluebells, something that Kate had arranged, much to everyone’s surprise. The secular and very personal service was equally appropriate and would have raised a smile for the guest of honour had she been there. In September, we had a second gathering in Dolgellau to scatter the ashes on Granny Wales’ mountain behind her old house in Dinas Mawddwy. My unintended choice of eccentric house and owners was thought very apposite and reminded us all of Granny’s home in Wales.

Some other significant news of the year is that James has been in Suzhou, China (near Shanghai) since July on a working exchange programme organised by Liverpool University. He is having a great time out there, slightly tempered by the fact that the company he is working for, have hardly any work for him to do as their Graphics Designer. Unfortunately, it seems to have confirmed his determination to avoid working for a living, his ambition now being to marry a doctor and become a writer! Meanwhile, he is learning Mandarin and enjoying the company of new friends.  He was relieved to find Suzhou is commercially astute enough to have Christmas trimmings even if the Chinese take no time off. He is going to Hong Kong for New Year to meet up with a Uni friend to enjoy more festive times. We meanwhile hope to not feel his absence too much for our own celebrations at home. Assuming everything goes to plan, he returns early summer to embark on his final year of Law.

Emma’s news is that she has landed herself the perfect job with Conwy council, working as a social worker for the Flying Start project (similar to SureStart) in a preventative role with families of 0-4 year olds.  Both she and Rich now work for Conwy and have dallied with the idea of buying a house along the coast but I think most recently are feeling that they would prefer to commute and live on or near Anglesey.  In the meanwhile, we are lucky to continue to have them as very well behaved tenants in our house in Menai Bridge.

Paul (and I but to a lesser extent) has been very busy getting the old dairy ready to let out for holiday lets (www.stickcottage.co.uk) and we have had a very satisfying first season with reassuring feedback and plenty of happy customers.  We are gearing up to a couple coming over Christmas, which will be fun and then hope to have lots of bookings pouring in for 2011.  Indeed, we have found it works so well that we are now planning long-term to move to Menai Bridge and let out Tyn Rardd as a second holiday house.  

Anglesey Stick in festive mood

Paul’s paddle-making business continues to attract customers but he is frustrated that his new product, the Anglesey Wobbler, has not had more appeal as a Christmas present.  He has decided to make another strip cedar deck sea-kayak in the hopes of promoting it at shows next year.  And when he isn’t earning money in all these numerous ways, he has been dividing off our building plot which, despite being on the market for 6 months, has not had a peep of interest.  We are now delineating the boundaries, in the hopes that prospective buyers will see more clearly what they are getting for their money.  Meanwhile I am propagating 50+ cuttings to grow a hedge next spring along the boundary fence. 

As for me, in between operations, I have been building websites and doing all things admin and marketing for the various strands of our businesses.  And when I can, I have been working as a relief secretary at the hospital.  I am currently working in Paediatrics, which is a very nice department.  My advocacy work also continues as occasional evening work as well, something I much enjoy.

Isabelle, James, Paul, Phoebe, Dad, Rich
Emma, Catherine, Mum

Mum and Dad continue to be remarkably healthy and thoroughly enjoy all the company they can get.  Dad has made an amazing recovery since summer 2009 and if it weren’t for his crumbling back and eyesight, he would be fitter than the rest of us.  He has gone from double carers twice a day to one carer 3 times a week. He is limited with his mobility but still makes himself do lengths up and down the ‘promenade’ using the wheelie-walker that social services have supplied, amongst many other aids.  We have been so impressed with the level of NHS community care poured on them and have been very fortunate to find a care agency with exceptional staff, who cannot do enough for my parents.  It is a great relief for us and Mum to have this reliable backup.  Christmas last year at their house went amazingly well and really was very special, even though the village was buried under thick ice and snow.  Mum was completely relaxed about other people taking over her kitchen and we even managed to organise the dining table to make a comfortable festive dinner at one end of their ‘bedroom’.  Some of us joined the annual Christmas Eve torchlight procession and carol singing round a bonfire, which is now attended by literally thousands of people and is great fun.  Isabelle and Phoebe seemed pleased to have family with whom to spend Christmas and even managed a Skype call to Charles and Liz in Australia (courtesy of the neighbour’s wi-fi!).

Emma, Shasha, Oliver

Mum and Dad have been so fit in recent months that they even made it to a wonderful family party in early December to welcome my nephew, Oliver’s wife, Shasha, into the family.  You may remember from last year’s letter that this was one of the many weddings of 2009 and this was the first time Shasha had left China.  We were all thrilled and impressed at how acclimatised and relaxed she was surrounded by 50 guests, all clamouring to meet her.  Charles and Liz laid on a lovely do in a local hall, decked out with winter greenery and even a huge real Christmas tree.  This will be the first Christmas for many years that C+L have had all their family together again and Isabelle and Phoebe are no longer orphaned.

Holidays didn’t feature greatly this year, what with operations and being new to cottage letting, but we did manage a short break (courtesy of Tesco Clubcard) in Buxton, staying in the grand Palace Hotel in town.  Thanks to my brazen ways, we managed to get upgraded to one of their premium rooms with a glorious view over the town towards the hills and free drinks, as I had the temerity to point out things were not quite up to scratch!  As a result we thoroughly enjoyed the luxury and revisited our favourite haunts in Derbyshire.  Emma and Rich managed to get to Gentle Jane again this year and even visited Ted in Kent too, putting Paul and I to shame for not having made the trip down to that corner of England in a very long while.  Needless to say, I have managed only one kayaking trip between operations but Paul, Emma and Rich have enjoyed as many as they can fit in around working for a living, the most recent being in November (brhhh) when our friend Rod was over from Milos.

Happy Christmas from Emma, Rich,
Catherine and Paul

I do hope you all have a good Christmas and happy New Year (in spite of the gloomy predictions of this sorry government).  Remember to enjoy the snow too!  With love from Catherine and all the Griffiths of Anglesey.