Bit more from Laureen

Today, our eldest granddaughter, Danielle, celebrated her 13th. Birthday!!!!! Danielle is at secondary school - the same one that her mummy and daddy and all her uncles and aunt went to! Two teachers are still there who knew them all and can still remember all the family!
Danielle is a very bright young girl, she does a lot of dancing - ballet, tap and modern; goes to Girl Guides; loves handicrafts - sewing, knitting etc and studies hard. Danielle is the eldest of three girls - Aimee came next - she is 8 years old and the tom boy of the family - she plays soccer, does gymnastics as well as dancing. The girl has no fear!!!! You would never have caught me jumping about on a narrow beam like she does at her age!!!
Last but not least is Ruby aged 5! Ruby is the quite shy one, she loves her books and reads very well for her age! Like the others, she loves handicrafts and she also does ballet lessons after school.
Mummy and Daddy are Jenny and Richard, Jen is our eldest daughter and she comes after Adam in birth order! We have known Richard since he was 14 years old, when his family moved to St Albans and he joined the school. Theirs is a teenage romance that has stood the test of time. From finishing school, Jenny went to University and became a teacher - she is now a deputy head of Primary school that takes children from nursery age(3 years old) up to 11 years of age. She is studying for her Masters degree in Education - so has a lot on her plate - what with family and full time work and study!
Richard became a postman, it is a job that has fitted in well with family life because he tends to finish work by lunch time and is able to pick up the girls from school and look after them until Jenny gets home. He supplements his income by buying and selling cars and doing carpentry! A man of many talents - would be ace as a missionary in tropical Africa!!!!
Fortunately, they are only a five minute drive away so we get to see a lot of them.
Jenny worries about social networking sites on the Internet and doesn't like the fact that with some sites people seem to be able to access them with ease and view pictures, so no pictures of the girls but I will bring some to the reunion!
I am about half way through introducing you to the family - you will be releaved to know!
I said it was large!!!
I am so glad I was brought up in the Children's home - it taught me a lot that I have found useful in my life!!!! Especially when dealing with lots of children!

Rain in Perth Australia

I have just watched the news - has anyone else seen the rain in Perth!!!! A months rainfall in seven minutes - hailstones bigger than golf balls and thousands of people left with out power!!! I just hope Mike and family are safe and well! The video clip on BBC news is amazing.

My last bit today - I think!!!

Having talked about Peter and Marika's wedding, it is only fair to introduce them properly with a picture! Peter works in publishing for a company called HVS International and Marika works for the University of East London in programme administration! Marika gets to see the development taking place for the olympic games on a daily basis. I couldn't operate without my programme administrators at University, they do so much to ease student life!!! Behind Peter and Marika is a boy playing with a camera - that is Wilf and Kathy's youngest son Isaac! That's all for to day folks!

Wilfred's family

Having shown you all a picture of Wilfred, I can't leave Wilfred's wife Kathy out of the equation - a pity I didn't get them together! So here is Cathy - with Adam (son number 2) and Wilf and Kathy's eldest son Rueben!

More from Laureen

Weddings are wonderful photo opportunities - eaxactly one year ago, Peter (son number 3)married the delightful Marika! It was a wonderful sunny spring day, very warm and they did better than many who opted for summer weddings - we had a very wet summer last year!

Anyway - here I am with Veronica and Wilfred! Adrian lives in Australia with his wife Debs and couldn't make the trip!

Practice makes perfect

Think I have got to grips with this now!!! This is Veronica and I with our respective husbands - Ray and Baz - and our wonderful Dad a bit before he died!!!Hopefully you will recognise us when we arrive in USA - but - be warned - we won't be in our wedding gear - we'll dress more casual!!!

You'd think I have nothing to do all day but sit and Blog on the computer! Truth is - I have been ill for two weeks - heavy cold and cough - a viral thing that is doing the rounds and I have no energy for anything!!! I have gone into work because I hate letting students down I have had teaching commitments where I have been covering for colleagues and its topics that are my specialist area - so there isn't anyone who could cover it for me! But it has left me exhausted! I hear you all going - 'ahhh'

Laureen trying to get to grips with Blogging again!!!

I have been trying to up load images - and I think I have finally worked it out!!! So as it is this picture that has come up I will introduce you to my second son - Adam and his girlfriend Catherine! Adam and Catherine both live in London and are getting married in August this year! Adam manages a Theatre in the Isle of Dogs (the old London Docklands - not far from where the 2012 Olympics will be held), Catherine works in a book shop.

Friday - end of the week!!

My philosophy is that the more I Blog the better I'll get - not sure if it works out like that!!! I have just spent the day teaching Mental Health nurses that people with dementia deserve a dignified death or end to their life, they feel pain and it needs treating, they have spiritual needs that are not currently being addressed and they have a right to making informed decisions about their end of life care whilst they are still able to articulate those choices!!! Hard work - it generated a lot of debate!
I called in at the supermarket for weekend shopping on the way home!!! Baz usually dooes the heavy stuff - or boring stuff, I get the 'special' - fruit and veg and what we might have for dinner!
Baz is on a late shift this week - bus driving(sometimes red double deckers!!!) - so he wont get in until after midnight!!! So I am off to son number 1 - Eddie, and his partner Carla and son Louie - for dinner - we're having chinese take away - so no cooking for anyone after a long week working!!!! Hope this finds everyone well - love Laureen

My first attempt at Blogging - I think!!!

It is great flicking through everyone's profile and seeing the pictures - and I am really looking forward to meeting up. Ken you have done a great job with the accommodation - Kevin is sooooo helpful!so thanks Ken - you are a star! Laureen

Here is the Cindy Boyes Kewley family on Christmas Day 2009. Dad Boyes joined us for a few days at Christmas--a very special time. Jack and I have 4 kids --2 married girls (Sarah who has 2 kids and Anna), one college age girl (Rachel) and our college age son John.

The back row from left to right is Dad Boyes, Eric (married to Anna), John our son, Jack my husband. The front row is our 2nd daughter Anna, 3rd daughter Rachel with 2 year old Phoebe in front of her, myself, 1st daughter Sarah with husband Levi and 10 month old Max.

Sarah and Levi and 2 kids live in LA, Calif. where he is a graduate student at Rosemeade School of Psychology. Anna and Eric live in Oklahoma City where he is stationed at Tinker Air Force base. Rachel is in her last year at James Madison University. John is a sophomore at Virginia Tech. Jack and I live outside of Washington, D.C. in Virginia.

Start

Just getting started in this - seemed strange to be told to include news of "the last 50 years"! Pretty much includes all my existing memory!
I'll get some more info and maybe a couple photos later. Gotta get off to work.