During our week in Portsmouth, we went climbing at a climbing wall in Fort Purbrook with Dan and his friend Sara. We all managed to get our feet off the ground, and were impressed with the agility of Dan and Sara. In the evening we enjoyed an evening with them, learning about Sara's Arctic expedition last year - it sounds fantastic, and the photos were amazing.
Half term hols, so we took the opportunity to go and see the rest of the family in Portsmouth. We had a great time with Dan and Sara (see next post), and also Sophia was 2 months old while we were there. Lovely baby! Many thanks to Jonathan and Becky for letting us use their house while they were away in Burma - we look forward to hearing how God is moving in that country.
I have been quite recently because I am busy writing out my suite for Brass Band called 'Aspects of Britain'. Four movements are now completed and the final movement is nearly there. You can hear it at 'Phil's Music' - link in the side bar. I need to get it completed to take with me in May when I have been asked to take a rehearsal with Mike Griffith's Brass Band, Riviera Brass. Mike is a star, playing every week in the Volunteer Band.
As promised, here are some pictures of work in the kitchen. The 'before' and 'after' shots do not do justice to the head-scratching and ingenuity needed to re-route electricity cables etc. There were floorboards up, holes through joists, but fortunately no tears before bedtime - although I was working by candle-light on two consecutive days. What fun! A look at B&Q and a local firm caused us to blanche at the cost of kitchen units etc. It looks like IKEA will come to the rescue.
I retired from the Royal Marines Band Service in 2007 having served for 33 years as a musician, eventually becoming a Director of Music and running my own band. After retirement, I took my family sailing in the Philippines with a view to sailing back to the UK via Australia. However, for many reasons our plans changed and after 9 years living in Dartmouth we have now moved to Totnes .I am married to Lynn and we have four children. Daniel and his wife Sara live in Wales; Hannah is married to another Dan and they live with our grandchildren Sophia, Isaac and Elijah in Newton Abbot. Lydia is married to Tim and they live and work in London and have just had our fourth grandchild, Ernest. Julia married to Angus and they live in Newquay. My time is taken up with playing, writing and teaching music, working as a Debt Coach for the charity Christians Against Poverty, working and volunteering as a hill and mountainside on Dartmoor and the Lake District, and being very involved in our local church.