Christmas Letter 2007

After sending out our last Christmas letter a year ago, a brick fell off our chimney – smashing some roof tiles above the kitchen extension. In January (thanks to high winds), many more bricks came down, leaving the main roof, extension roof, and the chimney needing major repairs. Thankfully our insurance policy covered most of that bill. But it didn’t cover the cost of replacing some of our back fence panels that were also blown to shreds in the high winds.

Insurance also helped pay for the repairs after our shower pump leaked water through the living room ceiling, and when a lack of sealant around the shower resulted in water damaging the wall between the living room and the dining area. The plasterer did such a good job that we got him back to plaster our bedroom (it had been a mess since Paul pulled down a fitted wall cupboard), and the chimney breast in the living room. The latter was when we revamped the whole living room. We painted the walls, hung new curtains and curtain rails, got new carpet laid, built a couple of radiator covers, and had a nice cosy gas fire installed. Tiny just loves that. She lies in front of it first thing in the morning, and again when we get home from work at night. Oh yeah, almost forgot – we even had an infestation of wasps to contend with as well.

We’ve spent many hours travelling to and from the hospital to visit Paul’s dad during his 3 different visits. In February, he suffered a heart attack. Thankfully he was home within a week of that once the doctors were satisfied with his progress. Unfortunately, he was back in hospital in September (a few days before his 80^th birthday), this time for five weeks. He went in with palpitations and left with the knowledge that he had prostate cancer.

Paul rejoined the workforce in February as Cost Controller for a local asbestos surveying company. However, he may be looking for a new job soon, as his company are relocating after Christmas. Dawn, on the other hand, became involved in environmental and business continuity projects at work, which resulted in her travelling the country, making visits to universities in Bath, Nottingham and Durham.

In May, we had a memorable time celebrating our 10^th wedding anniversary touring the Highlands of Scotland. However, after driving around the Isle of Skye, Loch Ness, Glencoe and Ben Nevis, we arrived back in Hertford wanting to escape to the wilderness for good.

The summer saw Paul finally get down to writing again. First, he completed a 70 page journal of our Scotland vacation, then a 500 page draft of “Leap of Faith.” For over two months he wrote every spare moment he had about what led to our fateful meeting on top of the Empire State Building back in 1996.

2007 will also be remembered as the year we lost Margaret Kerr, and waking up to five inches of snow in February. We saw Simply Red in concert at the Royal Albert Hall, and visited St. Mary’s Church in Hertingfordbury, where Paul’s great-great grandparents were married in 1873. We also took a ride down to North Warnborough with Paul’s dad to see where another of Paul’s great grandfathers was born. Paul read all seven Harry Potter books and is now on his 52^nd book of the year. And last but not least, Dawn gave up drinking coffee. She now drinks several cups of Earl Grey tea a day instead – just like a true Brit!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Love,
Dawn & Paul