Seasons Greetings!
Here we are at the end of another year and wow it went fast!
We hope this Christmas letter finds you well and happy as we near the end of 2013. For us, like 2012 it’s been a year of highs and lows and celebrations.
Early January saw us celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and we headed to Bali. We had an enjoyable time although we both got sick and Paula’s mum’s health hung over us.
Heading out for dinner on our 30th Anniversary.
Paula’s mum passed away peacefully and painlessly mid January. She had been given 3-8 weeks to live from the original diagnosis and outlasted that by 4 or 5 weeks and was with us for Christmas which was special. The holiday period for us stopped abruptly and became a time of mourning, reflection, sadness and picking yourself up and moving forward – it was difficult period for a whole host of reasons.
Tying up the liquidation of the Albany farm and Paula’s mum’s estate is almost sorted and we will both be glad when it is finally over and we can begin to move on with plans and life. Going through this process has certainly made us aware of life and the need to seize each moment and make the most of time.
Through liquidation of the farm, Paula now has two lovely blocks of land on the Kalgan River with beautiful river frontage that over the year we have accessed as often as we possibly could and gone camping and kayaking and relaxing. It is very peaceful and serene and we enjoy the quiet and serenity that it offers. However after much thought and deliberation, we decided to put both blocks on the market, but the real estate in Albany is very slow and we have had limited interest. If you are interested or know anyone interested though …..
Easter saw us head to Albany and we spent a lovely time on the blocks and caught up with Albany friends.
Our annual pilgrimage to the north came along in July where we again took an extra week’s holiday, and headed to Cape Keraudren again. We really enjoy the drive heading north and watching the changing landscape and are continually amazed at the heavy traffic still heading north to the mines. The quiet inland road we remember 20 years ago is long gone. It’s incredibly busy with haulage trucks and mining vehicles. Cape Keraudren was busy the whole time and plans are under way to develop it which will spoil the charm of the place. We met up with several couples we have met in the past years and spent many lovely evenings chatting, laughing or singing along to Steve and a friend of ours playing ukulele. The days were spent fishing or kayaking in the bay which is simply beautiful. Steve hooked on to an enormous tuna that was dragging him to South Africa. After a mammoth effort, Steve pulled it in and after a photo, released it back. It was the highlight of his trip. Video Here (Sorry about the music!) Also a little video of a turtle that we saw when out kayaking. (This one is a bit shorter!)
How lucky were we when the mighty Dockers made their first grandfinal in the AFL this year!? So like 15,000 other West Australians, we made the trek across to Melbourne. There are no words to clearly describe our time in Melbourne. “Sensory overload” is Paula’s term. The sights and sounds were amazing. We have never seen so much purple EVERYWHERE you looked and hearing the FREO chant continuously from all corners of the Melbourne CBD was awesome. “Melbourne-ites” were very supportive of the Freo Dockers (unless you were Hawthorn supporter!) The whole MCG atmosphere and sound was fantastic. While the Dockers couldn’t pull off the win, we had the best time and when they make the grandfinal again in 2014, we will be there! Just look for us. We will be wearing purple!
It's been a long wait!
Steve continued his work at Settler’s Primary School in Baldivis. The year continued to be challenging and he works very long hours and works very hard. Working as hard as he does makes us appreciate our holidays and times away to re-energise and recharge. He continues to enjoy his photography passion and takes beautiful photos, but laments that he does not have enough time to “play” with them all when he returns home, so he has a lot of catching up to do. A Christmas holiday job perhaps?
Paula remains at Oberthur in Bull Creek as a Pre Primary teacher which she loves. But she has decided to step back a little next year and let someone else pick up what she has been doing. She looks forward to having a class back full time and has decided that along with the memorial tree she would like planted somewhere on site when she either dies or retires from Oberthur, she would now also like a park bench so people can just sit on it and watch children play, which she finds one of the most rewarding things to do – just watching children grow.
Ashleigh is now 22 and has completed her first full time year teaching in a year one class at Atwell Primary School – not far from home. She will be returning to Atwell as a year two teacher in 2014 and is looking forward to this. She continues to work at the Fairy Shop during her holidays and has maintained her friendship with two families she babysat for while at Uni, often taking the kids out during the holidays. It is a lovely relationship for the children and for Ashleigh. She is looking at moving out during the year sometime – a new adventure for her.
Mark still works at All Type Engineering. Tyler is now 28 months old and is totally and utterly adorable. He is simply delightful and we love having him around. Mark will often have to work Saturdays overtime and we are lucky enough to have Mark and Tyler stay with us Friday night and Tyler on Saturday. What a time waster he is. Steve often says that when Tyler is around, Paula is simply lost in his world. Paula thinks Steve is caught under his spell too. Mark has a lovely relationship with Tyler and it is wonderful to watch him with him. Tyler is simply gorgeous and we love him to bits. We are not biased grandparents - well just a little bit!!!! Ashleigh, David and Sophie are also caught under his spell.
David continues his apprenticeship with Nielsen’s Electrical. He has worked predominantly at the Fiona Stanley Hospital not far from home, but has recently moved to another site. He is enjoying the work. His health is holding well at present, but we know there will be a time when his injuries will cause a problem. We just hope it holds for a while longer. You would never know he is in some pain all the time. He really is an easy going person.
We all had reason for celebration during the year when Sophie gained her Australian residency! Yay! She also recently passed her driving test and now zips around the place in a cute little car. She and David are up to their necks in planning for their wedding on July 19th 2014 in England. Although Sophie has a family in the UK she is now also part of ours and we love her to bits.
We are obviously going to the wedding and have decided to take LSL and spend extra time in Europe. So we fly out on May 11th and return on July 23rd 2014. We are planning on spending a week in London when we arrive in England, before heading off to Europe for a 28 day tour. From Amsterdam we fly to Dublin to spend a week in Ireland before flying into Edinburgh and spending 4 weeks travelling around, before spending a week in Devon a week prior to the wedding. It is all so exciting and unknown. We will be driving ourselves in England and Ireland – should be interesting! What an adventure we will have. Ashleigh and Mark will also be coming across at different times as well as our dear camping friends, Glenn and Tricia, and several of David’s friends. Upon our return to Perth, we will be hosting another informal wedding reception, where people who couldn’t make England will be invited along. Ashleigh and Sophie are looking forward to this as they get to wear their wedding clothes again!
So lots to look forward to in the coming year.
All the best to everyone for a safe and Happy Christmas and holiday season and a wonderful 2014.
Four generations of the Yates clan!