The Gerrard Chronicles 2005 - More Family &Extended Family

Our 'usual' party with Vicky, Fiona & Anna, right & the Carvers.

One never thought of Derek as being 83 but he is the second of our more openly intellectual friends to die within a year, on September 19th. On visiting, Derek would greet us with the subject of the next two hour's rigorous debate. Valerie, to whom our best wishes, has obviously taken it very hard. They have been avid collectors of Avis' art work.
Right: Derek at his 80th birthday party

The wife of Islington's famous architect, Harley Sherlock, died in October & was 'sent off' at St. Giles in the Fields, us havng no idea that they attended a church at all but, unlike Harley, Folly was quite a traditionalist & disapproved of Ken's irreverent attitude to the unelected, self-important & holy. They used this church because it used the old Book of Common Prayer!

Charlie & Jane had moved to Abercraf in the Swansea Valley since we last visited them, so we went there in November, staying in the excellent Abercrave Inn & feasting there. Jane has retired from teaching, saying wild horses would not drag her back. Who considers it good policy to wear teachers out? Charlie, still lecturing in Aberdare College, has lost 7 stone (!) (98lbs for the Americans). There seems to be a plot to close the IT dept. at the college. Given that Charlie is a grossly underutilised genius, they would be foolish to lose him.
The trip developed into a Wales Tour, as the Autumn colour has stayed very late this year (global warming) & it was also covered in frost in the mornings, to dramatic effect not often seen in GB. We went up country to Bettws-y-Coed but had to stay in the expensive Royal Oak Hotel there. The weather was glorious except on the trip back, the A5 & motorways to London.