Our News 2009

We enjoyed a Christmas / New Year holiday in Pertisau, on Lake Achensee in Austria at the beginning of the year. We thought we'd try somewhere new but similarly 'white Christmassy' after we liked our stay last year in Kandersteg so much. The weather was very cold, as you might expect - the warmest it got to was minus14C - and unfortunately we both got bad colds or flu, leaving us with hacking coughs. However, it didn't spoil the trip too much and we enjoyed the break. We stayed at the Hotel Wiesenhof and you can see some of their webcams if you click here.

We again drove via the Hull-Rotterdam ferry which continues to be a great way of getting to and from Europe, although it was very noticeable how much the UK immigration people are tightening up on checking people and cars coming in. Makes a bit of a mockery of the EU though!

Through the year we continued with both our Kumon centres - in Romiley and Hazel Grove - and they've been growing apace, with the result that we've had little time for anything else. By the end of the year we had around 150 students between us. Far too many.  However we have made various other trips, including a number to Dorset where Rhys' mother is continuing to battle on despite several severe ailments. However we're glad to say she has been getting better treatment for some of them this year and seems as well as can be expected.

In June we again went to France and Switzerland, staying with Samantha, Mike and Elizabeth for a few days as well as at hotels at Kandersteg (the Victoria Ritter again) and in Provence at Crillon le Brave again. We love this place but its just too expensive!

Jean's Uncle Graham sadly died in July in Bournemouth - the lat of that generation in her mother's family. He was given a marvellous send off at his funeral, conducted by the Salvation Army. We ended up doing a tour of the west country for another brief holiday, taking Graham's ashes with us. They are now with his parents and twin sister, Jean's mother, in the cemetery at Denton.