The 2001 Newsletter
Well, as Christmas is upon us and the end of year festivities begin, it is time to send out the Christmas cards and sit back with a glass of wine and rue the fact that another year has passed with far too little time spent with friends and family.
Newsletters have become a recent feature in our times – slotted into Christmas cards and telling of all that has been happening. Well, we’re basically doing the same although with a slight difference. Since Dave can’t extricate himself from the computer and now knows our local BT engineer on first name terms, we felt it appropriate that this newsletter should be webified. We hope you enjoy it.
This time last year, we were just a couple of months into our sojourn as lodgers with Kerry’s parents. With both of us up to the gunnels in student debt and unable to keep afloat with Kerry doing her teacher training course part-time and earning a small wage as a learning support assistant, we had taken up Kerry’s parents kind offer to put us up while we tried to focus on getting our finances straight.
Dave’s parents, meanwhile, are also healthy and well. Dave’s dad remains a regular source of embarassment, mainly through his penchant for turning up at the opening of the envelope and always being the last to leave. Church House was never quite ready for Ray Green… probably never will be. The Archbishop of Canterbury has still not fully recovered from last year’s Christmas party.
After Dave had been abducted by aliens in February and subjected to a rather harrowing Valentines Day experiment, the Spring took a turn for the better when Dave managed to get out of AAA (Alien Abductions Anonymous) long enough to submit a job application for a promotion with his present employers (Church House Publishing – don’t forget to visit the web site and buy all your Christmas books there… next day delivery, secure ordering… Dave getting pulled from the computer by Kerry… but I haven’t told them about our special offers yet!)
After beating off an aged Italian, two goats and a paper clip for the role, Dave officially started in April as CHP’s Electronic Projects Manager. It meant a promotion and a pay rise and overall responsibility for the Church of England’s publishing company’s web site and software work. Scary biscuits!
In the summer, Dave finally realised that his new job was worth doing after all when he was asked to go to Australia to try and pitch for new business with the Anglican Church there. A quick bit of negotiation and saving later and Kerry and Dave flew to Brisbane so that Dave could spend a week working and then tack two weeks on the end to take in Brisbane, Uluru (the new old Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, don’t you know), Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef as a holiday.
As it turned out, the Australians decided not to do business with CHP but that’s a bit embarassing and Dave hates losing, as we all know, so best not to mention it. Sssh.
This Autumn, Dave made a return to the football pitch and is now part of Brenchley FC’s first team squad – playing most Saturday afternoons. Glenn Hoddle came calling in a sudden injury crisis at Tottenham Hotspur but Dave, being the humble and principled man that he is, turned down the opportunity to fulfill a life ambition in order to allow the talented and younger players in the Spurs youth development program to step in and make their mark.
“Glenn, I said, Glenn… no! Much as I would love to wear your number ten shirt and step out to save Spurs from a crushing defeat against the Arse with a last minute goal – no! You must blood your young guns, let the young lads play. My knees are gone, my eyes are bendy and my ears are weak. Let the youngsters play.”
Kerry and Dave remain proud godparents to a now two year old and highly cute nephew – Bradley. Full of life, innocence, happiness and fun, he remains a lovely way to keep Kerry from getting too broody. It’s a sad state of affairs that it’s not very safe to put his piccy on the net, but there you go. You’ll just have to come and meet him sometime. He’d love to say “hello”.
Christopher, our other nephew, is now eight years old and growing up fast. Dave has successfully brainwashed him into becoming a Spurs supporter. He has now been up to White Hart Lane twice since becoming a Junior Spur. Christopher went with him both times.
For our little niece, Jessica, life is still fairly much centred around feeding times, nappy changing and screaming. She’s just had her first birthday and is a beautiful baby, but of course that goes without saying with Stern blood flowing in her veins.
Just this last week, Kerry has finally completed her last teaching practice and handed in all her coursework. Her teacher training course has now officially ended. Although we don’t know just yet whether she has officially passed her course, things look good and more to the point, Kerry has a job starting in January working at a primary school nearby in Tonbridge.
It should make a big difference to our finances as well (especially with all those new clothes grumbles Dave) and with a good following wind, we hope to be able to finally rid ourselves of our debts and get a deposit together so that we can buy our own place in the hideously expensive South East.
So that is us in 2001. Moving on up career wise, resisting the urge to have kids, enjoying life and having fun. We hope you are too! Oh and if we don’t meet up soon, we may just forget what you look like so we had better get together before too long.
Who are you anyway? How did you find this web site? Who told you we were here? Go away… shoo shoo. Go on!