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  • My Beloved Mum

    I heard from Richard this morning that our beloved Mum died very peacefully overnight, in bed at Yoakley House.  Mum did amazingly well to make it to nearly 90. She was born in 1929 in Brussels, to Dutch parents, and had one older brother Jan. As my grandfather, her father, worked for Philips, they moved…

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  • Little Niece And A Dodgy Typo

    Bless niece number 4, little Lily Rose in Holland. Who, alongside her sister Daisy has fallen in love with all things equine, and spends every possible moment at the local stables, indulging her passion. So I  do think she intended to make her Instagram name horseylover but I’ve had to alert Cathy to the slightly…

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  • Second vegetable bed offerings from The Dora Farm

    So, we’ve had our fill of home grown cos lettuce so far and today we cracked into the broad beans. Admittedly with a helping hand from some Waitrose asparagus and edamame beans, but it was a mighty fine spring risotto anyway.                            …

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  • Life in the Hawkes House

    Thought it might be (more than) time for a quick update on the House of Hawkes and two health-challenged bods that live within it. We're actually both pretty fine right now. I'm still in remission, having 3 lots of maintenance chemo a month, but there is a degree of flexibility with when these fall, so…

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  • Shadowlands

    Also went to Chichester Theatre on Fri eve, with Hawksey, Janine & Ross and Clare & Andy Greenwood/Booth – to see High Bonneville and Liz White (Annie Cartwright detective in Life on Mars, Rhoda in Call the Midwife). Brilliant bit of theatre – although the story line was a bit challenging (C S Lewis's relationship…

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  • Fruity Hits 50

    Spent Saturday eve relishing the fact that another good chum has hit the delicious 50 mark to keep me company. Helen Vickery, a very good friend of mine from college days – who, despite being very religious and a musician at college (she's still a musician!) managed to become room mates with me and we've…

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  • Our 8th Wedding Anniversary

    So Mr Hawkes excelled himself yesterday. Firstly for tea in bed, (almost!) without being asked. Then in booking The Ivy for a very nice brekky of kippers and scrambled egg. And then a nice dog walk on the common in the sunshine.                           …

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  • Le Touquet for Nursey’s 40th

    Just had a whirlwind 36 hours in Le Touquet for an early birthday treat for Nursey, arranged by his lovely other half Sophia. Did the full 'SURPRIIIIISE" thing, leaping out of an adjacent room in the tiny departure lounge, his face was a picture that made getting up at 6am well worth it.    …

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  • Recognise these faces?

    Blimey – talk about a blast from the past. I was looking for something in a very old photo album, from my college years and I came across these pix from what was called 'The Great Court Run' (Great Court being the largest court in the gorgeous Trinity college). Back in 1988, I'm pretty sure…

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  • Yoakley in bloom

    OK, so it wasn't exactly sunny in Margate when I took these pictures when visiting Mum this week, but the gardens at her care home, Yoakley, are really lovely. And massive. And her room is in the top photo, second 'black looking' window in from the right, so a pretty good view (if only she…

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