family gatherings – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com author | illustrator | digital designer Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:45:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.4 https://shepline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cropped-shepline-white-on-green-square_512-32x32.jpg family gatherings – T E Shepherd https://shepline.com 32 32 On the third day of advent: a rendezvous of relatives… https://shepline.com/2011/12/03/on-the-third-day-of-advent-a-rendezvous-of-relatives/ https://shepline.com/2011/12/03/on-the-third-day-of-advent-a-rendezvous-of-relatives/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:16:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=1893 Today, I think, our slimming world diet is going to go somewhat out the window. Tonight we are off to Emma’s work Christmas meal to eat probably way too much of the wrong type of food. This, after we met up in Wallingford for lunch with my mum and dad, my uncle, and my aunt and cousin. Janet and Signý were over for a short holiday and my uncle was taking them halfway to swap cars to my mum and dad’s to continue the journey, so it was three Shepherd cars converging on Waitrose car park on the first Saturday in Advent to have a quick meal, a catch up, before heading off again in three different directions.

I even got myself organised enough to write the first four of my Christmas cards and thus avoid the posting charge to Iceland!

]]> https://shepline.com/2011/12/03/on-the-third-day-of-advent-a-rendezvous-of-relatives/feed/ 2 Icelanders in the Forest https://shepline.com/2008/04/26/icelanders-in-the-forest/ https://shepline.com/2008/04/26/icelanders-in-the-forest/#respond Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:40:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/icelanders-in-the-forest/ Firstly, two facts. Emma’s Grannie was given a bird ‘feeding station’ for Christmas, and I have admired it ever since. Yesterday I saw it again, and decided I wanted to give one to my parents. It is also my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary this summer. A third fact would be that there is a garden centre near to Emma’s on the way to the M3.

Putting all of these things together, and, this morning found us taking a slight detour on the way to the New Forest we pulled up outside the garden centre, which proved to be a good ‘plant-centred’ place which we both agreed we simply must return to to have a proper look around. I found exactly the right ‘plant feeding station’ that I was after, and we were on our way ago.

A recording of Cats later and we arrive at my parents, and enter the garden via the newly erected Jefferys Step. We spent a very enjoyable day lounging in the garden, eating well, spending time with my Icelandic cousins and relaxing. It was a nice antidote to the funeral of yesterday.

]]> https://shepline.com/2008/04/26/icelanders-in-the-forest/feed/ 0 Family Lunch in Fareham https://shepline.com/2008/04/13/family-lunch-in-fareham/ https://shepline.com/2008/04/13/family-lunch-in-fareham/#respond Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:23:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/family-lunch-in-fareham/ Today is the day of the Jefferys Family outing down to Fareham for lunch with step-grandmother and Uncle Colin and Aunty Jill who are over from America. We have a nice lunch in a nicer than I remember it, Fareham, and then went for a walk down on the seafront at Gosport – the first seaside that Emma saw as a baby. Looking out across the Solent, there was serious weather battering Hyde (the power station completely disappeared for a time). Even more eerily, the dark oppressiveness was contrasted at times by almost turquoise waters and sunshine yellow beaches over where we were.

Now I’m sitting opposite my girlfriend putting photos in my album as Emma sorts through hers. I should really be going home but I might as well miss any traffic, and I get to stay here a bit longer… 🙂

]]> https://shepline.com/2008/04/13/family-lunch-in-fareham/feed/ 0 On the Third Day of Christmas: the inner child https://shepline.com/2006/12/28/on-the-third-day-of-christmas-the-inner-child/ https://shepline.com/2006/12/28/on-the-third-day-of-christmas-the-inner-child/#respond Thu, 28 Dec 2006 23:11:00 +0000 http://journal.shepline.com/?p=1545 Today the entire Howell family descended on us for the day. Or at least it felt like the entire Howell Family. In actual fact, Gareth and Andy and their three (very Welsh-named) kids didn’t, being in America now. But Carys and Bari were there along with Lynn and Andy and Becky and Bethan, which added to our numbers, already swelled with the addition of Ian and Andy (yes, they all married Andy’s – I swear I will run a mile if I meet a girl called Andy/Andi/Andrea) and Ben.

Becky and Bethan, being 6 and 4 and Ben being just 2, we had a good spread of ages and toys, and we played lots and lots, building the trainset and the road system and the Lego zoo, and I had great fun returning to the my childhood home. 🙂

The culmination, or finale to the afternoon’s fun was a spot of Christmas caroling with a slightly bizarre range of instruments. Carys played the 1980’s electric keyboard with missing keys and was about as musical as a circa 1980s electric keyboard (with ‘interesting’ drum selection) will allow. A more measured musical performance came from the 1st in C’s over in the corner, courtesy of me on Flute and Lynn on Oboe (and subsequently my piccolo) after her lip went. Over in the second and thirds were Mum and Bari on clarinet, and Dad on Trumpet (although Ben did have a go too!) and then miscellaneous recorder and/or plastic-mixing-bowl-drum from Becky, Bethan and Ben. The two lapsed-flautists, Andy and Andy, watched – in horror – from the sidelines at the musical carnage that ensued (and recorded it for posterity on video…)

Great fun!! 😉

]]> https://shepline.com/2006/12/28/on-the-third-day-of-christmas-the-inner-child/feed/ 0