Dear friends
We will be at the Barrel Barn this Christmas with Josie, Anna and Nat joining us for some of the holidays.
We continue to be involved in our local church “Wellspring”, with Catherine and a number of other ladies running a prospering toddler group called “Little Springs”. Nick continues to be part of the worship team and is enjoying playing guitar in worship on a Sunday mornings.
Catherine has been busy on the craft front throughout the year, doing a good deal of weaving both with her weaving group and also alone. She has obtained a spinning wheel and a also number of different looms, including an adjustable one of copper pipes, made by a close friend of mine. She has made a number of trips to various places to learn more about weaving as a craft.
Nick, after decades of uniformed Scouting, is now the Chair of Trustees of the 35th Derby (Markeaton) Scout Group, where he went as a Cub back in the 1970’s. He continues to offer occasional support to the local heritage railway with administrative tasks relating to volunteering, and as the volunteer secretary to the Board of Directors.
The main challenge throughout the year has been Nick’s eye trouble. Just before New Year 2024 he had a successful operation on his left eye to repair a torn retina which had emerged over Christmas. Whilst his left eye is now perfectly good, a similar thing then happened to his right eye, and that, unfortunately, was not so easily fixed. Long story short: over a dozen visits to hospital in Derby including six eye operations, and more to come. There’s been considerable change to deal with – Nick’s not driven a car since August; we had to miss out on going to see Phil Baggaley’s City of Gold in Eastbourne, which was a great shame, and at least three big work trips have had to be cancelled. However, what we have done, is twice hosted Phil Baggaley and singer Nina Blaszczyk for small gigs in our living room.
This was also the year of Nick’s 60th birthday. In April we held a party for friends, firstly going to dinner on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, and later, back at the Barrel Barn.
Nick is partly retired, working 8-12 days a month (mostly from home) as a part time marine safety and security consultant. Both of us have thought and prayed deeply about full retirement. Nick is becoming conscious that the Lord’s view is for full retirement sooner rather than later – but admits that obedience is proving to be a struggle. In October Nick’s boss quit very suddenly and Nick found himself (after careful consultation with the eye consultant and several phone calls to the travel insurance company) flying to KL to present in front of 400 people.
During the year we visited Cardiff, to see Mal Pope’s play “Amazing grace”, about the Welsh Revival of 1904. We took the opportunity to recreate a photograph of the two of us taken at Cardiff Castle in 1987.
In summer we took the opportunity to visit Josie at her new home in Challex, near Geneva. We were able to travel all the way there and back by train, which proved to be a most pleasant and relaxing experience. We look forward as the year closes, to seeing Anna purchase a house in Sheffield. We’ve visited Anna in Sheffield a number of times, and paid a weekend visit to the home of Nat and Katie in Bristol, offering them help and advice with their new Allotment.
We visited Catherine’s brother David at his home near Bradford-on-Avon. As the year closes, Catherine has been in regular contact with him as he starts chemotherapy treatment for stage 3 cancer.
We continue to believe in supporting local businesses – the farmer’s market, small independent coffee shops, and “Pingle”, the local supplier of organic veg boxes. We pick up our veg box from the local pub, “The Feather Star”, and this provides a weekly opportunity to be sociable and support them as well!
Nick has continued to go on bi-annual solo backpacking trips, enjoying camping visits to climb Ben Alder in May, and to walk the Correyairack Pass in October. He was particularly pleased to be able go on both trips using only public transport.
Our garden has been wildly fruitful this year: we have seen a truly remarkable quantity of fruit – plums, blackcurrants, apples, pears and blackberries. We’ve also had success with lettuce and rocket, squash, potatoes and greenhouse tomatoes.
The future? We remain rooted deep in the local community. There’s plenty to do, particularly as we consider the implications of full retirement. As we wrote last year, we want Barrel Barn to be a place where we and others feel able to unwind and relax a little and take time out to be with God and just create, or even just sit and do nothing. Do feel free to come and visit us! You’d be most welcome.
Nick and Catherine
cathy@houghlife.com 07930 750337
nick@houghlife.com 07851 001940
Plateroom 28 