The year began with Rachel, Sean and boys moving in while their kitchen was rebuilt and other work done. It was all great fun – here we are in early morning mode

But the job took a lot longer than expected and it was awkward getting the boys to school and Meithrin.

They are both growing, and all boy – interested in anything mechanical.

Seth also likes making bread (mainly so he can make currant buns and eat currants while I am not looking).

Ethan’s Meithrin folded in the summer (they couldn’t find find suitably experienced, Welsh speaking staff to cover a half day nursery) so we are back to looking after him 2 days a week. He loves Castell Coch – mainly so he can play with the big 3-D jigsaw.

Here he is feeding his breakfast to the animals from his toy ark.

I spent quite a bit of the summer in St Davids – having lectured 6 times on the tomb of Edmund Tudor (father of Henry VII) to different groups I think I might have got it right by now! Here it is in all its glory

But Edmund had quite a complicated journey to get here.

Then in November Rachel and I got to Bruges. It was magnificent – every where you look is lovely.

We climbed the belfry – 360+ steps but worth it

The other big news is that Sean has learned to drive. He took to it very quickly, passed first time, and it’s a great help.

Steve still isn’t quite back to where he was before the pandemic, but he’s making progress – he even talks about getting back to doing field work. We shall see. My lovely young French cousin is coming to stay again for Christmas so we can do some church trips.

Love from us all – Nadolig Llawen, a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

Seth and Ethan are both growing – which means they are more able to play together. Here they are at St Fagan’s last summer

And here sharing the joy of puddles

and jigsaw puzzles (at which they are both pretty good)

Seth is now in the reception class at the local Welsh primary school.

He is apparently very good at Numbers but needs to work on Reading.

He also likes making bread.

We took them on the boat around Cardiff Bay for his birthday.

High point was watching the road go up so boats could go through the Barrage and into the marina.

We look after Ethan two days a week (his other grannie now has him for a day) but he starts Meithrin (a Welsh nursery) on 12 December. He already enjoys the parent and toddler group there.

He enjoys being helpful

feeding the birds

helping Steve with the Sudoku

and here are the lads together, planning their next exploit

 

When Seth first saw Ethan, a morning just before last Christmas, he put his hands on his hips and said ‘Well, I never!’

Ethan adores Seth, perhaps too much – whatever Seth is playing with Ethan wants to play too, and Seth does get very frustrated.

Seth is now in school – with the uniform and everything.

 

He goes to the Meithrin (Welsh nursery) a couple of streets away in the morning, then they walk in a crocodile to the meithrin at the local Welsh school for the afternoon session. The school is brilliant – they do really imaginative activities with the children and at first sight it looks as though they are ‘just’ playing but there is clearly a structured learning programme behind it.

 

 

Like most small boys, Seth is fascinated by trains, diggers, anything BIG that makes a Big Noise. He didn’t mind at all that the playground at the end of their lane was closed – he was quite happy watching the diggers rebuilding it.

He has been in heaven this summer as they are building a new bridge over the railway line at the bottom of our village. Dumper trucks, steamrollers … We took him on the train to Cardiff Bay for his birthday.

We thought we would have a nice afternoon in the Bay, but once we had lunch all he wanted to do was to get back on the train and go up to Cardiff Queen Street station to watch the trains coming in and out! So that’s what we did.

Meanwhile, Rachel is back at work and I look after Ethan three days a week. He relishes having uninterrupted access to the Duplo

here he is actually IN the Duplo box

but of course the toys are just there to try to distract him from what he really wants to do – using Mamgu’s desk as a climbing frame

exploring the sock drawer

and the kitchen cupboard

climbing the stairs

and – the real prize –

the washing machine!

Here’s the family earlier in the year

And here are the 2 lads deep in conversation over lunch.

what are they planning?

Some more of our family history has turned up in the papers of my late cousin David Morris. My mother’s reminiscences (downloadable at https://www.heritagetortoise.co.uk/2017/11/betty-john-cefn-llwyd/ ) described how her family moved from Michaelston-le-Pit to Cefn Llwyd in Michaelston-y-Fedw in 1908, and I noted that I had found her father’s tenancy agreement for the farm in the Kemeys-Tynte estate papers. Well, Rhys John’s copy of the agreement has now surfaced in David’s papers, so here it is.

As a tenant by year, my grandfather had to promise in detail how he would manage the land. One thing that wasn’t specified but that my mother remembered was that he was not allowed to use barbed wire in his fences. After the war, the farm came into the hands of the Morgans of Tredegar Park. They retained the right to humt over my grandfather’s fields and they did not want their horses being injured if they jumped the fences.

Grandparenting in a time of Covid

Seth’s first full year has been a very strange one. From restaurant meals

and church play group

to lockdown – videochats

working from home

and a WhatsApp birthday.

But there was still fun – paddling pool in the garden

socially distanced visit in our garden

the wonderful world of books

and when we got back together as a household bubble, I introduced him to the joys of graveyards

what was he listening to?

plus the joys of leaves

and puddles.

And here he is in his Christmas jumper.

Some more wedding photos – and another speech. Photos are all from the online album – lots more at  http://www.wedpics.com/album/GI4TGNZWGIZQ .

Here we are in the porch

the amazing bus that Sean’s dad arranged to get us into Cardiff

Rachel and bridesmaids playing around in the park

of course there was a Pokémon in the park

going into the reception

the cake

the statutory Top Table Selfie

The two Best Men’s speech was great fun and very moving

bmSpeech

(Limericks to follow when we get them scanned)

Rachel and Sean’s first dance

then it got a bit more freeform

 

and the Happy Couple are now at an Unknown Location with blue sky, blue sea, Quiet Pool and a nice man who comes round every hour with watermelon and ices. Gosh, it’s tough.