From: Andy Kilpatrick
Sent: 10 December 2019 17:59
To: Andy Kilpatrick
Subject: Kilpatrick-mas 2019
Hi folks.
Here comes another one. No, not an election / referendum / incompetence-a-thon, but an exciting Xmas Missive from Me.
I hope you enjoy this informative update, whilst contemplating the generally wonderful state of the world in all its aspects (1).
Highlight of the year:
Yes: we're officially Empty Nesters! Except in the many and long holidays that these "students" get nowadays(2).
Upsides:
- Ability to make spontaneous decisions, and stay out as late as we like. So far, we've mostly spontaneously decided to stay in and watch TV.
- Affordable Flights & Holidays for Two(3)
- Not having to deal with The School System of our once not-too-bad nation(4)
Downsides:
- It's a bit quiet sometimes.
- Yes, Josh did actually bring a suitcase of laundry with him when he popped back for a weekend.
- No-one to thrash me utterly at Mario Kart. Barbara is probably even worse than me.
Family-tide
- Our Last Ever Family Holiday(5) in summer was a fab trip to South Africa. Lovely places, hiking, safari. Cheetah's munching on an ostrich was one (slightly gory) highlight; as was following a Painted Dog tagging expedition. We also enjoyed eating ostrich bobotie...
- Ellie is getting on well in 2nd year at Durham with her French+History. She is no longer a teenager. OMG.
- Josh has settled well at Southampton, doing Physics, climbing, D&D, occasional cooking.
- Trips to Spain (Alajar - lovely!) and Hamburg (fab Xmas markets!) for me and Barbara
- Izzy continues to entertain with her Fear Of More Than Not Very Many People At Once.
- OAP-wrangling is ticking along fine.
Work-tivities
- Barbara and I both continued to push the boundaries of the flexible high-paced fast-moving techno-economy, by "celebrating" 30 years (each) at our respective workplaces. Yes, really.
- Soon(6) you'll be making all(6b) your 5G calls through software that I've had my hands on. Bwa ha hah.
Music-tival
- My horn-playing highlights included Bach Mass in F, Schumann 2, Shostakovich 4, Webern's Passacaglia. That's all bases covered then.
- Barbara is now in the London Philharmonic Choir: singing in the Royal Festival Hall; recording at Abbey Road Studios. Which Was Nice.
- Ellie got the glowingest review evah for her flute choir concert in Durham (she's the director). I suspect back-handers...
- Josh has some kind of music software thingy which we don't understand but hope may be a better use of time than Minecraft.
- For my fifty-somethingth, Barbara took me to my first
Festival (Cornbury):
Glamping! Drugs (... well, G&T / Beer at least)! Echo and the Bunnymen / The Specials / Trevor Horn / The Beach Boys / a modern band I've never head of! (7)
- Barbara and I went to see Bjork at the O2. She's madmazing.
Xmas joke: this is my favourite cartoon at the moment ((c)
xkcd.com).
Don't worry, until 5G comes in the robots won't be able to communicate effectively enough to do this(6c).
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year(8),
Love,
Andy
Footnotes
- Hmm
- "OK Boomer", quoth Young People. This probably applies to most of what I say nowadays.
- Tempered by Flight Shame, hmm.
- Feel free to meet me in the pub for a long and possibly slightly rant-y exposition on this subject
- I'm told our offspring may still want free holidays in later life. Ha. Get a job.
- c.f. Nuclear Fusion power generation, which has been 40 years in the future for as long as I can remember.
- (6b) Where "all" = not very many, perhaps.
- (6c) Oops
- See what I did there?
- 2020!? How did that happen? Where's my jet-pack??