The 2016 AllGriffs Review

Our second full year of retirement turned out to be much like our first: a reckless round of walking, sailing and skiing; looking after family and guests; and doing things locally to support people and places we value. Oh, and taking an occasional holiday.

The big trip of the year was our three weeks in China, seeing many of the sites that you might expect: eight of them World Heritage Sites. We loved the atmosphere and were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of everything. Travelling semi-independently, we felt very safe, indulging ourselves in ‘ordinary’ Chinese food and revelling in everything from a bullet train to cycling through paddy fields. A three day walk on the Wall included a night camping in a watchtower which reassured us that we could still rough it when necessary. Highly recommended.

On the Wall	On the river Li

We finally finished walking the Cornish Coastal path and, being rather resistant to crossing into Devon, turned right at the end. We are now close to finishing a walk down the Tamar which marks the border for much of its length. These walks helped us add to our collection of ‘have visited’ Cornish churches. Having walked ‘across’ and then ‘round’, we will have to think what to do next. The story of our walks can be followed on our blog.

Our family – aged from 3 to 93 - continues to be an important part of our lives and we babysit and entertain them regularly. Five are in Truro: J’s mother Felicity, as well as Emma, Wyl and their two little ones. Six are in South London/Surrey: Claire, Nick and their pair, and Peter and Rebeka. The young seem to be thriving in their various jobs. The wonderful local NHS keeps Felicity going physically: she had two eye operations this year. She is also fully involved in our life, keeping an eye on our gardening efforts and showing great interest in our travels.

The great family delight (did I say ‘surprise’?) of the year was when Wyl’s book The Many was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Suddenly we were plunged into the maelstrom of national press coverage.  We felt very proud to receive an acknowledgement for unspecified services.

July marked our Ruby Wedding and our wonderful children gave us a bench which has been placed on a favourite spot in Prussia Cove where we can sit and stare out at the Cornish sea when we are too decrepit to walk, reviving memories of past holidays.

Testing the bench	A family day out
Celebrating a birthday	A devoted grandson

In our ‘spare time’, we continued our work with Homestart and in local schools (K); sorting out databases and editing another book (J). Despite book clubs, music lessons, singing, keeping fit (don’t buy a Fitbit, they take over your life), we found time to sail and canoe, and to visit the wonderful Minack theatre several times.

Claire + 1	Peter and Rebeka
The fleet at play	Two walkers

The water continued to play a big part in our lives. Grandchildren seem impervious to the cold and were happy to be taken to beaches in all states of the weather.

Perhaps it was the expectation of ice creams and hot chocolate. A particular joy was when much of the family fleet took to the creek with a granddaughter being taken sailing for the first time, in the same boat in which her mother had started out. The baton has been passed.

We found the great political shock of June (and for the USA in November) profoundly depressing as much for the divisive atmosphere that it produced as for the result which went against much we believe in. We wish we felt more confident that the divisions might begin to heal next year.

But not just yet, we hope

Despite this, we leave with a message of love and much-needed hope for the year ahead. We love seeing friends from near and far. We greatly appreciate the visits that many of you made this year. More please … especially if you enjoy walking, visiting churches, seeking standing stones, sailing, canoeing, walking or just relaxing …

Much love for a Happy Christmas,
Kate and Jonathan

If found ...	... don't bother to return

New - The Wall of Winter

Michael Jeffries is a former soldier living quietly in a Midlands village with his wife. He is recuperating from an injury which makes it difficult for him to walk and he occupies himself with book-binding.

The village is a typical small community in which people have their own worries and concerns of a more or less trivial nature. Michael's neighbours turn to him for wise counsel and sympathy, each making their own demands on him, drawing him into their concerns.

As his health improves, his mind begins to turn to a more ambitious career but this piles on the pressure. Eventually we discover the cause of his injury and he is forced to face his past, breaking through the wall he has put around himself. Moral and social decisions follow as he comes to terms with the consequences of his past actions and kindnesses.

With themes that are still relevant today, this was probably written in the mid 1970s and Paul Griffin's first full novel. It draws on his time living and teaching in the Midlands and in Cyprus during 'The Troubles' of 1956 - 1960.

It has been privately published by Lyon and Lamb and is available for £10 from the Lulu shop.