“… Back from sunny Iceland to utter English chaos …”

Well, we’re all back and despite the sad events surrounding our unplanned trip to Iceland we all had a good time. My dad commented that it made a weekend, which could have been a melancholy one, a very enjoyable one. The positive attitude our two boys injected into their surroundings was a good distraction for one and all.

Amma Siggas funeral was lovely but I found it really hard. As soon as I looked at the coffin, which was beautiful, it all came over me. I started crying before the service even started. Afterwards, I wanted to sit on my own with the coffin to say a private goodbye but instead I said a private goodbye in my head whilst laying my hand on top of it at the church. Walking back down the isle I just hid my face and then Joanna gave me a big hug outside whilst I cried and cried. There was coffee and drinks at amma Siggas house afterwards with about a hundred people which is just the way she would like it, as she lived in a big house which was open to anyone at any time and it was quite literally the centre of hers and my fathers generations social life for many decades.

Whilst we were in Iceland it was nice and sunny. We sat outside in the garden drinking our coffee and some people even got sunburn. Due to the lack of coverage of the English weather we were completely oblivious to the massive flooding that was going on. (The first news item on it was yesterday … too late for us to plan around it.) Therefore, we had our own little adventure during our trip back home yesterday.

All was well until we set off from Stansted on our planned 3 hour journey north to Yorkshire. We drove happily on the A1 and it wasn’t until the traffic news came on that we realised that our trip might not be so easy after all. We had three options. Continue on the A1 and get stuck in traffic (in fact they closed it later on). Head for another route on the west side of the A1 toward home. (No way of doing this without hitting Sheffield or Rotherham, which didn’t sound good at all.) In the end we drove east of the A1 for a tour of Lincolnshire through so many villages and so many diversions and traffic stops that I lost count. We saw fields that had literally turned to lakes and at one point were turned round by the police as the road had been drowned and they were expecting a flash flood. I even drove past a live fish struggling for its life on the road … not your usual roadkill (not meaning to be insensitive or anything …) In the end, our journey took us 8 ½ hours and we had all been up from 4am in the morning until 10pm, when the boys finally got to bed. Me and Joanna got to bed nearer to midnight.

On top of all this, our only remaining cat, Joy, was nowhere to be seen. She didn’t come in to eat and this morning we still hadn’t seen her. Joanna had just gone out to look for her when she strolled in, quite oblivious to all the worry she had caused.

But … we’re all here safe and sound … at last … but all very tired today. So, with love,

Toti, Joanna, Jolyon and Elijah

"...again, we say goodbye ..."

Well, we arrived in Iceland last Friday and amma Siggas funeral is tomorrow (Monday). Despite the circumstances, it is nice to see my parents and the boys have really enjoyed their visit. Elijah has got amma and afi wrapped around his little finger, as it should be, and we hardly see Jolyon due to all his social engagements. Small people are struggling a bit with the 24 hour sun and getting up extremely early. Big people are taking the morning in shifts to solve that one. We will be heading back on Tuesday morning, really, really early and then it will be back to the old routine.

More unfortunate news. Last week our siamese, Penny, had been very poorly. After two vets visits and some consultations we had to have her put to sleep. She is a great loss the the Freysson-Burton household and our remaining Joy doesn't quite know what has happened. We have buried her in her favorite spot in our garden so she is resting peacefully. Such is life.

The weather in Iceland is lovely, as opposed to the wet in England, and we hope it will stay that way for tomorrow and for Joannas parents when they come over next weekend. So, until next time, as Jolyon would say ... asta la vista, baby!

Toti, Joanna, Jolyon and Elijah

"...My Amma Sigga..."

I am the oldest grandchild of amma Sigga. I have lasting memories of going to visit her as a child. I would run into the kitchen where she would pick me up and call me ‘her little lamb’. I would hide behind the sofa in the front room when it was time to go home because I didn’t want to leave. Amma Sigga would never wake me up when I spent the night at her house and I could stay in bed as long as I liked.

Amma Sigga let her grandchildren play in the kitchen where we would make a mess of the flour and eggs. Afterwards amma would get the hoover out and hoover the flour off our clothes. Amma Sigga made the best pancakes. For many years I went swimming with my dad and my granddad every Saturday and afterwards we would go to amma Siggas where we had a hot dog party.

As a budding musician of 13 amma Sigga let me and my friends rehearse in her basement. There would always be milk and Danish pastry for the whole band when we were tired of trying to find songs with no F chord in it (I couldn’t play the F chord because my fingers weren’t long enough).

In later teenage life me and amma went through a phase of watching films together (mostly Woody Allen films). I would go and rent them from the video shop and then we would make popcorn. I would make her coffee and she always said I made the best coffee. I was always welcome at amma Siggas house, whatever state I was in.

I had the pleasure of bringing amma Sigga her first two great-grandchildren, whom she adored. Amma also got on great with Joanna. Similar personalities in many ways. Tough ladies who know what they want and there’s no way of convincing them otherwise. Amma Sigga has smoked filter free Camel cigarettes as far back as I can remember. About 10 years ago she was in hospital for some reason or another. At some point she simply left, IV in tow. She had left the hospital and walked home. Her children found her sat in the garden. ‘I wanted a cigarette!’ was all she said. That’s amma Sigga in a nutshell.

Yesterday morning, the 13th June, my amma Sigga died in her sleep. I will forever miss her and her endless and unconditional love. Her love of knowledge and her love of music especially is something I’ll never forget. Amma Sigga will always be my amma Sigga.

RIP, I don’t think I ever said it, because we didn’t need to, but I’ll say it now.

I love you amma Sigga, we all do …
Toti

"...time for an update..."

Hello folks, I guess it's time to update you all on where the Freysson-Burton clan are up to in life. One person at a time me thinks ...

Jolyon went camping with his scout group, and 3000 other scouts, over spring bank. It rained most the time but he really enjoyed it. 4 days and 3 nights away from his nosey parents ... that can't be bad. On the Sunday he went for a lie down at lunchtime because he wasn't feeling so great. He woke up again 20 hours later, on Monday morning. I think maybe he was ready for a sleep after many, many late nights. This week is exam week at school and he's been doing really well. I think he'll be glad when it's over though ... only one more day to go! He's also glad that the hols are over because his friends are back and he's out playing all evenings. He got caught swearing yesterday and ... oohhh ... what a telling off his mum gave him. He's growing up so fast that his mum struggles to keep up and his dad missed the train a long time ago. I always had visions of him strolling into teenagehood but he seems to be zooming there instead!

Elijah is also growing up far to fast. He can now count up to five (most the time in the right order) and has twice managed to tell us he needed a wee and then use his potty. No, I'm not talking about Toti, I'm still talking about Elijah. He loves nursery ... in fact ... he loves Caroline at nursery ... in fact ... it's not called nursery anymore, it's called Caroline! Caroline is his friend, no question there. He's got other friends too, like Sam. Caroline and Sam. He's due a haircut again.

Joanna is looking around for professional development options but at the same time really enjoying her role as Clinical Team Leader. Her bosses are really nice and supportive and would, I think, like to see her develop where she is. Joanna also wants to see through what she started. Two years ago Joanna wouldn't touch management with a ten foot pole. She now wouldn't even consider a role that doesn't involve management. She's taken to it like a duck to water. But then, that's no surprise to her husband, who knows she's a born leader ;-) In fact, I don't think her bosses are really her bosses ... I think Joanna is really the boss!

I got the below mentioned letter the other day. I sent a three page letter back to them saying what I thought about their recruitment procedures, how I felt that their practices had an air of discrimination and that I was sure their was more valuable things to do with their time and money than to lead people up the garden path. Prior to this letter arriving I had been given a preliminary start date, signed the terms and conditions and told who to speak to to have the uniform sorted out. That is after having passed all verbal interviews, assessments, physical fitness tests, medicals etc. etc. The letter I sent went to the head of personnel and the Chief Constable. I recieved a letter back from both confirming that the matter is being looked at.

That said ... I have moved on. Certainly physically and 99.9% mentally. I am applying for full time management posts within the care sector. That's where my future will now lie and that is what I will concentrate on. Once a full time post is secured then attentions will be turned to more education. Definately an NVQ IV, and an A1 assessors thingy. That makes one more employable. After that we'll look at the degrees ... taking one step at a time ... planning many years ahead.

So, that is us ... for now ... until we meet again ... alfie dalfie da scroomy loomy ...

Love you all,

T, J, J and E