1973-2003. A brief overview.
1973-1982 Our early years together were filled with decorating and refurnishing the house, work for Crawford, tourist guiding and genealogical research for Ann, until 1976 when they founded the Devon Family History Society and secretarial & committee work, teaching, lectures, broadcasts and such things filled the days. We bought our first car in 1979. In 1982 Ann got a degree, and the birth that year of our first grandchild, Iain, led us towards the next decade…
1983-1992 … which was mostly about our four oldest grandchildren. We bought our first computer in 1986. This “grandchildren” decade ended with Christopher’s death and Deborah’s move to Brighton in 1991.
Travel abroad :
Crawford had already been abroad – to Sweden twice in 1965 & 1966, to Holland in 1969, and twice to Ireland 1969 & 1970. Ann had been to Holland in 1954. We had both been, separately and then together, to much of England, Scotland and Wales.
1987 was our first foreign travel together – day trips from Brighton to Bolougne in June and Plymouth to Cherbourg in November.
1988 we two went alone for 10 days of “April in Paris”, then a day trip Eastbourne to Calais (15/9) and Plymouth to Morlaix – Iain too – (15/10)
1989 fortnights at Easter and again in
1990 in the summer half-term in Brittany with all our grandchildren.
Then, to try and fill our empty lives,
1992 a cruise in Egypt for ten days, and later in 1992 two months with Ann’s cousins Edna and Calvin Neal mainly in Idaho, Oregon, & Utah, (June 10-Aug13)
1993-2002 could be called our real travelling years. We spent parts of winters in the Arizona desert, then bought a motorhome in 1999 and spent later winters in southern Spain. Our last grandchild, Alyson, was born in 1995, and our first great-grandchild, Brendan, in 2002.
Travel abroad :
1993 began with a Rhine cruise, then we went with the Neals & Iola to Austria and Italy (Sep 9 – Oct 28)
1994 (11/1-8/2) & 1995 (Jan – Mar and 1/11-11/12) to Iola in Arizona.
1996 Ireland (28/3-11/4)
1998 with Saga to Andalucia, Spain (12-27 Nov) (Silver Wedding year)
1999 with Saga to the Algarve, Portugal (22/1-5/2) (Ann = 60)
1999 (10/11)-2000 (26/2) was the first time we had spent the winter months in our motorhome in Spain (that time via France, Italy and Monaco, plus a later day trip to Morocco), and we went there again through France in 2000 (9/10)-2001 (11/4) & 2001 (23/10)-2002 (11/4).
2003 brings our 30th (pearl) wedding anniversary…
Travel abroad –
2003 Arizona again (6/1-31/3), where the summer population of two thousand increases to almost two million for a few days at the end of each January.
Crawford died 21st January 2016.
Comment by Ann Chiswell — 15 March 2016 @ 07:58