2January1996

My dear folks,

Tuesday evening in the first week of the New Year. I bear good wishes from Cathy who thanks you for the fax she has received from you (in spite of my attempts to frustrate your good intentions). She has also asked me to reflect the contents of a two page fax she sent through to me this morning. She says they are all bouncy and keeping busy indoors or out in spite of some very cold weather. Rolf & the 4 girls have been doing lots of riding. Bren has been down with a bit of a cold but is said to have books a plenty to read and to be warm & comfortable. A rest is probably the best thing for him.

Conal does not get a mention; I hope this is a good sign as he had earlier declared his intention of staying away from the horses & there is not much else to do there. He said he was going to do a lot of sleeping. Bren apparently said this was fine as long as he understood that it was going to be alone.

The Germans had a traditional firework-heralded New Year. They are planning to return home on Thursday afternoon at much the same time as I hope to arrive in Neustadt myself. They hired Combi for the trip and will keep it until Bren & co have been delivered back to Frankfurt airport on Saturday. I greatly look forward to sharing a few more rusty nails with them all & to joining them at Muchler’s Kutchler for a final dinner, a restaurant Mother will remember from my 50th birthday party celebrations.

I have one more night to go. The last two have been fairly quiet, something for which I was grateful as I was doing much of the studio production. I have done hundreds of news bulletins but they bear little comparison - with their 15 to 30 minute duration - with a 3-hour current affairs programme where you have to meet half a dozen cut-out points on the dot. It’s a proper rain dance, I can tell you.

There are more things that can go wrong in television than any other industry I know. You might wonder how many industries I’m familiar with. Just take my word for it. It’s horrifically complicated, 20 people on computers in half a dozen different parts of the building trying to synchronise a show for which there are no rehearsals. The Christmas period has been padded out with lots of seasonal features as news has been thin on the ground. But it’s back to normal tonight which means I shall have to wiggle my bottom.

Jones continues well. She is planning to return to Portugal towards the end of February when I am also trying to obtain leave to go down briefly. Our tenants there say there has been uninterrupted rain for several weeks and the countryside is swimming. So is the Quinta with damp walls and swollen doors. Lots of work ahead, I fear.

Thank you Mother for your New Year faxes. Truly, we are filled with happiness at the zest that accompanies them. And thank you Calgarians for looking after her so well. Once again, may we wish you all a very happy & satisfying 1996.

Much love,
T