Jubilympics!

What a year 2012 has been for big events and celebrations in the UK. The Queen celebrated 60 years on the throne this Summer which included a weekend of parties, concerts, parades etc and Gretchen and I decided to travel up to London to take part in the Sunday celebrations which started with a church service in Westminster Abbey followed by a procession back to Buckingham Palace and then the Royal Family came out onto the balcony for a flypast. Gee and I headed up to the Mall where there were huge screens showing the service in the Abbey and thousands of people draped in Union Jacks milling around and jostling for a good position to watch the procession later. We both bought hats and flags and then stood in the 6 deep crowds to await the Queen in her carriage. It was a long wait and t played havoc with my back! But when he Queen drove past the atmosphere was electric and it felt good just t be there and to share it with others. After she drove through the Mall we al waited to fie down he Mall towards the Palace. We got much closer to the Palace than we thought (just to the left of Victoria's monument)and we were surrounded by both Brits and foreign visitors, a real cosmopolitan mix. We were close enough to see the Queen on the balcony and we were right underneath the Lancaster Bomber and spitfire when they flew over the Mall. The cheers, the laughter, the sheer joy in the crowd is the one thing that will stay with me from this experience. It was great to be a part of it. Throughout the late Summer the country was glued to their TV sets watching the London 2012 Olympics and on 6 September myself,Gee, Sophia and Verity went up to the Olympic Park for the evening Paralympics events in the Aquatics Centre. It was great fun to be in the park and everything was planned and run with military precision. I was a little shocked at how high we had to climb to reach our seats in the aquatics centre but once seated we had a great view (see photo). Later in the evening, after the swimming finals had finished we went out to watch Johnny Peacock run in the 100 m final on big screens in the park. There were huge crowds round the screens and we could hear the chee

rs coming from the stadium before we saw the race on the sceen because of the time delay in transmission It was so exciting. And of course Johnny won Gold - Go Johnny! Our own little piece of the Olympics.

5 September 2012 - Our first Anniversary

Tonight Gretchen and I celebrated our first anniversary...in style. It has been a very difficult year for me but a real highlight has been my wonderful new relationship with my darling Gretchen. They say every cloud has a silver lining but mine has definitely been laced with Gold having Gretchen in my life. So tonight we donned our dresses and jewels and drove over to Amberley Castle for Dinner. There aren't many castles where you can stay overnight and dine in real style but Amberley is one of them and has been beautifully and sympathetically restored over recent years. The only people visiting and staying in the Castle tonight seemed to be wealthy Americans and the Castle certainly caters to their every need. The food is very rich and exotic and you couldn't eat like that every night but it is wonderful for a night of celebration. Here is to the next 12 months!

Saturday 18 August to Saturday 25 August 2012 – Scattering Dad’s ashes in Laigueglia

It has been 36 years since Bryan came with us to Laigueglia for the first time and unlike the rest of us, Bryan has never been back...until this Month. Laigueglia became a regular summer holiday venue for Mum, Dad and myself. Dad fell in love with the beauty, family feel and familiarity of this lovely Italian Borgo on the riviera. The beaches are clean, the sea is blue and inviting and the people are warm and welcoming. We have so many wonderful memories there and it seemed appropriate therefore that we should go there again as a family and scattered some of dads ashes in the sea. It was a chance too for Margaret to visit a place that she has heard so much about and that she knows was so special to Dad. We stayed with Mario and Marilina at Tre Ciuffi Hotel (which has not changed at all in the last 36 years) and spent some quality time with the Garassino family who were all there during that week. In the middle of the week, early on Wednesday morning, Margaret, Bryan and I hired a pedalo from Bagni Edi and pedalled out onto the very calm, almost glass like sea. We went into deep water but even there the sea was so clear that we could see the bottom of the sea bed. I had bought a special biodegradable box for dads ashes which would sit on the surface of the sea for about 3 minutes and then sink gracefully to the seafloor where over the next 3 days the box would disintegrate and release the ashes on the sea bed. Mum stayed on the shore and watched from afar but we filmed the event for her. It all went so smoothly, it was a beautiful sunny morning and the sea was so peaceful. I know that Dad will be so pleased that we have brought him here and we know where he is and will come back to visit and to remember him -that's for sure.

Monday 30 July to Friday 3 August 2012 – Centre Parks

A few days away at Centre Parks in Longleat was a welcome escape for Gretchen, myself, Sophia, Verity and the twins this week. Gretchen had hired a 3 bedroomed villa for us positioned in the lush woodland of CPs extensive grounds and we spent our days cycling, swimming, walking and raft building! The babies seemed to love the pool, dressed in their new (and first) swimming costumes. I particularly enjoyed the raft building exercise on the lake. Two teams pitched against each other to build and sail a raft and then compete in games out on the water. In our team we had Sophia, Gretchen, myself and another young girl who was holidaying alone with her Mother . We worked well together and had a great deal of fun (although Gee and I were exhausted at the end of it). On our final day Verity and the girl left early for Teddington but Gee and I stayed to try out the Aqua Sana Spa facilities onsite. They are fabulous! Over 10 different spa rooms (steam and sauna), water beds, pools, relaxation rooms and a great restaurant where everyone sat around in their dressing gowns having lunch or afternoon tea. We spent 3 or 4 hours in there and I felt so relaxed when we eventually left. Definitely somewhere I want to go back to in the future.

Sunday 27 May 2012 – Freya and Lara’s Christening

Gretchen’s 2 gorgeous new nieces, Freya and Lara, were christened today at St Mary with St Alban Church in Teddington. It was lovely warm day and he church was packed, as 6 children and babies were being Christened at the same service. We sat at the back of the Church even though we were first in, as the christening font is placed at the back and therefore we knew we would get a better view from there. The girls were the only twins today and they behaved like true ladies, no crying and lots of smiles. This was definitely an important day for the Rowles’ Family album. After the service family and friends were invited back to 69 Railway Road for a BBQ in the back garden and lots of present opening!

Friday 10th May 2012 – Dad’s funeral

Dad had always said that when he died he wanted to be taken back to the Midlands, to have his service of remembrance at Coseley Baptist Church which was close to where he grew up and which as a place of worship has played such a pivotal role in his life. We had arranged for his body to be transported up to Coseley from Chichester Hospital by the funeral directors, Hartlands and it was good fortune to find out that the incumbent reverend at Coseley was actually someone who knew my Dad and Mum – Rev Brian Willetts. We visited the Church a few weeks before the funeral and it looked quite different to how I remembered it. It used to stand proudly in its own grounds with a long paved pathway up to the large frontage. It was protected and hidden behind a tall brick wall and when you entered from the front it opened out into a high, cavernous structure inside with a balcony at the back and at the front stood a magnificent organ, its pipes stretching up into the rafters. (see photos). Today it has been subject to major reconstruction, it has lost its wall, its main entrance and pathway and much of its grounds. To me it looked as though it had been shipwrecked and dumped in the middle of a housing estate. I didn’t recognise it. When Mum and I walked in however our spirits were lifted as a feeling of welcome, familiarity and warmth swept over us. Inside it still felt the same and the people within made us feel very welcome and at home. Some of them knew us straight away, they remembered Mum and Dad and were full of sadness to hear about Dad’s passing. We knew that bringing Dad back to Coseley was the right thing, the only thing to do. The service was held at 11.00 am today. Mum, Bryan and family and myself travelled with the hearse from Hartland’s in Hurst Hill. Trevor, Dad’s cousin, played the organ for the service and Anna, Laura and Ella all read a poem “Take Time Be Holy” – a poem that Dad had framed and given to Anna for her confirmation. Bryan and I gave the eulogy. We thought it would be touch and go as to how we kept our emotions in check but once we were up in the pulpit we felt a sense of peace and strength wash over us and it was a gift for us to be able to celebrate Dad’s life in this way with friends and family. We ended the service with a recording of Dad playing the organ at a Church Service in 1963, it was recorded at Barrow Baptist Church with Rev David Jones as a Sunday Service for the BBC. We felt it fitting that Dad got to play the organ at his own funeral. The church was packed with family and friends, old and new, including some of my friends and Bryan’s friends; Eileen, Brian Hunt, Saboohi, Sarah and Gretchen (who produced the beautiful “order of service” for us). Often when people pass way later in life it can be difficult to find many friends and family to attend the funeral but not today.

The cremation took place at Gornal Wood Crematorium afterwards (at 13.30) and then we had booked the Green Room at Himley Hall for afternoon tea. When we lived in Wall Heath in the 60’s and 70’s we would come to Himley Hall and Park to walk our dog Paddy and it brings back so many happy memories. We set up a screen in the Green Room and showed over 100 photos of Dad to celebrate his life. It was a wonderful day and a memorable, if sad, occasion.