JOAN and TED JOHNSON'S WEB PAGES

Diary 2002

Diary 2003

December.

We've not been far this month. The Ramblers Christmas Dinner was very enjoyable. Like most folk we've spent a lot of time shopping, writing letters and cards and cooking in preparation for the festivities. Keith and Kate have finally moved house!! It's super receiving cards and letters from everyone and getting up to date with news. It's now 22nd December and we're feeling quite Christmassy, having been to the Grimsby Bach Choir Wassail yesterday evening. Sidney has arrived and Helen will be here tomorrow. Keith and Kate will come from Essex on the 27th. There doesn't seem to be much time for keeping this diary up-to-date.

31 December. Well it was a good Christmas. It seemed to last a long time. We had a vegetarian meal on the day and cooked our turkey on Sunday 29th so that Keith and Kate could be here for it. We had friends round for a meal on Boxing Day and we've been for drinks with our neighbours. We've all had some super presents, eaten and drunk far too much, been to the sales, watched the odd film and generally relaxed. One of my presents is a book on HTML. If I can ever get to grips to with it maybe this website will get a new look! Meanwhile this is the end of this particular page. Here's to 2003!

November.

At the beginning of the month we went for a quick trip to France to stock up on wine. This time we caught the shuttle at 13-09 and stayed in France returning the next day. This was much more relaxing than staying overnight in Folkstone and catching an early shuttle and doing all the shopping in one day. We went to Franglais for our wine on the first afternoon, stayed at the Copthorne Hotel, enjoying a swim and sauna before dinner, then "did" Cité d'Europe the next day. Meanwhile Helen was enjoying a holiday in Madrid - her first visit there which included a football match - a Madrid derby.

Spent a week-end at Helen's and went to look at a house that she's thinking of buying. It's really nice and her offer has been accepted so we hope that this will work out and that she won't have as many traumas as did Keith and Kate who now hope to move on 10 December. We all went up to Carlisle on the Saturday. Ted and Helen went to watch Lincoln get knocked out of the FA cup and Joan hit the shops. On the Sunday we met up with Sheila for a meal.

John and Pauline have been over for a week-end. We had a day in Lincoln, visiting Whisby Nature Reserve and later walking up Steep Hill and around the Cathedral while Ted was at the match. We did a walk from Wold Newton and we had a trip to Donna Nook to see the seals. There were even more than last year at this time and Ted got some even better photos.

October.

Ted chaired his first A.G.M. of the Grimsby/Louth Ramblers. It must have gone well as the business was all over in 17 minutes.A really good evening followed with a super buffet and a fascinating talk with video by Juliette Keeping about her experiences doing Macmillan Challenge trails in Canada and in Iceland.

On Friday 11 October we set off for Keswick and met up with Helen, Keith and Kate, Sheila, Noreen and Jim and Joyce and Jackie. We had a meal at the Dog and Gun. The Saturday was our BIG DAY. We all set off for Buttermere valley and we climbed to the summit of Fleetwith Pike - our 214th Wainwright. Pictures of our week-end are on our Lake District page.

Kate's parents, Maureen and Dave, came to stay for a week-end along with Keith and Kate. It was the week-end of the dreadful winds. We managed to show them something of Cleethorpes on the Saturday but no-one wanted to venture out on the Sunday.

September.

Ted has given the guest room a coat of paint. I've been busy at work and at court with the Witness Service. We went on a coach trip to Helmsley with the RA and did a 14 mile walk. Keith and Kate were let down again over the house move and are now back to square one so took a holiday in Cyprus to forget about it all for the moment. Helen has had another holiday in Barcelona.

We 've had a lovely few days in the Yorkshire Dales - staying in Hawes at the B & B where we used to go from time to time in the shop days. We hadn't been for four years and had almost forgotten how delightful this part of the country is. As the Wainwrights are almost complete we have decided to climb the Nuttalls. These are the mountains in England and Wales over 2,000 feet. I don't imagine that I will ever complete these - certainly not the Welsh ones but anyway we did five new ones in the Dales and walked 35 miles. It was fine for the whole time we were there and it was a really relaxing few days.

The end of the month was rather sad as Ted's Mum died on 21 September after a very long illness.

August.

Liz and Paddy also have a new grandchild - is there something in the air? Ryan Christopher McCabe was actually born on 23 June but we've only just heard. Canada page is complete!!! Still busy printing photos. Lincoln are out of administration and started the season well. Ted's threatening to update the Lincoln page. We've walked regularly on Wednesdays with the local ramblers group but haven't been further afield. My cousin Sidney has been to stay for a week. We had a day out to Spurn Point and to Hornsea Freeport. Incredibly we had never been to Spurn before. It looks so close to Cleethorpes on a clear day but it is 65 miles by road. Helen, Keith and Kate all came over while Sidney was still here which was really good. Unfortunately Lincoln didn't win that Saturday so the initial euphoria has subsided. I had a bit of a challenge as the element of my larger oven decided to give up the ghost in the middle of cooking Saturday night's supper. Thank heaven for the microwave! Liz and Paddy have been to stay for a couple of nights. Unfortunately it was a funeral which brought them to Grimsby but it was super to see them. Lincoln are doing better again at the end of the month. Ted has updated the Lincoln page.

July.

July 9. Arrived back in England after a wonderful holiday. I've started a Canada page - but it will be a long time before it gets completed as Ted has taken hundreds of photos and we've only had a quick glimpse at the first few so far. We haven't really come back to good news as Keith and Kate's house sale had fallen through and although they have other offers they're not sure if things will be sorted in time to keep the one they are hoping to buy. Maggie and Alvan, over from South Africa, should have been coming to stay but Maggie's Mum is in hospital and they aren't going to make it. Footsie's taken a terrible tumble. Has anyone out there got good news for us?

I went back to work and have been asked to work some extra hours at the Cleethorpes office for a few weeks so I shall be busy. Meanwhile we've been to Scarborough to see Phil and Ros and are making some progress labelling the Canada pictures. We do have good news. Noreen and Jim have become grandparents - Claire has a little girl - Lauren Emily! Keith and Kate have been to stay for a week-end and the sun was shining.

June.

Bank Holiday. We had a relaxing week-end at home. It was nice to spend a bit of time in the garden, even watch a bit of TV, and feel patriotic.

June 7 - 10. We had a super short break in Keswick. One of the highlights of this week-end was meeting up for the first time in over 30 years with Brian and Janice Clark - friends from our time in Leeds. We had lost touch over the years but Friends Reunited brought us together again. We walked up Orrest Head, had a picnic and reminisced.

Click here for more about this Lake District Trip.

June 13 - 16. Helen came home to relax for a few days before returning to Liverpool to spend a week's "holiday" working at the Writing festival -Writing on the Wall 2002.

21 June 2002. GOOD NEWS. A meeting of creditors unanimously accepted the CVA so Lincoln has it's Football Club back and will be out of administration shortly.. Ted and Keith have already bought their season tickets and we all look forward to a better 2002/2003 season.

June 22. Flew out of Heathrow to Vancouver then Victoria to start our Ramblers Holiday in Canada.

May.

Also on 3 May, whilst walking we were anxiously awaiting a text message from Helen to tell us Lincoln City's news. This was the day they went to court to find out if the judge would agree to a period in Administration. Happily the message came early that they have three months to sort things out and come up with a realistic financial plan for the future. The fans were complimented by the judge and fundraising got off to a good start. It feels as if the family own the ground - even Joan has bought a seat and Helen has bought Lisa Simpson's as well as her own!!! If you want to help and buy a seat go to the Club's website.

Barry and Pat have been to visit. We've been to Jim Holden's Retirement/60th birthday celebration.That was a really good do and it was warm enough to be in their garden. Meanwhile Ted has finished his Creative Computing course and is trying to catch me up with Desktop Publishing.

Sheila has been over and together we had a few days in East Anglia. We spent two nights in Hunstanton and did some birdwatching - going to the reserves at Snettisham, Titchwell and Cley. Then we went down to stay with Liz and Paddy in Lawford, near Manningtree and had a relaxing couple of days - in their beautiful garden and walking in Constable Country. Here are a few photos from this trip.

May 26. Completed the Round Louth walk - a circular 15 mile walk starting at Hubbards Hills. This was our 1st 15 miler with the local RA group. The pace was rather brisker than our usual amble but we both managed it O.K.

May 29. Ted organised the first coach trip for the RA Wednesday group. 41 of us went to Hathersage and in spite of the wind and occasional heavy showers enjoyed a 10mile walk on Stanage Edge and over Higger Tor. Our photos are on the Grimsby/Louth RA website. Please note this takes you off our website. Use the back button to return.

April.

We've just had a wonderful few days staying with our friends John and Pauline in the West Midlands. They took us on some lovely walks - around Kinver, on The Long Mynd, on the Berwyn and in the Severn Valley. Here are just a few of the many photos we took.

April 21 - 24. Spent an excellent few days in Pooley Bridge. See Lake District page.

Keith and Kate have been over for the week-end and we went to Hubbards Hills and Louth for a gentle stroll.

March

We spent the first week in March staying in the lovely cottage (well flat really) where we stayed last April. More about this on our Lake District page.

We've had a super weekend staying near Brentwood at Kate's parents' home. It was really warm - must be because we were so far south. Helen has been home for Easter which was lovely. We have just been relaxing and doing nothing much. Meanwhile the garden has sprung into life. I do realise that this doesn't happen without the effort that Ted puts into it. I am always full of good intentions. What did my Mum used to say - "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

February

Our walk from Hubbards Hills went off quite well. We didn't lose anyone. The route included a footpath to which access had been denied for over 14 years. Bridleway 168 from Hallington to Raithby was effectively closed by the damming of a stream. Following a long campaign, at last a bridge has been built and the associated earthworks put into place. As this was our first organised walk over the bridge we held a small ceremony to mark the occasion. Photos are on the Ramblers Grimsby/Louth site. Note that following this link takes you off our website.

Also this month we have had a visit from out friends Phil and Ros who now live near Scarborough and we've been over to stay with Helen in Liverpool. As both Helen and Keith have February birthdays we went out for a joint celebration. Helen's was quite a big one - I can't quite believe all those years have passed by!! Keith and Kate are looking at houses somewhere a bit closer to Sheffield so they could have a busy few months ahead.

January

Joan started the year recovering from a dislocated elbow. (All very embarrassing - had a fall a couple of weeks before Christmas while out walking with the local RA group - wasn't looking where feet were going.) Good job Ted is very useful in the kitchen and looked after all our Christmas guests extremely well.

Helen had a trip to Barcelona with her friend, Martin. Keith and Kate spent time in Essex looking at Wedding venues. They returned to find that someone had helped themselves to the TV, video recorder and Computer. Ted did lots of local walks and Joan finally got back into the walking determined to look where she's putting her feet! We did a recce for the walk we are due to lead from Hubbards Hills at the beginning of February.

Went to Leeds on Ted's birthday and had a meal out with Keith and Kate. Had a trip to Hebden Bridge the next day and visited the Clog Factory. Forgot camera so no pix of this weekend.

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