A Merry Family Christmas!

A very happy, peaceful, family Christmas from Chip, Dara. Pip and Tim.

We have a white Christmas here as you can see from this picture of our road. The conditions are also perfect (cold, icy) for Tim to start his first season of ice hockey with a local team at the open air rink in out neighbourhood park (that's him in the orange jersey, four goal hero in his 1st game despite the lack of hockey genes). And of course the Canadian Family Robinson traditional picture taken this morning as we gather around the Xmas tree...the difference this year is that the time of the photo is midday rather than 7 am as in past years, one of the boons of twin teenagerhood...

We are thinking of you all, wherever you are today - Suzhou, Courmayeur, Acoteias, Hook and Indianopolis - and we send our love and we clink our glasses to the most wonderful family in the world; we really are very fortunate to have each other, scattered acroos the globe though we may be. And not forgetting Poppa Jim and Katie Nanna who started all this 69 years and a day ago.

Cheers and here's to 2008!

Merry Christmas from Portugal!!

Merry Christmas to all from us here in the sun in Portugal.......

I'm a new girl at this blog business and it is quite apparent that I have to take over posting messages from this part of the world....I hope you are all well and have some great plans for the Christmas / Holiday period......and for those of you we won't see......lots of kisses from us!

Max was in a Christmas parade this morning though the old town of Albufeira and I've never seen so many little Father and Mrs Christmas's in one area....I'll attach a couple of pics...

Love to all.......Merry Christmas and a happy new year...

Clare (Jamie & Max) xxxxxxx

? Years?

Happy Anniversary, C. and D!

Love, Bev

39 Years!

Happy Anniversary, P. and P!

Love, Bev

18 Today!!!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday, Dear Pip,

Happy birthday to you!

Lots of love, Bev XXXXX

It's a white out!

It's officially our first Indiana white out we got 4 inches last night and it's still snowing - this is the view from our front door as you can imagine the kids can't wait to get out and get aquainted with this funny thing called snow!! Tyler was disappointed the school bus made it on time!
Love to one and all Heidi Jamie Tyler and Maddie x

Flowers for Nan and Pop

November 28th

Still missing you so much, Pop.

The Shortest Year

Has it really been year since Pop Jim left us?

A lot of water has gone under the bridge of life since, but it still seems strange not to be able to hear his voice on the phone or visit him at the farm on visits home.

The farm seemed SO empty when I last visited that this was really when it stuck that things would not be the same again ..... No more sleep overs in Nans room listening to the mill...No more "he´s up in the shack"....No more hearing the organ blazing as you open the garage doors.... and certainly no more emptying of car boots full to the brim of fresh salmon, on return from another sucessful fishing trip, with Pop overviewing the whole scene smoking on that Bloody pipe !!

Life is good, but with him around it was always better.

Still missing you

Love Jamie, Clare and Max.

Here's to you Pop

It's been a year which I wish you could have been here for but I know you were keeping close watch. Miss you

This is the first post from the University of Western Ontario, it's not too late for new joiners is it? haha I'm only a year late! All's good here, working hard, playing hard - shifting more towards the work now because my exams start in less then 2 weeks... but on the bright side I'm on Christmas break in less than a month! Hope all is well with family near and far, my thoughts are with you especially today.

Pip

In our thoughts as always

Time goes by and life for us all here still goes on but there is a huge hole left behind that will never and can never be filled. We will be with you all tomorrow in our thoughts and prayers as we all remember Pop and raise our glasses to our one and only 'Pop Jim' lets hope that he is up there with his rod catching all the 'one's that got away!'

We love you chum :-)

Heidi Jamie Tyler and Madison xxxx

The Last Scattering of Jim

The Scattering of Jim

There are strange things durn
With the ashes in the urn
By the Family of which we tell:
The torrents of Wales
Have their secret tales
And the rivers of the Glens as well;
The pond by the reeds
Has seen odd deeds
None odder than happened to him:
He was one when alive
But now he is five
For this is the scattering of Jim.

Now Jim Robin-son
Was from Rushden To’n
Where the cobblers used to cobble;
As a lad in his youth
He sought the truth
As to why a float will bobble,
And also why
A particular fly
Would cause a fish to strike,
And too which spinner
Would prove a winner
To lure the perfect pike.

He spent his life
With Kate his wife
By waters rushing and still;
He dipped his line
In fresh and brine
And the pond beside the mill;
And to the last
And on and past
His life was one with water;
And so it’s neat
That his son Pete
And Bev his only daughter
Cast his ashy line
Just one more time
Upon the waters shining,
Because for a while
We couldn’t smile
But here’s the silver lining:
He may be scattered
But it hasn’t mattered
He’s chuckling in our minds -
He’s now more alive
That one who’s five
So thanks, dear Jim – tight lines.

Hallowe'en in China

Better late than never - am having to blog for China as they're being censored again and can't post anything (well, you know how subversive Isabel can be!!)

Timmy treads the boards

Here is Timmy - "Mike TVee" in the school play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He was supposed to be an obnoxious teenager.....a part he portrayed with frightening realism! No snow in Canada yet - we are still raking up bags and bags and bags of leaves.......but there is a definite chill in the air now. Last winter it didn't snow till January - wonder what this year will bring!

Luv C,D,P & T

Snow!

My patio this evening - have we beaten Canada?

November 16th

First freeze of the winter. We still go down every week to feed the ducks and the geese. The other photo is of the old folks' bungalows along the farm drive - almost finished now.

November 14th - 5 Years Old Today!

Happy Birthday, Max!

Love from All at Spratton

XXXXX

A ghostly night...

Happy Halloween to all the little Robinson ghosts and ghoulies......

Love

Chip Dara Pip & Tim

Our little punks!!

Just a view of things to come! Tonight was the first Indiana Halloween and we certainly gave out a little more candy than our Floridian days! fun was had by all we now have a years supply of candy and the trading of favourites now begins! what a pair of punks (rockers that is!) or as Maddie's friend liked to call them pumpkin rockers (guess it was more of an English 'thing'!) Hope all is well where ever you may be. With love and kisses to all Heidi Jamie Tyler and Maddie xx