Mum So wonderful to have you home again too. What an exciting and wonderful journey you have had. So many memories to treasure. Welcome home.

Imogen Sure, I'll make sure she receives that as soon as possible.

Robyn Fogarty Hi Imogen I want to send your folks our Chrissy letter but need their email address. Can you forward it for me please. Your travels take me back to your age. Enjoy every minute. Cheers Robyn Fogarty Seasons Greetings to all and Sundry! Things here have been great! I retire on Wednesday 19th December, well not officially, I go on Long Service Leave till the end of next year but in effect I retire this year!!! It only seems like last week I was a first year out teacher trying to decide whether to go at 60 or 65!! How stupid it was for a kid to make such an important decision! Anyway I chose 60, thank goodness but I’ll pull the pin next year when I’m 58, so I got close. Rob has had a year being the technology boffin at work and enjoyed it but she is looking forward to being back as a class teacher next year on Year 5. She worked Wed, Thurs, and Fri this year which meant we had a year when our days off were not the same but that was OK because I’ve spent since August most Fridays cleaning out Dad’s place after my brother John died (he moved in there when his wife died 5 years ago) so there were my father’s 86 years of stuff and John’s 67 years of stuff! There were some real treasures like Dad’s First Holy Communion Certificate and some coins and photos we had never seen but the amount of stuff!!! As a Depression child Dad kept EVERYTHING and John was no different! Anyway it all got done. Rob has also had a big year with her photography and has become her school’s official photographer. Banners, posters, books, Santa photos, special events etc. She loves it. She also buzzed over to Adelaide with a friend to see Melissa Etheridge and up to Sydney for Coldplay. She swam with the whale shark at Ningaloo and went to Cairns with another friend to take pictures of the Ulysses Butterfly. She came home with a fantastic close up of a cassowary & many butterflies. Thomas enjoyed a ski trip with the boys to Perisher and he has had a very successful year at school with being the only male out of seven recipients to win an Academic Achievement Award at the end of Prelim. (for overall excellence in a range of subjects). He has been recording his own songs too after doing work placement at a new studio, he has 6 songs written and more in the pipeline. He is very talented and his playing is really impressive! He has loved Year 11 and his great results are a reflection of his level of application. The only bummer was he was told at school to cut his hair, he almost cried but he soldiered on. He got his license and a car and loves the independence and so do we! He can drive himself to work, to parties, to appointments et al! HSC year is looking very promising for him but he still has no idea what he wants to do other than be Slash, but as I told him Slash already has that gig. Sam has had a big year at school too. He really put in a big effort after some disappointing results in Year 8. He discovered the hard way you can’t cruise through everything in life. Mind you it did work for 14 years. He turned this year around with the best results he has ever had in the half yearly. He gets his final results this week. He loves music and at this stage thinks that is what he will do when he leaves school because all you have to do is teach some classes and the rest of the time you can sit around and play! The delusions of youth! He started the Duke of Ed. this year and enjoyed it with his best mate. He still plays cricket, ‘am’ with under 16 A and ‘pm’ with 4th grade for Jamberoo. He comes home knackered but he loves it. Thomas, Sam & I went to see Avenged Sevenfold, Alter Bridge and Slash. As she lives with a household of males Rob thinks it is too much testosterone for her to join us. We did some more house swaps; Rozelle for the Vivid Festival & Circular Quay for the Biennale Festival and both those parties want to do future swaps with us for long weekends! Brilliant! New Year will be spent at Milson’s Pt overlooking that BRIDGE for the fireworks. We’ll enjoy a week there. With Thomas doing his HSC we will have a quieter year next year. Rob’s folks, Tom & Dot are 88 & 85 now. Tom still drives his tractor, rides his quad & tends to his vegie patch. Dot still hosts Christmas with the full baked dinner & plum pudding & she still bakes us our Christmas cake. We wish you a merry seasonal time and may 2013 be better in every way for you! Have fun, be safe and enjoy what 2013 throws up! Dennis, Rob, Thomas and Sam xxxxx 180 Croome Vale Rd Jamberoo NSW 2533 [email protected]

RadDawg ace!! look after that doof you got taggin along behind ya...