[Letter from Rhian to family 10/8/2001]

Where to start with the news!!!!!  First of all the holidays.  We had a wonderful week away on 23rd July and went to Bude on the North Cornish Coast.  We stayed in a place called Ebbingford Manor which dated back to the 11th century!!  It had quite a history which the current co-owner - Mr. Stamp was only too willing to share.  The Manor had been owned by  the Vicar of Bude as it had passed to him from a charitable order.  The Vicar was finding it too costly to run and was saying as much to a friend of his whom he had invited to supper.  The friend happened to be the current owners (Mr Stamp's) father who suggested that they swap residences as he lived in a much smaller dwelling in Bude.  The vicar thought this was a fine idea which is how Mr Stamp, who is now 70, and his son came to own Ebbingford.  Mr Stamp was a lovely man and was very keen on Dylan.  He was very upright and spoke with a public school accent and so it seemed entirely appropriate that Dylan should choose to call him "Stamp."  I'm sure this would have taken Mr Stamp back to his public school days and every time Dylan shouted out "stamp" as loud as he possibly could in the courtyard Mr Stamp would turn around and laugh.  (We have video coverage of the house that will be included in the video).  This was definitely a holiday with a difference. David and I every day did something to entertain Dylan - gone are the days that we are free to chose what we want to do - having said that we took our enjoyment from Dylan.  

All in all we did the following during our week away: ate lots of Cornish pasties, ice-cream and cream teas; visit to the Donkey sanctuary; visit to the otter sanctuary; went on a steam train to a beautiful old house and then did an hours walk to the house and grounds where they served fabulous Cornish ice-cream - strawberries and cream and blackcurrant flavours.  Dylan sat in the backpack and to everyone's amusement he just reached forward to lick either my ice-cream or Davids.  We also managed some beautiful walks around the North Cornish coastline which was absolutely breathtaking.  We discovered a little fishing village Port Isaac where they did the best cornish pasties and crab sandwiches.  One of the cottages facing the sea was owned by an Australian selling vegemite and honey with an Aussie flag waving high in the sky!!! Nice reminder for us.  We also took a walk around Port Isaac having bought a map from the Bude visitor centre.  

We stopped at a very high cliff top with terrific views of Port Isaac to eat our sandwiches.  Having settled down to lunch we were then being watched by a very inquisitive cow.  This was fine and we just dismissed him as being inquisitive.  A few minutes later he was followed by another cow and then yet another cow and after the eighth cow joined the gathering I decide to do my famous disappearing act that went along the lines: "David, I'm not happy.  I'm taking Dylan and going." Poor David was left gathering our bits and pieces.  He started packing the sandwiches as he thought this was what they must be after.  Then a cow came straight up to him as brazen as anything snatched the map out of his hand and began eating it.  David quickly picked everything up and followed Dylan and I who were heading for some thick bracknell. [She spends her working hours among the thick in Bracknell, but I think she means bracken or brambles - Ed.] 

The cows had blocked our path so we couldn't return the way we had come, and as the map had been eaten we weren't sure where we could rejoin the track. But one thing was clear, the only way to go was down the steep slope. As if the thorns tearing our skin weren't enough, we also hit a large patch of mud which swallowed our feet. It took us half an hour to rejoin the track down, and we all got a few brambley scratch marks.  We were very pleased to end up on a road that led back into the village [to the bemused looks of some tourists who saw us emerge out of the thicket, muddied and bloodied - Ed.] where we rewarded ourselves with yet another ice-cream.  We had excellent weather all week and left the following Saturday.

As you know David is taking is month off to reflect on life and to wonder where he should head to next.  On reading the messages and e mails from Cresta, as soon as we returned from hols, he quite definitely decided to resign.  He resigned last Friday afternoon; closed his computer and switched off his mobile and we spent a work free week-end with Morin (a close friend of mine who I used to flat share with in London) and her husband Craig.  They had driven down from Newcastle in the North of England and introduced us to their new baby girl Toyoko [see photo].  We had a lovely week-end and my friend Hattie and her son Ata also came up on the Saturday to join us.  It was pretty rowdy with all the children but it was good to catch up.   It was the first time Morin, Hattie and myself had got together since I left for Australia.

In the meantime to all this, my MD and the Operations Manager had been to Canberra for a strategic think tank session at Head office.  They returned with some interesting news from the R&D Manager, Rory.  Then Rory wrote to David to say that he was thinking of relocating some of the R& D team over to the UK.  This is yet to receive Board approval but he has asked David's assistance to write up the business case.  David would be a very likely candidate for heading the team up over here.  So this is going on at the moment.  However the TOWER UK office has also identified a need for a Technical Architect - which they would also like to consider David for.  The only issue with this is that there is no guarantee of continued development work.  Although a technical role, it involves at the presales level attending meetings with business partners and systems integrators to advise on how TRIM can "fit" within a proposed solution.  it's very interesting especially since the public service over here is being driven into action my some of Blair's initiatives.  David is at TOWER today to discuss things further.  His dilemma will be: do I take the job on offer as Technical Architect or do I wait for heading up an offshoot of the R&D team.  I've advised him to be honest with Peter (the MD) and to say which job he wants best so if he were to take the TA role he could then move into the R&D role if it received Board approval.  So although he has resigned he does have some options so we'll keep you posted.

As you know Dylan's birthday is next Tuesday.  Thank you for the parcel which we received last week.  I'd planned to organise a tea party on Saturday when my grandparents and Gyn were up.  I don't think this will happen now as I appear to have picked up  some sort of virus/rash???  On Monday I woke up with some quite nasty lumps and bumps on my stomach and all down my arm.  They appeared like bite marks and were very itchy.  I ignored them for the first 24hrs thinking it was an allergic reaction to something and when they persisted on Tuesday I went to the doctor.  They're not too sure what they are...  slight possibility of chicken pox (although I have had chicken pox as a youngster); they've dismissed shingles.  So I'm awaiting a blood test result due tomorrow.  The doctor gave me a note to stay off work for a week!!!  I'm due to go to Sweden next week for a couple of days so I'll have to see!!!  I feel ok and I don't have a temperature.  If my result says I don't have anything contagious then I'll invite a few friends over on the week-end for Dylan - unfortunately it won't be very well planned as it'll be short notice for everyone!!   David and I have bought him a trampoline and my brother has bought him a tricycle.  We'll have a good time whatever happens!!!  And Yes, we'll be around on his birthday and on the week-end if you want to ring us.

What other news???  Just for you to be reassured despite all this uncertainty with David's job, I think he feels a lot happier having made the decision to resign from Cresta.  It has made a difference to all of us having him around and I think he realises he doesn't want to have a job that drains every last bit of energy out for him.  It has been so good for us all these last 4 weeks to be leading a more relaxed way of life.

My Mum and Dad are very well and ask after you all.  We're off to Dad's for his birthday on 25th august and will of course be toasting Bill at the same time.  Dad is still maintaining 2 houses and is loving his relatively new role in Swansea.  We've yet to see the finished house in West Wales.  from September Dad will be living down in Wales and we'll be able to use the house on week-ends and holidays.  My Brother is still working off shore so I don't see him very often but he does stay in touch by phone and a huge parcel arrived today for Dylan from him.

As for the video Judy, I'm still encouraging David to complete something - you know how long he takes [??? - Ed] - I think I might tell him to send it in its raw form rather than do the fancy editing.  I have some school photos of Dylan which I'll post on to you.

Hope all the family is well and in good spirits.  I think this is all for now.

Lots of love to you all.  Miss you all very much.

With love

Rhian.xxxxxxx.ooooooooooo.