EC-Rider Travels

Oh my goodness, how kind are Tim and Sarah (Todhunter) Dehn to include us in their Christmas. We have had such a lovely time in their gorgeous little house in Surrey Hills with their daughter Caroline (wonderful and hilarious!) and Molly their rather senior Labrador. They have been so unbelievably generous to us and we could not be more grateful.

Much of Christmas Eve was spent chatting, wrapping and catching up, though I cheekily ran away mid-morning to have lunch with a great friend of Tim’s, Gibbsy (Tony Gibbs) who I had not seen for 24 years! It was as if it was yesterday and we had just the best time at the Heide Gallery looking at some interesting art including an amazing Barbara Hepworth exhibition. Just so lovely to see him. In in the evening, the parents of Caroline’s relatively new and utterly charming boyfriend Aaron, came for a BBQ supper. Once again incredibly informal, with no one changing or making a song of dance of anything. What a joy!

Christmas Day started with stockings – including for Gran and me – can you believe, how did he know we were here? SO kind and somewhat unusual to be opening them in the garden. We then went to a lovely service in St John’s, Camberwell who had the most exquisite choir who, despite only being five, almost took the roof off – stunning… but Australia is clearly suffering from falling numbers too.

We returned to make some salads for lunch and then drove about twenty minutes to Sarah’s brother Pete (and Diana) Todhunter. Where there was also Pete and Sarah’s father, Tim and two of their very nice boys, Ben and Sam. All very jolly and delicious barbecued lamb and salad and, thank goodness, a seriously good Christmas pudding made by Pete. In the evening we had some lovely calls with the folks back home.

Boxing Day was very hot and a bit of a day of rest, all feeling very overfed. Mum and Caroline spent almost the whole day sitting on the sofa together reading aloud a book about our ancestor Charles Franklin Todhunter, Mum’s Great Grandfather. There was a lot of hilarity. I did some rather boring admin, filling in forms for my Indian Visa 😖. But i think we might have done it?