Michael Chapman's
lady,
Andru,
sylph like as she is, discarded her stilletto
heels and pulled on a pair of walking boots to trek over the Atlas Mountains in aid of charity. Carrie
was impressed and suggested that the
Foundation for the
Study of Infant Deaths,
the charity she works for, take up the idea. They did — and it was the
biggest single fundraiser they had ever had. They have now organized two treks through the Jordan
desert and one to the Great Wall of China, the Kenyan Bush, Patagonia. Carrie has been on them all
and, later this year, she will be walking in Vietnam. For each of these
trips she has to raise over £2,000 pounds sponsorship. The first time round she tapped friends, relations
and local businesses, but you can’t keep going back to the same people. So, with Lyn, our
neighbour, she started making jams, preserves, pickles, chutneys and relishes to sell at local markets.
Their wares have become so popular that they can hardly keep up. I get to try the leftovers and the failures.
The house is full of boxes and jars, but there are some gorgeous aromas. Now that Lyn has pulled out Carrie has turned
it into a business; Carnon Valley Conserves.
The other aspect of this is that she has to
keep fit so when she is not working or cooking she’s out walking. She’s joined the ramblers and goes out
walking most week ends — even as far as Dartmoor.
She has now given up the 'jam making' and taken on a 'proper job' with regular hours and regular money.
TABITHA
As a family we spent the Christmas of 1997 backpacking around South Africa. We all enjoyed the experience very
much. Tabitha fell in love with the lifestyle and when we came back, with a single mindedness to be admired,
she devoted all her time accumulating the money and planning to return. (She got a job as a life guard at Ships
& Castles
swimming pool) We haven't seen her since Christmas 1999, but she does keep in touch. She
went out with a friend who stayed for a few weeks then returned to go to University. Tabitha then got a job in
Durban, working at a backpacking lodge. She was joined, for a while, by another friend, and then moved to another
lodge, the Green Elephant Backpackers, in Cape Town and
appears to be having the time of her life. She's been to Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Botswana. She's been
canoeing, shark watching, Kloofing, (jumping from a great height, off rocks, into the sea) and big game watching.
She takes people on trips and ferries them to and from the airport. She earns just about enough money to get by
but what a life!.
Tabitha has now been home from South Africa for just over a year now. Her plane landed at Heathrow,
6:40am, on Christmas Day. No public transport! So, we had to go and pick her up. We ended up having
Christmas dinner in the car-park off a motorway service station. Sandwiches, that his. The service station was
closed. She did a job working at a youth hostel in her Robin Hood's Bay. She then went over to Amsterdam
working behind a bar. She enrolled at London University studying sociology, anthropology and cultural stud
ies, thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the social life, and got a 'first.. She was advised to sit for a MA
But.........
She earned a bit of money as a part time cycle courier and did a course with Cycle Training UK And now she teaches
cycling proficiency and bike maintenance. She cycled from London the Edinburgh to protest at the G8 Summit, cycled to
Northern Ireland to protest at a Shell development, and she got arrested for protesting at the Arms Fair. She
is now talking of cycling, overland, to New Zealand.
She and her friend Claire have cycled as far as Moscow via the G8 in Rostock, and they'er about to take the
Trans-Siberian railway to Beijing. Quite an incredible feat. They've had lots of adventures and
stories to tell, and taken some wonderful photographs. All can be seen on their Web site
Tour de World
HANNAH
Now Hannah Josie is a different kettle of fish altogether. Where as Tabitha was bold and adventurous,
(she would wander off if you didn’t keep an eye on her) Hannah was shy and needed a hand to hold. But
she has changed, - not a lot but she has opened up considerably. She’s well traveled - came to South Africa
with us twice. With the school she has been to Italy and France a couple of times, and Alton Towers. Mustn't
forget Alton Towers. She’s been to all the folk festivals with us and has been up to Scarborough, on her own,
to stay with one of her primary school friends. At school Hannah is inclined towards social studies and, dare I say,
religion. They both are, come to that - Tabitha did sociology and Hannah seems to be heading in the same direction.
For work experience she worked at 'Zebedees', cafe for youngsters, and the Red Cross, working in schools. Mind you,
Tabitha seemed to get by
without trying that much but Hannah works hard to make any headway - and she does - without complaining.
At home she is quite domesticated. She enjoys cooking but she spends far too much time in front of the TV. She
very much misses her big sister.
Hannah Josie has left Penair School and is now at Truro College. She is learning drive! so LOOKOUT!
I must confess that Hannah has turned into a good and safe driver. She can even change a wheel if she has to.
She took time out to tavel round Australia and then spent some time working in TK Max before going off to Bath
University but established that it was the wrong course for what she intends to do. So she took the year off,
working in Wetherspoons and is shortly off to Portsmouth University.
Michael Chapman's
lady,
Andru,
sylph like as she is, discarded her stilletto
heels and pulled on a pair of walking boots to trek over the Atlas Mountains in aid of charity. Carrie
was impressed and suggested that the
Foundation for the
Study of Infant Deaths,
the charity she works for, take up the idea. They did — and it was the
biggest single fundraiser they had ever had. They have now organized two treks through the Jordan
desert and one to the Great Wall of China, the Kenyan Bush, Patagonia. Carrie has been on them all
and, later this year, she will be walking in Vietnam. For each of these
trips she has to raise over £2,000 pounds sponsorship. The first time round she tapped friends, relations
and local businesses, but you can’t keep going back to the same people. So, with Lyn, our
neighbour, she started making jams, preserves, pickles, chutneys and relishes to sell at local markets.
Their wares have become so popular that they can hardly keep up. I get to try the leftovers and the failures.
The house is full of boxes and jars, but there are some gorgeous aromas. Now that Lyn has pulled out Carrie has turned
it into a business; Carnon Valley Conserves.
As a family we spent the Christmas of 1997 backpacking around South Africa. We all enjoyed the experience very
much. Tabitha fell in love with the lifestyle and when we came back, with a single mindedness to be admired,
she devoted all her time accumulating the money and planning to return. (She got a job as a life guard at Ships
& Castles
swimming pool) We haven't seen her since Christmas 1999, but she does keep in touch. She
went out with a friend who stayed for a few weeks then returned to go to University. Tabitha then got a job in
Durban, working at a backpacking lodge. She was joined, for a while, by another friend, and then moved to another
lodge, the Green Elephant Backpackers, in Cape Town and
appears to be having the time of her life. She's been to Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Botswana. She's been
canoeing, shark watching, Kloofing, (jumping from a great height, off rocks, into the sea) and big game watching.
She takes people on trips and ferries them to and from the airport. She earns just about enough money to get by
but what a life!.