We got lots of rain in 2012 ... The local resident's summer barbecue, June's "Birthday Treat" at Longleat, then at the start of the London Olympics on Super-Saturday. Scott got tickets for us to watch the rowing on Dorney Lake and we watched those gold medals being won! It started wet, but we soon dried out as the sun came out !

We got lots of sun on our holiday in Sicily in April. Here we are at a favourite spot of quiet beach near Naxos. It was good to spend time with Enrico, Matilda and their family and friends. Later in the year their youngest son Ferruccio came to stay with us as Robin's "slave labour" - although he did get a few days out!

June's special birthday present, from daughters Samantha, Saskia and Michelle, was a few days at Longleat CenterParcs. There were lots of dangerous activities, including messing about in boats and tree-climbing ! We also played bowls, ping-pong and outdoor tennis. Samantha and June now do tennis on Saturdays.

It was also sunny when we visited the Olympic Park and June stole Robin's ice cream. We attended the Axon Party in Holland and Robin was forced to spend a day, surrounded by women, visiting Floriana. June's dad Jack, now 93, had a walk round Wisley RHS Garden with us, enjoying another rare day of sun.

June got to ride in neighbour Stuart's classic MG through Windsor Park. The squirrel continued to scrump our apples, and sit high up on the bat-box to eat them. Robin was pleased to see he didn't need to leave a ladder for the squirrel to get at the nuts, June had put in the bird-feeders. Even the Sunninghill Victorian Fair was sunny too!

We went to see Rome, for this year's main 10 day holiday, in October, and we started with Sorrento. No hire-car: just public trains and buses - much more interesting ! :-) It had been ten years since we'd stayed in Sorrento - and the "Limoncello Forest" was a lovely as ever. For Rome it was even longer ago - 1999!

Robin and June went down to Barton-on-Sea on 27th November to launch their robot boat - and Robin got very wet ! This hobby project, for Snoopy to sail a toy boat across the Atlantic has been an obsession of Robin since 2008. Snoopy bumped into the rocks, at the door of an old military bunker near the Neeedles - but he will sail again next year !

Robin told the tax-man that he had officially retired this year, so he can spend more time on his hobby projects. June says that Robin retired over ten years ago - and that may be true. June and Samantha still enjoy their day-jobs, so at least some people are bringing in a regular wage. Saskia and Scott are still near us in Bracknell and Michelle is still in Coventry, with income from being a landlady and teaching at the nearby college. She's already a qualified plumber and electrician, so she can upgrade her house. She's now learning sign-language, while her lessons at the college are free ! :-) If you are reading this on the Net, you may want to watch the video of us dancing, dressed as elves on gpss.co.uk :-)