An updated listing of family and friends

This will be only of interest to a few family but I like to record it for posterity. It has been wonderful to “catch up” with so many friends and family.

My sister Anne Spencer was a matriarch.

She had four children. Robert (who manages the farms) is married to Lil (who was a grammar school A level science teacher). Their children are Tom (currently working for a farm bank and enrolled in a Masters degree program at the same time) and Ruth who works at a Coffee shop belonging to a charity in Manchester. She also works with nursing home residents.

Phillip (who is a TV personality and owns the production company which produces “Location, Location, Location”). He is married to Fi (originally Australian- who manages the family businesses). Their children are Jake who just about to start his degree at Bristol University in “International and social public policy.” He has spent a gap year crewing on large sailing boats around the world. Ben, is an accomplished rider and is still at school at Cranliegh. He is not sure what he plans to do after school.

Caryn is married to James. Caryn is a business manager (she once worked for Marks and Spencer) and James works for the National Football Association managing the relationships and grants to small football clubs throughout the UK.  They have four children. Sam - in his third year at Oxford Brooks University studying Business and Geography. Martha is just about to start a degree in Sociology at Durham University. Rosie is at St Swithens School with one more year to go. She has just had her 18th birthday. Silas is at Bradfield school with a couple of years to go.

Helen has just married Simi at a wonderful ceremony in a Registry office in Canterbury followed by a modified (because of the sudden passing of Helen’s parents) party at Garrington farm. Helen is very successful vet having sold two practices she owned and now does volunteer work for WVS, World Veterinary Services. Simi is a systems manager and has just started a new job, mostly working from home in London, working for a company that has databases that track the maintainance and repair of buildings. She is Lithuanian and speaks Russian as well as Lithuanian. She has twice volunteered to do reconstruction work in Ukraine.

At the after party I was very pleased to meet up with relatives and friends. My cousin Jo Coney who is the same age as me was one of the first women to be ordained priest in England.(She was wearing her dog collar). She annually travelled in her travel trailer to accompany my sister to horse shows - like Badminton. Cousin Margaret was there at the wedding and the Saturday service. She is Jo’s younger sister. Margaret’s husband was a pig breeder and exported pigs internationally. Margaret has been in a wheelchair for years because of severe arthritis but was very determined to make two trips driven by her children from Norfolk to the two events.

Wendy Roberts (nee Mount) came to the Friday service. She and my sister have been friends since early childhood. Anne was born at Denstead a farm owned by Wendy’s parents outside Canterbury in 1941 during WWII. Wendy’s family had evacuated to Edinburgh where she was born. Her mother had two brothers who were Spitfire pilots and were killed in the Battle of Britain. 

Rosalind Van Berkel, who was married to my late cousin Peter still lives in their house in London with her son Tom. Rosalind used to be part of the St Pancras station luncheon group. She was also a Justice of the Peace. She plays bridge and still works in a doctors surgery. 

Mary Oury came to the Friday service. She is my aunt Buster’s daughter. She trained as a nurse and married Richard - a very successful lawyer/accountant. Mary was grieving the loss of one of her daughters about a month before from Pancreatic Cancer. She came with another daughter who has herself four daughters. However after the service Mary was happily very chatty as she always is. 

Tishy (nee Green) was one of my sisters best friends. She and Tishy would frequently attend hunts together. Tishy came with a son of hers to the Saturday service. 

Malle - used to be a professional rider. She coached my sister and some of the children and grandchildren. I often met Malle at annual visits to Garrington.

Catherine (nee Gaskin) was a childhood friend of Anne’s and mine. Tishy, Anne, Catherine and I would often go for coffee at my annual visit. 

Amanda Barker (nee Ash) is a contemporary of Roberts and owns a neighbouring farm which Robert is involved in managing. Three of Amanda’s boys were choristers at Canterbury Cathedral. Amanda’s mother is Christine Ash - a few years younger than me. She has always been close to the Spencer family.