Lucy Isabella Baker

We talked about the arrival of Lucy recently, but so far we haven't had any decent pictures to show you. As soon as these are organised, we'll post them on here.

More on the family reunion

Jane and Peter Ryan, with Peter's Mum, are coming to Dunedin on Sunday 1 April. Des Stokes and Daphne Hannagan will meet them at the airport to go straight to Cromwell where we will stay in Dave and Jacinta's house until Friday.
They'll all be back in Dunedin for Easter and as a result thought Easter Monday would be a good day for a family reunion. The intention is to hire the use of the Presbyterian Church hall (just along from their place in Gladstone Rd) where there's lots of play equipment and room for the children.
Please note that Mike and Celia Crowl now have three bedrooms free in their house, with two lots of single beds, and a double bed available. Anyone needing accommodation for this reunion, let us know.

Family Reunion

For those who've lost the email that referred to this, here's the info again:

HANNAGAN FAMILY REUNION

Date: Monday 9 April
Start Time: 11.30 am
Venue: East Taieri Presbyterian Church Hall

Please bring something for lunch - preferably finger food

There'll also be a meal the night before - venue unknown at the moment - for anyone interested.

R.S.V.P. Daphne - dhannagan@xtra.co.nz - soon - to advise of your presence at this reunion, and most especially

for the dinner the night before as I will have to book.

Anthony John De Courcy

Michael De Courcy wrote on the 12th February:
On Sunday at 3:07pm Anthony John De Courcy arrived! Wahoo! He is 8lbs, very healthy and (we think...) quite cute. We are absolutely thrilled. Desiree, baby and myself are getting well looked after at Birthcare for a couple more nights.

And sent some photos...

From John Ryan

And another John - John Ryan this time - emailed me and said:

Great Blog. I was curious when Mum told me about my photo on your blog. It's definitely me, and it looks like it was taken in barracks next to my bed. Either Hobsonville or Wigram. I don't remember the photo being taken, but I was in the RNZAF in 1976.

John, who spends a good deal of the year in Switzerland, working, adds:
It's a bit difficult being so remote from Lucy and Wendy, but we do get to see each other for 14 weeks each year, and those times are just wonderful. Our daughter Lucy is learning 3 musical instruments, one of them being the piano. She has already passed 2 piano exams, and will do grade 2 this year. I remember you playing the piano at Stanley St when I was very young. The other 2 instruments Lucy plays are violin and flute. She'll also be doing exams for those this year.

Babies to the left of me, Babies to the right of me...

Lucy Baker has no sooner arrived on the scene than she's ousted from first position by another newcomer...

John DeCourcy emailed me today to say:
Anthony John DeCourcy was born yesterday 11 Feb2007 to my brother Michael DeCourcy and his wife Desiree. Weighed in at 8 pounds, and according to his father is "perfectly formed"! First male DeCourcy for a long time, with a name that goes right back intothe family tree.

No photo available as yet.

From the Cricketers' Arms Hotel...

We found a complimentary card this week amongst Mum's papers. At the top it has:
With the compliments of Cricketers' Arms Hotel (Des O'Flaherty, Prop).
And it goes on to tell this little story:
A Hotelier who commenced business twenty years ago with a capital of £50, recently retired with a comfortable fortune of £50, 000. He states that his good fortune is due to industry, economy, conscientious effort to give full value, indomitable perseverance and the death of an uncle who left him £49,950.
We lack the rich uncle.

Lucy Baker

The main news of the day is that Lucy Baker arrived in the world at around 1 am this morning. She was born in Christchurch, to Libby Crowl and Nathan Baker. She's their second child; Israel was born in Sept 2004.

Libby had the easiest birth in the world with Israel: it was all over in a matter of a few hours. Lucy decided to show Libby what a real birth is like, so the labour pains started back on Thursday, and came and went until late last night, leaving Libby exhausted. Libby had already had a false alarm (though it was very much like before Israel was born) back in January...!

Lucy was 7lb 8oz, and has black, curly hair - according to Libby - and looks very like her brother. Let's hope she gets his smile as well: it's radiant.

Hoarding....

Mum was a great hoarder of 'bits' - cuttings from newspapers, or things she'd been given by the grandchildren, or things that had special value at some point. She also liked keeping note of silly jokes, and so I'll be adding some of these to the blog over the next few days/weeks.

Here's something for starters:

After Glasgow football team Celtic lost 3-1 to unfancied Inverness Caledonian in the Scottish Cup, the Sun headline declared: 'Super Callie Go Ballistic - Celtic are Atrocious.'

And here is a photo we came across amongst the bits and pieces: if I'm not mistaken, it's a very young John Ryan.