2025
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Dearest friends
Time passes. As Dylan Thomas puts it. Time passes. And much too fast. Yet we are still (thank God) enjoying life, celebrating and sharing and coping with whatever comes our way, and continually grateful.
We start with the most important celebration in the past twelvemonth: our thirtieth (pearl) wedding anniversary on 17th April. We spread festivities across several areas of our life. Selwyn was in the middle of stage managing at the time - so The Day was marked by a posh lunch in Norwich, followed by drinks with the cast of Design for Living after the performance. The previous weekend we welcomed an assortment of friends to Orchard Cottage; and we were delighted to be allowed to hijack a little of the Easter Sunday service to renew our wedding vows.
Our dear friends Dorothy and Milton travelled all the way from Bolton to be with us - as they have on most important occasions in our lives - and they also took us out for an excellent meal in our old local, The Parson Woodforde in Weston Longville, and surprised us with the attendance of Rachel & Martyn ("what are they doing here?!"). Full of fizz, flowers, food and fellowship, the start of our fourth decade together was well and truly launched. And God bless all who sail in her.
The theatrical world has continued to claim much of our attention. Once again, very little performance on our part - although Cassie has hopes that this may change at some point (more of that later). However, we've more than made up for that in directing, stage management, and audience. Selwyn had a remarkably silly year, as he moved from his first directing project (Bosie) back in December 2024 straight into being SM for the above-mentioned Design for Living; the moment that show had 'come down' we held the auditions for Cassie's production of Charley's Aunt, the quintessential Victorian farce, and of course, Selwyn was in joint charge backstage there as well.
Charley's Aunt deserves a special mention. The cast of ten were superlative; the combination of heavy Victorian costumes and an intense heatwave was, to say the least, challenging; and in particular our magnificent Lord Fancourt-Babberley, the wonderful Barnaby Matley, coped with charging around the stage at top speed while wearing his shirt and trousers underneath the aunt's (very heavy) long black dress, a shawl, a wig and a hat. We were beyond proud to achieve well over 90% capacity on ticket sales, and hugely enthusiastic reviews.
When we preferred to watch others do the work, we were rewarded by many fine shows. A large number of those were across the Norwich amateur community, with some stunning performances at the Sewell Barn - including two remarkable and imaginative Shakespeares (Richard II and Coriolanus), and a heartbreaking and timely reminder of Cromwell's treatment of the Irish in The Clearing. The Maddermarket also entertained us well, a favourite being the hilarious School for Scandal (the visual impact was that of an explosion in a Quality Street factory); and we must mention the remarkable production of Gypsy by Sound Ideas - performances of exceptional quality.
In the professional world (only one difference: they get paid), two stunning evenings at the Norwich Theatre Royal in the summer. Fiddler on the Roof has always been a great favourite, and was a deeply moving and beautifully presented production; and The Book of Mormon was blasphemous, extremely naughty, and eye-wipingly hysterical. We did think afterwards that Selwyn should have gone along wearing his clerical collar! Over at the Norwich Playhouse, we were delighted to watch the superb Roger McGough, who after a first-rate show patiently signed books and chatted to all and sundry afterwards; How to Win Against History was an unexpected glitter explosion about the Marquess of Anglesey (look him up); and our good friend Tom Carradine (from London theatre days) brought his excellent music hall show, Don't Dilly Dally, which included the evergreen (and very cheeky) Jan Hunt.
We made a much longer trip in the autumn: from Norfolk to Berkshire, to surprise our dear friend Melanie (Chimes Musical Theatre days) taking part in her first musical in far too long: Come from Away, the extraordinary sung-throughout musical about the 9/11 flights diverted to Newfoundland. A triumphant show and a lovely reunion with Mel, and with Zoe, who hosted us and collaborated on the plan.
We've managed a few visits to the cinema. The Penguin Lessons was gentle, observant and delightful; I Swear (about a young man dealing with life with Tourettes) was at the same time devastating and hilarious, and we couldn't recommend it more highly; and most recently, the film of a live performance of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along was simply sensational (and proved there's much more to Daniel Radcliffe than HP).
We continue to attend St Giles church in Norwich, and are very happy there. Needless to say, it didn't take too long for us to 'get involved', and as well as the predictable readings, intercessions and chalice, Cassie now creates the rotas for all these, and the weekly pewsheet. It's also a joy to be part of the small choir that sings every Sunday, as well as the expanded version that assembles for larger occasions: singing the beautiful Faure Requiem for Remembrancetide was very special. The co-ordination of the annual Christmas Carol Service seems to have fallen into the Tillett camp, too, and this was a lovely occasion just last Sunday. PS: On reflection, the small amount of performance we've done does seem to have been at the church! - having recreated (for the umpteenth time) our little poetry-and-prose evening, Violets in the Lane, for Mothering Sunday.
Having just a bit more free time these days means that we've caught up with family and friends a little more. Some of those we've already mentioned; we have shared a couple of visits to and from Cassie's cousin Kent, uncle Bob and cousin Fred, joyfully celebrated the wedding of dear friend Charlotte to Zied, had lunch with Lady Ann of Morton Hall (our churchwarden in Weston Longville days), and welcomed various local friends to our cottage whenever we can.
Most recently, we were thrilled to spend an early family Christmas just this week with sister Jenny, who came over from Spain with partner Carl; cousin Peta came up from London, and niece Sammy with her boyfriend Adam completed the party. Secret Santa did his stuff!
Speaking of the cottage: our new home has had another major bit of work. The old summerhouse and workshop (both in great condition but un-insulated and too cold for storage), together with the woodstore, were sold, and replaced with a beautiful bespoke (insulated!) studio: half seating area, half Cassie's new study. Chilly on first entrance at present (midwinter), but within ten minutes of putting on the heaters, toasty and cosy. Selwyn's study is now much less cluttered, and Cassie is very happy with the new space. This amazing transformation was performed by the lovely Nic, a local one-man band who built the whole thing from scratch, in exactly six weeks and bang on budget. Of course, this is courtesy of mum's legacy: we could never have afforded it otherwise.
During this last year, Selwyn has finally been able to complete his re-writing of Egypt Itself - the biography of Robert Hay (Egyptologist) that he began back in his Cambridge days. The final manuscript was completed some time ago, but was held up by the slow processes of the British Library, who provided (and charged for) the majority of the illustrations. It finally went to the publisher a few weeks back, so in the new year he'll be into final proof-reading and publication. We will announce with all due fanfare when it happens! (Now, of course, he needs to find more occupation. At present, it includes the cleaning and some cooking, as Cassie is still working...)
Cassie's clients still need her skills in decluttering / IT / administration / book-keeping, and she's very happy to maintain that, although not chasing any new work. Regular gym sessions and walks towards her 1,000 mile per year target continue. This was just as well, as September saw a wonderful but challenging adventure: four days' hiking in the mountains of Competa, southern Spain. A stay with sister Jenny for the day before and three days afterwards, but four days in the middle of some of the most beautiful and punishing terrain ever. Norfolk is not a good training ground for mountains!
On that note: we have also been fortunate enough to enjoy some lovely holidays. Several short breaks: New Year in Competa with the family (also for Cassie's birthday); Cambridge in April; a short visit to Dot & Milton in Bolton coupled with a few days in Derbyshire in July; and Lincoln in September for a few days out, finishing with a visit to Selwyn's ex-Peterhouse colleague Robert Ball.
The one longer holiday this year was a delicious visit to Lucca in Italy (April/May) - an enchanting little town, between Florence and Pisa. Mostly glorious weather, amazing food (of course), wonderful architecture, a great self-catering flat, and an all-round good time. [Photo album here]
And speaking of travel: our next Big Thing is the holiday we've wanted to take for the whole of our married life. Selwyn's love of all things Egyptian meant that in his much younger days he sometimes worked during his holidays as a lecturer on Nile cruises. We're finally taking one this Spring. More of that when it happens, but we are tremendously excited at the prospect.
As is increasingly the case with age, the RIP list lengthens each year. Nearly two dozen names appear on our list this year, and we give thanks for their lives and contributions to the world around them. We therefore remember with love: Elizabeth Gledhill, Cornelius Schram, Angela Fountain, Christine Williams, Betty Walker, David Riddel, Erica Adams, Jan Beavis, John Helliwell, Janet Houlston, Barry Kemp, Alan McCabe, Robert Morkot, Bernard Page, Graham Pollitt, Anne Stanyon, Rick Thompsett, Richard Woodham, Maureen Skingley, Lynne Branson, Peter Sowerbutts, Judy Mansfield, John Blofeld, Armando Menezes.
2026 sees the conclusion of ten years as Joint Artistic Director at the Sewell Barn for Cassie. Her final production in this role will be When We Are Married in July, and auditions are already looming. As mentioned, it may mean she gets the chance to act again, and will still be around the Barn, writing the newsletter and designing the programmes! But fellow AD Sabrina - that powerhouse of energy and creativity - will continue in her role, supported by Gavin Bromley, an experienced local man of the theatre. The feelings will be approximately 50/50 relief and sadness - as is always the case at the end of an era.
We never stop being hugely thankful for our lives, our friends, our families, our theatre, our worship and each other. We send our greatest love and gratitude to you all, and wish you as always a peaceful, fulfilling and joyful 2026.
With our love -
