Kearton-Roff Christmas

We've just come back from a soup at our favourite Vietnamese soup palace and everyone else is watching a movie while I write this on Christmas eve. Missing in action are Adam and Amanda who are spending a week with Cathie in Newcastle. We'll all meet again tomorrow for Christmas lunch with special guests including Julia's mother, Norma, and Julia's sister, Venita, and her three boys. We have a new deck and the pool is good enough to swim in without getting communicable diseases. Should be ace.

Highlights of the year include Damian's birthday where all the brothers were assembled again as a sign of respect for our youngest member. It was a terrific weekend. We drove up from Newcastle with Stuart and Marianne and drove back with Ash and Cathie - quality time which included an old-fashioned, creek-side picnic on the return journey.

Jules and I broke new ground personally in 2013 by actually going to a financial planner. As it turns out, I'm richer beyond my wildest dreams as long as I die in about 2016. The planner actually told me when I was going to meet my maker: I have 21 years left and Julia has 26 which confirms what I've always thought - she only married me for my money.

IF we move to the bush and buy a house worth less than $450,000, we might make it until the time runs out. Sounds like a plan.

We'll be in Box Hill for another three years before any of this happens and as long as Bauer Media doesn't find out what I'm really like, I should be employed until then. Julia seems content to continue with her instructional design job and will be put on full-time again in February of 2014. Clearly she's valued in the position.

You'll read about Annika below - all going well there. Nick is quitting his highly paid job with the ANZ bank next year to go back to uni (again) but this time to do an arts degree. We all went to his band's gig last night (Cool Sounds) and he and Dom are sharing an inner-city house which is in the middle of the middle of the best part of Melbourne. If you're visiting, stay there rather than here, but you might have to sleep upright.

Dom will finish his communications degree half-way through 2014 but probably won't work in his major, public relations. My guess is communications will be in his future, though.

Amanda is killing her PhD, playing lots of music with the Ukes and Harmony, and still has Dan Kelly on the side. I'd like to disapprove but I caught up with him recently at a Harmony gig and I can't help but like him. Emotional maturity can't be that far away...

Adam continues to brain them in the NSW government in the environment area and now has a team reporting to him - maybe eight or so. In the end we'll probably all be relying on his income.

Good luck, everyone, in 2014. It's a special treat to be in a family like this and it's terrific to be able to stay in touch through new media. I know all the younger ones are in constant contact through facebook and the like but don't forget the Roff Report.

Lots of love from Grant and the Keartons in Melbourne.

Kate and Joe's world

We believe this video nicely sums up what we've been working on this year...
Merry Christmas everyone!

Love, Kate Joe and Samuel

Merry Christmas

In the spirit of Christmas, and by king's decree, here's a brief update from me.



I'm currently enjoying a vacation from the Philippines, back home in Melbourne for Christmas. The thing I notice and like the most about being back in Australia is the absence of roosters. My town in the Philippines is a lot like Zac's town in Norway, except it doesn't snow, it's never quiet, and, I wager, there are significantly more roosters.

It's been a big year establishing myself in the Philippines, completing my first volunteer assignment with the Youth Ambassadors program, and signing a second volunteer contract with the Red Cross. Over the past 12 or so months I have done some work promoting climate change adaptation and environmental protection; made good friends with my local colleagues and a motley crew of Australian and American volunteers; grown accustomed to being called "ma'amsir" by Filipinos (who struggle with gendered titles and pronouns); consumed a lot of MSG and fresh coconut juice; enjoyed countless weekend vacations in tropical island paradise; survived a super typhoon; and mastered the arts of text messaging and karaoke. While there are lots of challenges living and working in this part of the world, on the whole, life is good, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to get to know this country and its people.

Julia and Amanda both paid visits this year, and in 2014 I am looking forward to showing Grant, Nick and Adam around. Join them if you can! In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys a very merry Christmas, and a healthy and happy 2014.

Love Annika xx

Christmas with the Stuart Roffs

Individually the Stuart Roffs aren't that interesting so we are blogging as a collective.

We are all at the Manor for Christmas this year and for the first time in a long time we have a Christmas tree. The Jerry Garcia Christmas bauble will make a special appearance on the day. RIP Jerry. 

The fridge is getting a work out since we're all back, hence the note left by Marianne, which reads, "Don't stand there with the fridge door open!" 

Just under five months ago, our family grew by one. Josh is such a delight and seriously cute. We've included a video of Josh in his Jolly Jumper. You've never seen a happier kid. We are all amazed that Harry has turned out be such a good father. Really surprised. Although he did learn a very valuable lesson today: drinking beers for 12 hours and staying up late with Daniel is a bad idea with a five month old. He's not looking too good. Fortunately Vicky is more responsible. Together, they are natural parents and they've produced the most beautiful little person. 

Vicki and Josh will be heading to NZ for two months at the end of January. This will give Vicki an opportunity to spend time with her brother and sister in-law, Issac and Angela, who are expecting their first baby very soon. Barry and Alice will also be in NZ with the kids. Haz will visit for two weeks but will otherwise take the opportunity to do some renovations to their house in Brisbane. 

Marianne and Stuart have had a great year. They are thrilled to be grandparents and you have to beg Marianne to hand over Josh for a cuddle. They are thriving at the Manor and the grounds are looking spectacular. Their much loved rescue chickens had to be adopted out because they were digging up the neighbour's gardens. Apparently five acres wasn't enough for them. The neighbour offered to build a run but Marianne and Stuart couldn't bring themselves to contain their little free-spirited chickens. Coming home to the Manor is not the same as it used to be without Chloe Roff to greet you. Chloe is irreplaceable and very much missed. RIP little Chloe.  

 

In the middle of the year, Marianne and Stuart embarked on a three month odyssey through Europe. Bravely, they hired a car to travel around. Surprisingly, they are still married. When not in the car, they had an amazing time. Highlights included Bled Castle in Slovenia and 2-euro wine. They are planning their next three month trip to the US in late 2014. 

Daniel resigned from his job as a solicitor this year to sit his bar exams, which he surprisingly passed, so he will be a fully fledged Barrister as of May. It is disturbing, though, to know he models himself on Cleaver Greene. Aside from that, after a brief period of panic, he managed to get Tinder back on his phone and is now taking the dating world by storm. Although jobless and penniless, he is taking a different girl out each night. Sometimes the girl will even see him twice. Stuart is super proud and thrilled that his advice "Don't you ever let a chance go by" has been embraced so enthusiastically. 

With Marianne and Stuart away for three months this year, Alaine took the opportunity to have some time out from Sydney and look after Chloe and the Manor. She attempted to resign from her job to do this but her employers insisted she work and that she work from home if necessary. She was paid to sleep in and work in her pyjamas. Heaven. In their parent's absence, Alaine, Daniel and Milly hosted a Great Gatsby themed party at the Manor. Forty or so of their friends donned flappa dresses, feathers, suits and even a yellow car to make the night a huge success. No complaints from the neighbours! Wait, what neighbours? Alaine has now officially resigned from the job that let her work from home, which was her fourth resignation from that same job in six years, and will be starting with a new company in January. Although it is a great opportunity to advance her career, she will miss having a car and an office cat. 

Milly was accepted into Newcastle University at the start of the year to do a Bachelor of Arts. She's managed to fit in full time uni, part time work and a hectic social life this past year. Her results have been excellent and she has loved being back at Uni. Although life is good in Newcastle, Mil will potentially move to Melbourne early next year. The idea is that she would take over Annika's room while Annika is still in the Philippines. If you haven't been to this share house, you should visit. There are endless tea cups, tea pots, cushions, blankets and X-files DVDs. There is also a sweet veggie garden out the back. Not sure what Mil will do for work down there but she's had it, well, up to her teeth with teeth.

Half way through typing this, Jake, Kel, Lauchie and Maisie stopped in for a visit. Much fun!

Life is good. We wish you all a very merry Christmas, wherever and with whomever you may be celebrating.  

Zac's Town

By Royal Decree of Jake, King of Cousins (which I have just noticed is a title that we should DEFINATELY start to refer to purely by acronym), I have agreed to write something up on the Blog. Normally I just do this when something fun or cool happens, but I thought that this would be a good chance to show you a little about my life here in Kongsberg!!

So this is my life! I work alot, which is all of about 3mins walk from my apartment. My apartment is a one bedroom loft above a family. There is a ski slope that is about a 10min walk from my house, and we try to get up there for a ski about twice a week. The snow has just arrived and the town is looking pretty. We have a river, which is super fun in summer, and not AS useful in winter!!

I quite like it, but its often quiet and a bit boring - shops arent open on Sunday and there is very little music. Luckily, Oslo is only an hour on the train, and that makes things a bit more bareable. Christmas soon - Im ducking over to Canada to spend it with a friend's family, so that should be nice. Hope everyone is having a great time in the lead up to Xmas and that everyone gets some nice family time!! Zac

The Lismore Roff Front Row

Merry Christmas Roffs. I am putting the challenge out there (as King of the Cousins) for every family / uncle / extradite cousin to post something of their lives on the Roff Report before Christmas because a) We are a very interesting family and that needs to be shared and b) We don't get to have our reunion this year.

The last piece of interesting Roff business that I saw in Social Media Land was a photo of Grant as the inspiration for a competition winning photography on Facebook. The older generation need to see this on the Roff Report. The younger generation need to stop calling themselves Rolf - and I'm pretty sure that Amelia was not christened Milky.