How many Christmas cards did you get this year? I mean the genuine analogue kind: a festive card sealed in an envelope and delivered by the postman/person. Fewer than last year, I’d guess – and maybe a lot fewer than five or 10 years ago.
If you received one from Roy and Verne, custom-designed and postmarked Singapore, I must confess it had little to do with me. I would have joined the rest of the world and given up on this particular chore a long time ago. Roy, however, is not only CEO of household administration, but also a staunch traditionalist*.
* A jolly good thing when it comes to platinum wedding anniversaries and such. Roy has never forgotten our anniversary. When I did, once – around 15 years ago? – I was allowed to live, perhaps only so as to rue that dark day for the rest of my life.
Subtle, yes – but that’s the face of our first granddaughter, Mia Chloe Titchmarsh, on this year’s Christmas card from Verne and Roy. It’s the sixth in a series that started in 2011 when she was just 15 months old.
And if you looked at our card properly, you may have noticed the sweet little face of Mia Chloe Titchmarsh (nearly 7), our first grandchild, reflected off the bauble on the Christmas tree. Zoom in on the picture above.
The Christmas Fairy 2011 – Mia aged 15 months
This particular tradition all started in 2011, when Roy asked Mia’s talented mother, Carrie, to create a Christmas card photograph for us. Scroll down for the 2012, 2013 and 2015 editions. Year 2014 is featured on top of the page – my favourite, I think, though you’re not supposed to have favourites.
At the age of two, here’s Mia Chloe Titchmarsh in 2012, a new emigrée from the UK who’s already loving the beachMia Chloe Titchmarsh, our 2014 Christmas FairySuch clever work by Carrie! – Mia the Christmas Fairy 2015
What a magical collection for Mia to enjoy when she’s all grown-up!
Born and raised in Durban, South African Verne is a writer and editor. She and Roy met in Durban in 1992, got married four years later, and moved briefly to London in 2000 and then to Singapore a year later. After their 15 or 16 years on that amazing island, Roy retired in May 2016 from a long career in shipping.
That's when I started Travels with Verne and Roy (travelswithverneandroy.com). For several summers, we explored the waterways of France on our beautiful new Piper Boats barge, Karanja. The rest of the year was shared between Singapore, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other wonderful places.
After covid restrictions locked us down with family in Perth, Western Australia, we sold our Karanja. That was a bit of a wrench, but it did free us up for different adventures - road trips, ocean cruises and more all over the world.
Now based in the lovely new home that we built here in Burns Beach, WA, we continue to address the joint bucket list while also revisiting our favourite destinations. Do come along for the ride!
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