Category — Family

Oh well, Erica and I failed to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary! Not, of course, that we forgot our anniversary - although we have done so in previous years - we were just too tired to drag ourselves out to one of the local hostelries for dinner.

Barney and Erica - a happy couple

But here we are 38 years ago. Aren’t we sweet? Haven’t changed a bit!

And here’s the wedding ceremony in the mediaeval Pilgrims’ Hall, behind the cathedral in Winchester (UK) on 18th July 1970. The late David Hofman, at that time a member of the Universal House of Justice, was the MC. I think at this point he was speaking about the significance of marriage for Bahá’ís and the nature of the Bahá’í ceremony.

Barney and Erica's wedding ceremony. David Hofman is standing. Jyoti Munsiff and Marion Hofman at right

Those were our days of innocence. Now we have three children and four grandchildren’s-worth of learning and we do look ever so slightly older.

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Barney Leith, Erica Leith, wedding, marriage, Winchester, David Hofman, Marion Hofman, Jyoti Munsiff

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I have to draw your attention to the new LittleGuru site. Well, truth be told, I don’t have to, but I want to.

LittleGuru is actually my daughter-in-law, Vicky, who is an enterprising and lovely person. If you go and have a look you will see the wide range of writing, artistic, health and spiritual activities she’s involved in - more than just involved in, she initiates many of these things, often in partnership with others.

Technorati Tags: LittleGuru, spirituality, health

There’s not a lot one can do to resist such a look from a granddaughter!

Tom, Vicky and Maya came to visit yesterday - and, coincidentally, we had the first summer day for what seems like months. We were actually able to sit outside in the sun and eat.

I’m off to Italy tomorrow for a conference at the Baha’i Studies Centre at Acuto. I’m a tad concerned about weathering a jump in temperature from our current 20

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Thanks to the wonders of the Internet and a webcam I can watch my astronomer daughter, Angharad (aka Hari) at work at the James Clark Maxwell Telescope, 13,000 feet up Mauna Kea, in Hawaii.

James Clark Maxwell Telescope

According to the telescope’s website:

With a diameter of 15m the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is the largest astronomical telescope in the world designed specifically to operate in the submillimeter wavelength region of the spectrum. The JCMT is used to study our Solar System, interstellar dust and gas, and distant galaxies. It is situated close to the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, at an altitude of 4092m.

Angharad’s there for a week’s observation as part of her PhD research into the formation of high mass stars.

This webcam sequence was taken at around 4.30 a.m. in Hawaii (which was around 3.30 p.m. in the UK). As you can see, Hari is suffering from sleep deprivation (astronomers on observation are necessarily night workers) and lack of oxygen - well, you would lack oxygen at 13,000 feet. According to her posts on Facebook, she felt really stupid and sluggish at first. And the work can be pretty boring through the long hours of the night.

Being an astrophysicist is not all Brian May and glamour!

Technorati Tags: Baha’i, astrophysics, astronomy, Hawaii, Mauna Kea, James Clark Maxwell, Brian May

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Maya Leith

She’s cute and she spent the day with Erica and me yesterday. Our youngest grandchild brought her parents, Tom and Vicky, with her as well.

This baby business is really tiring!

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Emma the dog in a Winchester garden

Yesterday morning our 14 year old Border Collie Emma, who had been diagnosed with cancer in the urinary tract some nine months ago, was clearly in great discomfort and sinking fast. Erica phoned the vet and was advised to take her to the Woolmer Green surgery straight away. Erica, Hari and Jake walked her over the hill to Woolmer Green. Inevitably she perked up when she was out walking.

The vet examined her and laid out two options: surgery (which would prolong her life only by a couple of months) and a urine bag on her flank. Well, Erica and Hari thought the surgery would be painful and would not actually keep her going for much longer (in addition to being expensive); and, what’s more, Emma would be quite likely to worry at a bag - the vet confirmed that dogs generally don

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Maya Leith

This young lady is four weeks old today. I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. Call me a doting grandpa … yes, go on, please please call me a doting grandpa … but I just had to post a couple of pics that I’ve just received from Vicky (Maya’s mum and one of my two lovely daughters-in-law).

Maya asleep on Vicky’s shoulder

Technorati Tags: Leith, baby, grandchildren

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Erica celebrated her birthday on 15 February with this cake!

Erica’s birthday cake, beautifully made by our daughter. Allegedly the figures are members of the family.

Erica and I drove to Coventry on Friday evening to attend the UK Training Institute Tutors’ Conference. Of course (of course?) we went via Northampton so that I could meet our new granddaughter, Maya, for the first time.

Erica, lucky thing, had said hello to Maya a few days before. So I got to hold Maya, who fell asleep in my arms (after a bit of wriggling and complaining) and slept for a good hour.

Health warning: I’m about to bore the pants of non-grandparents.

Sorry, I can’t help myself, but I have to say that she is really lovely - she doesn’t look a bit like Winston Churchill. However, she is giving her parents a hard time. She’s demanding to be fed about once every hour and Vicky and Tom are exhausted.

I assured them that it will get better. Until, that is, Maya enters her teens…

Technorati Tags: family, Leith, grandchildren

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A bit late, but I really love these pictures of Erica’s and my No. 1 and No. 2 grandchildren, Ethan (6 years old) and Emily (4 years old) in the recent snow. Charlie, Ethan and Emily’s mum, took the pics.

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A kindly suggestion from grandpa and, behold, Maya Olivia Leith is the name.

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