Well, I've been threatening this for a while....
Can it really be only a year since I was last putting pen to paper (or should that be finger to keypad!) and updating you all with things
chez Smittyonline? Where does the time go??
Once again it's been a busy year. My career continues to go from strength to strength and I'm often to be found stalking the corridors of power going from one high powered meeting to the next. Busy, busy, busy, but also a honour to serve.
My wife, Jemima, had another busy year in the world of celebrity charity fundraising dinners which she helps to organise. She does so much for lots of needy causes (she doesn't like to talk about it!) and can often be seen in the background of those photos of celebrities on the society pages in such publications as
Tatler,
The Lady, and
Horse and Hound.
Two particular events stand out. First was the dinner held to raise funds to help the plight of vegetarian crocodiles in Africa. This is a scandalously overlooked animal welfare issue and few of us there will forget the moving speech - complete with PowerPoint presentation! - given by H from Steps.
The second was the symposium about the fate of celebrities after appearing on I'm a Come Dancing Big Brother Get me Outta Here and the issues they face prior to be being released back into society. It was an eclectic meeting chaired by Germaine Greer (though she had to leave before the end) and there were incisive contributions from Vanessa, Jade, Preston, and some bloke who used be a first class cricketer.
How she fits it all in and has managed to raise the four children I'll never know - but we'd both like to thank the maid (Irena), the two nannies (Martina and Winifred), the fine minor public schools of the Home Counties, and the wonderful Polish man who comes in to deal with those tricky DIY problems.
Our eldest son, Cuthbert, has successfully started a career in the city. This year his bonus was very generous (so glad we scrimped to pay those school fees!) and he can often be found visiting his money in Liechtenstein or the Cayman Islands. I'm delighted to say that money hasn't changed him - he's still self assured, confident, cocky little s-o-b we all know and love. Only joking Cuthbert!
We are never entirely sure what our youngest son, Gerald, is up to - but he always has several projects on the go and is never short of money. This year he was doing some work in the hospitality industry and knew a lot of delightful young girls who were aspiring models. Later on he was working in the pharmaceutical industry and he was often so busy that the job required 3 mobile phones!
As in previous years we have little to say about eldest daughter, Esmeralda. We just hope that the new experimental treatment being offered by her Austrian doctor at the private Swiss sanatorium proves to be more successful than previous therapies.
Our youngest daughter, Boadicea (not pictured), continues to be full of beans. In the past year she has completed BAGA level 3, begun to speak Urdu, taken up the harp and was selected for the South West London under 7 water polo and synchronised diving team - fingers crossed for 2012! She continues to do well at school, is advanced for her age and is one of the best read 4 year olds in her tumble tots group.
With the ever changing tax situation we found ourselves overseas for much of the year (come on Gordon, play fair!) though we did manage to fit in a visit to a wonderfully retro guesthouse for a bracing week in Skegness in November. Again as a family we tried to act philanthropically throughout the year and when one Westminster based organisation asked I was only happy to offer financial support (at commercial rates I might add!) to assist them through a minor financial blip. Regretfully my actions have been misconstrued by certain media organisations and once again it appears that my elevation to the peerage has been delayed by a minor administrative misunderstanding.This, combined with other continuing minor legal matters, mean that it's unlikely I will be returning to the UK for a few months - I know Jemima and children would value your support during these difficult days whilst I am in south America.
So another year closes! Sorry we've not been able to be in touch with you during the year - you know how things can get! We hope that this little update on our lives is appreciated - you can see how busy we've been! So we wish you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year - (though not as prosperous as us - only joking!) and hope that amongst all the celebration you have an opportunity to reflect and think about what's important in your life.
Smittyonline, Jemima, Cuthbert, Gerald and Boadicea.
So farewell then to The OC.
I sometimes wonder how different things would have been had I not ended up in London. I'm not thinking about 'what if'; I just find it intriguing that at certain points life could have gone in a different direction - not better or worse, just different.
