Jac in a book
Mother of two amazing sons
My sons are the lights of my life. Nicholas Jack Hallam Holloway, born 3 September 1987 and George William Nathan Holloway born 10 January 1991.
The day before Nick was born I had to ring Neil at work and get him to come home early because I had barricaded myself in a car in the driveway to get away from Lydia – also known as the Mouth on a Stick. Lydia was Brian’s girlfriend – about to be ex-girlfriend – and had arrived unannounced after a sailing expedition in the Mediterranean. She was convinced that she was going to cook our dinner and I was just as convinced that she wasn’t going to do that. Instead we drove to an Italian restaurant in Shirley where I proceeded to tell Neil that I no longer wanted this baby and as soon as it was delivered they could take it away. The waiters were hiding behind walls too scared of what I was going to do next.
By the following morning all was calm again and we drove to Guy’s Hospital for the caesarean birth carried out by a wonderful Australian surgeon. I had had my epidural and was about to be taken into the delivery room when there was an emergency and I had to wait, watching the sun rise over London and Daley Thompson competing in the World’s Athletic Championships in the Decathlon event.
George’s birth, again by Caesarean performed by the same surgeon, had its moments too. The surgeon had broken his arm whilst skiing a couple of weeks before my operation but I insisted that he still carry on and he had his plaster cast wrapped up in a plastic bag. After the operation we were both moved into a new hospital wing as they prepared for the second phase of the Gulf War known as Desert Storm. It was quite emotional for me as I was watching, live, young men going to war. I was the only patient in the ward for ages and therefore I was treated to personal nursing and a private chef. I am very proud of the photos that Neil took of both births.
There are a lifetime of stories about the pair of them. Nick growing his hair very long, George leaving a ‘Help Me’ message in the car window, Nick playing rugby and George playing cricket for the school. Nick did an art project involving dead chickens. George took naked photos of himself in the garden for a school calendar and set fire to paper in Brenda’s bathroom. He also kept a dead mouse in a cardboard box in the garden so he could watch what happened. Snooker and Darts in the Summer House. They had a special Summer House dance they did for me when we were going to bed. Neil lost Nick at Earl’s Court and forgot to bring George home from a school fete. I loved watching George play drums and I thought Nick’s art was spectacular. A couple of times a year there was an airshow at Biggin Hill and a plane came over the house so low that he somersaulted on the grass in shock. One of the advantages of moving from Kings Hall Road to Highview was that they would stop kicking footballs into the flower beds, but as soon as we moved they stopped kicking balls.
The big traumatic event in our lives first came to our attention on the day Neil turned 60. He held his party in the Spitfire Café in Biggin Hill with a fry-up for all his friends. When we got home there was a telephone call from the hospital asking for Nick to go in for tests. A few days later we had confirmation: Leukaemia. His white bloods cells were compromised and he needed urgent attention. Amazingly, over the next few years the medical team were able to bring it under control, although he had spells in hospital and I was very, very worried. Ultimately he was able to come off the meds long enough for Vicky to conceive Theo and then Emilia, though in between his bad cell count rose dramatically.
Of the two I think Nick is the more serious, but he also has a great sense of humour. I love the way he tells imagination stories with Theo. Nick and Vicky have built a great architectural practice and are able to find time to work hard, raise two children and enjoy themselves. George on the other hand always seem much more relaxed though he also works hard. Amazon seems to be a place that stretches him but he also finds it somewhat frustrating. He is currently undertaking a four or five year part time course planning to be a psychotherapist and I’m very pleased how much effort and enjoyment he is putting in to the course. He and Jess make a great team and they are always laughing together. They also go on adventures including this most recent Christmas when they went camping in Scotland. One thing I really like about both boys is the friendship groups that have lasted since school and University.
George has an amazing inquisitive mind. He set fire to paper in Brenda’s bathroom and tried to flush the ashes down her toilet and he kept a dead mouse in a cardboard box, wondering what would happen.
Israel
Eilat
Scuba with dolphins
Lot’s wife
Floating in Dead Sea
Mount of Olives
Garden of Gethsemane
Jerusalem
Wailing wall
Stations of the Cross
Golgotha
Bethlehem
Tel Aviv
Jaffa
Kibbutz
Thousands of cranes (birds)
Sea of Galilee
Day trip to Petra
Camel trek across Sinai Desert
I went with Lorna, Ursula, Karen Scotland and a friend of hers we called the Mad Umbrella Woman. This was a trek with Bedouin and their camels, sleeping out in the desert and eating food cooked over campfires. I remember being frightened having climbed high. We sometimes rode the camels. We all laughed when Lorna realised she wouldn’t be able to use her hair tongs in the desert.
Galápagos Islands
So, so exciting. The animals came to me because they didn’t see me as a danger. Seals, iguana, blue footed boobies, albatrosses, giant tortoises. So different to London. We, Mina and me, were on a small cruise ship and got to know everyone aboard. We visited several islands, usually by rubber boat.
Ayers Rock
Janet and I, equipped with corks on strings on our hats (trying to keep off the flies), climbed this bloody big rock in the middle of the Aussie desert. We laughed a lot but it was very hot.
Iceland
This was a staff event (Garner Holloway). We offered the staff a weekend in Venice or a day trip to Iceland – 100% in favour of the Arctic. We set out from Gatwick at some ungodly hour, flew to Reykjavik, took a coach trip to the frozen Gullfoss waterfall, a geyser, had freshly caught Icelandic salmon for lunch, back to Reykjavik, swimming in the Blue Lagoon, stopped to see the Northern lights, then back to Gatwick very late. What an amazing day.
Eclipse of sun in France
With Janet and 4 boys. Waited for ages, then it went dark. Eeerie. Quiet. No birds. Still. Traffic stopped. Boys sat on hay bails.
America
Arcosanti
We had a holiday in Phoenix, Arizona with Peter and Teresa Johnson. We visited a shop/museum in downtown Phoenix called Cosanti where we saw amazing bronze bells that had been crafted in the desert. On another day we drove to Sedona to see the red rocks and on the way we stumbled upon Arcosanti, the arcology project headed up by Paulo Soleri. We saw them casting bells, ate in the café and toured the site. What an amazing place.
On another day we flew to the Grand Canyon and took a helicopter ride to the Colorado River
Florida
Aligator Park
Air boat
Diving for scallops
Chihuly glass St Petersburg (and Kew Gardens)
Indoor skydiving Orlando
Swimming with manatees
Theme Parks
Our timeshare incl Signature
Discovery Cove
Panama City, Florida
Tamiami Trail
St Petersburg
Stock Car Racing
Rodeo
Mini golf
Fireworks at Epcot
Satellite launch
Other America
Indianapolis
Indianapolis 500
House on the Rock
New York
Grand Old Opry
Los Angeles
Las Vegas
Washington and Virginia with Johnsons
Boston
Branson Missouri
Dennis Conner
Graceland
Hoover Dam
Grand Canyon
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Great Smoky Mountains
France
Willeman
Battle of Agincourt
Bike riding
Le Touquet
Berck
Hesdin
Vimy Ridge
Paris
Disneyland Paris
Wedding in Reims: Stephanie and Laurent
Menin Gate
La Coupole, France - V2 bomb site
Spain
Dali Museum Figueras
La Sagrada Familia Barcelona
The Santiago de Compostela Botafumeiro, the largest censer in the world
Walking the Camino de Santiago
Tour of Southern Spain with Johnsons
Barcelona
Stay in Alhambra, Grenada
Ponferrada Gold Mine
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
A Coruna
Italy
Venice
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Rome
Amalfi Coast
Vesuvius
Pompei
Florence
European holidays
Belgium
Germany
Corsica
Sardinia
Hadron Collider, CERN
Transylvania
Wedding in Denmark
Norwegian Fjords
Bruges
Wine tour with Ronnie Ormond
Hitler’s bunker now a car park
Seagulls on wall next to Chain Bridge, Budapest
Memento Park (Russian Statues), Budapest
Boat trip up Danube
Ice Hotel
Dracula’s Castle
Amsterdam
Brussels Mannequin Pis
Parasailing
Switzerland
Austria
Ireland
Hungary
Sweden
Greece
Denmark
Portugal
Luxembourg
Monaco
Finding Father Xmas, driving huskies, ice fishing, Skidoos, Reindeer sled ride
Work
TMA Highlights: Buzz, Coldstream Guards, Les Mis singers, snow and indoor fireworks,
Insight at Disneyland Paris, Madrid, France, Brighton, Boston, Malta
Working for Ian
Buy to let flats
Census Maker
Nursery School Manager
Cementation
Lowndes-Ajax
Metra Lowndes Ajax
The Brewery with snake and fire eater
Leeds Castle
Scottish Castle with Jackie Coates
BT Tower
Tower Bridge Walkway
No 1 London
Dickens House
UK holidays/events
Our wedding
Dunster
Nick’s christening in St Margaret’s Church
George’s christening in Westminster Abbey.
Barry’s first time at Crystal Palace
Marathon walk with Ursula, Lorna and Shirley.
Suffolk with Ursula
Coast to Coast across England
Joyce at Rockfield, Wales
Beth Chatto’s garden
Mudlarking
Mumbles with Noel and Pam
Safari Park with Janet when monkeys damaged the car
Thames Path
Walking around Isle of Wight with Lizzie and Edward
South Downs Way also with Lizzie and Edward
Thurford Xmas spectacular with George and Jess
Sutton Hoo Anglo Saxon ship burial site
Racing car at Brands Hatch
Beating Retreat
Glenfinnian Railway Bridge of Harry Potter fame
More than 70 Parkruns
Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker
Hot air balloon
Parachute jump
Guinness book of records twice
European cup Wembley
Lynton and Lynmouth cliff railway
Darwin’s house
Leake St Graffiti Tunnel
Samphire Ho
Derek Jarman’s House and Garden
Rugby School
Compton Verney
Coventry Cathedral
Climbed Snowdon
Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland
Anthony Gormley statues Liverpool
Slept in an Ice Hotel
Postal museum and ride mail rail
West Norwood cemetery
Crossbones Burial Ground
Growing Underground Farm Tour
Crown Jewels
Superbloom, Tower of London
Lifting poppies in Tower of London Moat
Colchester Castle tour
Clacton on Sea
Mersea Island
Cinema in the Woods
Skegness
Cloud Café
Bomber Command
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Castle and Magna Carta
Cleethorpes
Nunhead cemetery
Brompton cemetery
Abney Park cemetery
Dennis Severs Hugenot House
The Hardy Tree
Hunterian Museum
Museum of London
Hackney Empire
Old Operating Theatre
Bletchley Park
Edinburgh Festival
Stratford on Avon and Shakespeare play
Postman’s Park
Abseil at Crystal Palace Park
24 hour walking relay in Crystal Palace Park
Bee keeping course
Climb 02
Jodrell Bank Telescope
Anthony Gormley statues on beach
Blind running
Shard
WWWI memorial in Olympic Park
Darts Alexandra Palace
Platform 9 3/4
War rooms
Crossbones graveyard
Mail rail
Greenwich foot tunnel
Clink restaurant Brixton Prison
Hosting Chris Patten, last Governor Hong Kong
Whispering Gallery St Paul’s
Freemasons Hall
Eltham Palace
Son et Lumiere at Chartwell
1812 overture and picnic Leeds Castle
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Brighton Pavilion
Seven Sisters
10 Downing St and met John Major
Old Bailey
Secret underground tube stations
Hot air balloon
Pottery
Silver jewellery making
Water divining
China
Beijing
Forbidden Palace
Terracotta Army
Shanghai
Three Gorges Dam
Olympic buildings Beijing
Great Wall of China
2012 Olympics
Audition
Rehearsals
Closing ceremony
Para volunteer
World athletics championship 2017 London volunteer (Usain Bolt)
South Africa
Robben Island Prison
Cape Town Salvation Army with my Dad
Gondola up Tabletop Mountain
Safari with Debbie
Cape of Good Hope
Magicians helper
New Zealand
Black water rafting
This involved getting into a wet suit, climbing down from a paddock, following a stream, getting into a cavern and seeing hundreds and hundreds of gloworms and then floating down a very narrow tunnel in the pitch black. Wonderful hot soup at the end.
Milking cows on Janne’s farm
Janne and John had a dairy farm in the North of NZ. They taught me to milk the cows.
Waiheke island art tour
Amazing sculptures on this beautiful island close to Auckland
Digging a bath in the sand at Hot Water Beach
Hot Water Beach is on the Coromandel Peninsular. We borrowed a spade and followed the crowd along the beach and dug a pool heated by thermal springs. when we got too hot we ran into the sea.
Burt Munro’s motorbikes
There was a film called The World's Fastest Indian about Burt who raced motorbikes all over New Zealand and Australia and took a very old modified Indian motorbike to Bonneville Salt Flats in USA where over 14 years he set many records. When we were in NZ with teresa we went into a shop that owns Burt's bikes in Invercargill.
Ninety mile beach
Neil and I took a bus trip up 90 mile beach to the top of NZ - Cape Reinga. On the way we saw the squashed remains of a car that had been tumbled in the surf. On the way we slid down sand hills. The Maoris tradition says that when they die their spirits dive off the cliff and swim to an island further north. We could see a line in the surf where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea.
Flames in the woods with Janne
Janne took us the see a spot where natural gas burns night and day, hot enough to boil a kettle. On the way back we stopped at a farm and Janne collected possum carcases which John later fed to eels in a creek near their house.
Parkrun in thermal area in Rotorua
Teresa, Neil and I did a Parkrun in a thermal area in Rotorua. There was lots of steam coming out of the ground and it was quite scary.
Tamaki Māori Village experience
We were collected by bus in Rotorua. The driver pretended we were in a canoe and we had to sing songs. At the village there was lots of Maori cultural stuff followed by the traditional Maori dinner - a hangi. A great evening.
One Tree Hill
This is an extinct volcanic cone just behind where Neil grew up. We drove to the top for an amazing view across the city towards Rangitoto Island in the Waitemata Harbour out to the East. NZ is so narrow that we could see across to the other side of the country to the Mankau Harbour - next stop Australia.
Hot river, Taupo
Lake Rotoiti hot pools
Agrodome
Treetop walking near Rotorua
Canada
Algonquin
Niagara Falls
CNN Tower
Other Countries
Cruise to Mexico and Bahamas
St Lucia
Australia childminding
Bali
Hawaii
Machu Picchu
Singapore
Hong Kong
Climb Sydney harbour bridge
Barbados
Mauritius
Senegal
Iceland - Northern Lights, geyser, Blue Lagoon, frozen waterfall
What was I like as a child
What was George like as a child
Tell me about one of our Christmas days
What traditions would you like our new family to carry on that we did when we were growing up?
Where have you lived that most felt like home?
At Highview
What was the moment you most remember feeling like a superstar business woman?
What were you most proud of with what you did professionally?