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Mikko

@mikkoandstephen

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Back in London SE1

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Here is the new addition to our little family .Cedric Armstrong came to us 2weeks ago and made himself home instantly.We were slightly nervous how Percy with his fairly domineering personality would take to a kitten but there was an almost immediate connection 💙🧡Cedric is amazingly relaxed , fearless and carefree and they get on famously at least most of the time , there are times when Percy looks somewhat exasperated by Cedric constantly following him around .What is so amazing that in such a short time we couldn’t imagine our family without him 🤍🩵🧡 taken in Albert Embankment by @mikkoandstephen

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a year ago

Happy 5th Birthday to our beautiful boy Percy 💙💙Born on a farm in Uruguay just outside Colonia del Sacramento .We brought him home to Montevideo when he was 3 months old just before the pandemic hit .He soon managed to get into all sorts of scrapes, breaking the majority of our glasses, leaping onto next-door’s balcony, and falling over 6 metres (twice!) resulting in dashes to the vet. In January he moved hemispheres and is happily settled in London 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 We love him madly ♥️ taken in Albert Embankment by @mikkoandstephen

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2 years ago

Our house in the centre of Montevideo was built in 1914 when Uruguay and Argentina were at the height of their powers. Only the best materials were used, beautiful marble from Italy, bronze, tiles from England and France. The skills of the workmen were second to none. Our house started its life as a home for a fairly well to do family with living quarters on the first and the second floor and the servants on the third, a commercial store occupied the ground floor. By the time we bought it its fortunes had somewhat waned. It had been used as a pension for young students from the provinces and then as a bordello upstairs and a whiskey bar and exotic dancing down. When we first visited it stood there rather sad and forlorn and was in desperate need of some love and care. Nobody in their right mind was buying in Centro at that point since its glory days were firmly behind. But we both loved the area with its stunning buildings and dilapidated mansions and being foreigners had no preconceived opinions. The restoration took a lot longer and cost a lot more than we had anticipated but we were incredibly lucky with our wonderful architects. It brought us great joy to bring the beauty back in and we felt that we saved the house from demolition since Montevideo sadly has lost too many of its architectural jewels. We owned Casa Yi for 15 years and lived in it full time for 5, during this time we saw Centro change enormously for the better. We are happy to say the wonderful new owner has fabulous plans for the house which will only add to its beauty. Casa Yi, Centro and Montevideo will always remain in our hearts and be part of our history ♥️🩷 by @mikkoandstephen

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2 years ago

I was 55 earlier in the year, Stephen turns 65 in July, our 15th wedding anniversary is in September, and in October we begin our 35th year together. We both feel so happy and privileged to have wonderful family and amazing lifelong friends dotted across the globe, the things that truly matter ♥️ taken in Bakoven, Western Cape, South Africa by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

London and Hay on Wye we love you both ♥️ by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

My mother Beryl Joan Armstrong 21/04/1931-03/02/2023 We will miss you ♥️ by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

Beside the seaside , beside the sea 💙 taken in José ignacio by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

Happy 64th Birthday Love of my life ♥️♥️ by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

Crisp winter’s sky 💙 taken in Parque Rodó, Montevideo by @mikkoandstephen

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4 years ago

My father died 20 years ago today and my mother just over a year . I feel so privileged to have had them as my parents and I miss them and think of them and always love them 💙💙 by @mikkoandstephen

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5 years ago

2/2. But when he entered the room in the purple robes of Archbishop Emeritus, he was so friendly and his huge smile put us at our ease. He was small but his presence was, oh, so much larger. He sat in his chair, my colleague and I at his feet slowly unfurled the script while he was filmed. He read the script in one take. We congratulated him on reading it so well, thanked him, shook his hand and said goodbye. The room suddenly felt smaller as the purple disappeared. The next and last time I saw him was in 2013 in the UK. The SA High Commission invited Mikko & me to the presentation of the Templeton Prize to Tutu at the Guildhall in the City of London. Other guests were from the worlds of music, politics and journalism. Annie Lennox sang Many Rivers to Cross. And the Tutu dance was there again. He lit up the Guildhall with his moves, his words and his presence. It was a great night. I feel honoured to have met him. 💜 by @mikkoandstephen

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5 years ago

1/2. We were very sad to hear about the death of the great humanitarian, Desmond Tutu. When Mikko & I lived in Cape Town I worked for Cape Town Child Welfare. In 2005 I attended training on the impact of HIV & AIDS on the communities and children we supported. A speaker was Xoliswa, a young woman, also HIV+, working as an adherence counsellor in Khayelitsha, one of SA’s largest townships. Xoliswa helped people on antiretroviral drugs to adhere to the strict regime needed for the highest impact on people’s health. The counsellors were funded by Tutu’s foundation, which organised a thank-you concert. For the finale, the counsellors sang with the band Freshlyground. Tutu came up on stage. His support of people struggling in so many ways, including with HIV & AIDS, was obvious as was his love of music and dancing. He was full of life, of great dance moves, of vigour and of joy. He inspired everyone on stage and in the venue. The next time I saw the great man was much more personal. As patron of Cape Town Child Welfare, Tutu agreed you be in a video to encourage people to support the charity. We wrote the script, he agreed it, and with a video operator, we attended his office in Milnerton.His chair was in front of a brightly coloured wall-hanging as a backdrop. The script had been printed and wound round a cardboard tube from a kitchen towel. We were nervous at meeting this world figure. by @mikkoandstephen

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5 years ago