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1990:

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DH (38): Alessandro Edmund “Alex” Nervetti (Wordsmith)
DW (35): Suzanne Marguerite Dumas (Rowena)
DD (9): Antonia Mercedes Nervetti (Wordsmith)
DS (6): Nico Francesco Nervetti (Princess_Shireen)
DD (3):
DS (nb):

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Suzanne has received an unexpected, but welcome promotion. The elderly owner of the boutique, who had been allowing her to take on more responsibility for the past two years, suffered a bad fall one lunchtime and simply never returned. After four months of Suzanne running the business by herself, unsure what her role now was, the woman returned to announce that she was going to enter retirement and to officially hand the keys over. Suzanne has been a business owner for less than a full year and, despite initially scrambling to learn everything, is settling into the role and growing in confidence every day.

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Antonia has grown into a charming and intelligent child, although she has far too much energy to apply herself in school and prefers turning around to talk to classmates behind her. She loves dancing and is pestering her parents to let her attend ballet classes, although Alex refuses as he fears the permanent changes to her development, especially as it is unlikely that she will become a professional ballerina. For the same reason she has been banned from learning gymnastics, as Alex sees only the possibility of a broken neck in the hobby. Instead Antonia spends the majority of her free time caring for her siblings or shadowing her grandparents at the restaurant. She is very keen to learn more about running a business, although this avenue too appears closed to her.

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Nico is a thoughtful and shy child, much like his father, but with one great difference. His grandfather Nicolò was openly delighted at having a grandson and has been teaching him to cook, discussing the possibility of passing on the family restaurant for another generation, but Nico has no interest in it and dislikes the constant noise of the restaurant. The comparative lack of interest in Antonia has been hurtful to Suzanne, especially as her daughter is showing great aptitude for hospitality and is developing a remarkably sophisticated sense of taste. Her father-in-law is reluctant to consider passing his business to a girl, however, and is instead already focused on whether his newest grandson might prove more promising.

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The family has grown with the arrival of two more children, a daughter and a son. Of the four Nervetti children, DD proved the most challenging as she cried almost non-stop from the moment she was born. The problem was finally discovered this year - DD had been born with a kidney issue which required surgery to remedy. Since then things have greatly improved. DD has developed a bold, stubborn and confident personality that sees her reign as the tiny queen of the household, riding roughshod over her quiet older brother. After that experience, the family’s new son has thankfully turned out to be an easy and contented baby. His eldest sister, who was given the honour of choosing his middle name, is fascinated by him and smothers him in love. Given the recent changes to their work lives and the difficult experience with their second daughter, Alex and Suzanne are almost sure that he will be their last child.

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DD’s name honours her maternal grandmother’s full name – a floral first name and a middle name that honours the Virgin Mary.

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DS received the name of his maternal grandfather, a French name used in the 1920s or 1930s. His middle name relates to water.