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This page has my Christmas
Letter for 2013 from John Saville for my
British
and American friends I'll put translations from English to English in brackets
[I mean parentheses]
(each click will open a new window so you
may wish to close each one after reading it)
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December
16, 2013 |
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I’ve
decided to repeat what I did last year and put down information
about my life and family on this page on my website. As well
as saving paper, using web technology allows me to put in links in case you are
interested in learning more about a particular area I mention. You’ll see links
and thumbnail pictures that will open up other pages.
From
www.jrsaville.co.uk/diary_2013.htm
you can see details to everything in my
year!!
(though the last few months need to be added in the next week or so) |
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No trips to the US this
year .... or visits by US friends. |
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This year the big family event was when my mother
celebrated her 90th birthday. This caused several events including
a
party at the Tea Dance
she started with my Dad nearly 30 years ago; I did some entertaining
by leading a
sing-a-long at the Lester Group where
she goes each week to "help with the old folks"; and a
family party hosted by my first wife Sue and her husband,
John. That enabled me to get a photo with her sister, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. I still visit each week to take her to the
supermarket and various jobs. We also made our annual pilgrimage
early in to see the
"Strictly Come Dancing Tour"
["Dancing with the Stars"] at the O2 [formerly The Millennium Dome]. She
keeps in good health and today we went to
Moorfields, probably the best teaching
hospital in the world for treatment of eyes. That was the end of 6
years of treatments including 2 cataracts, a corneal graft and many
visits. Today they've discharged her. |
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Tea Dance |
Lester Group
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Martyn is now Sales
Manager at the company he works for which specialize in
school photographs.
He's taken up
boxing
and has had 5 public fights of which I was present at 4. The first ones
didn't last the distance as he won by technical knock out when the
referees stopped the fights to prevent his opponents taking a lot of
punishment. The fifth fight was very even and ended in a draw.
Fiona was "made
redundant" from Diamond Trading Company (De Beers) as the work of
sorting diamonds has been relocated to Botswana. This was expected for
some years and she's currently enjoying time at home with Oliver who is
now 18 months. There are many photos of him on
Fiona's Facebook page.
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Jeremy (Jez) & Sharleen
moved home again, this time from
Maldon to
Framlingham in Suffolk. The house is
brand new but it has meant
Jasmin,
Sky,
Bailey, and
Summer have
moved schools, which all seem very supportive. |
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It also spent a few days with Jacob and his sister, Jessica. including a
visit to Colchester Zoo. Jez, Jacob & I also spent time bowling and
fishing and a day with just Jacob & me at
Tropical Wings |
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This year's
concerts included The "Aussie Pink Floyd" tribute band (where my
goddaughter is a backing singer),
Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Fairport
Convention (electric folk),
McFly,
Josh Groban and Fleetwood Mac. |
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I also
went twice to see my favourite band over the past 40 years,
Steeleye
Span (electric folk). The second concert last week was especially
enjoyable as I'd spent 4 days in July in Cumbria with singer Maddy Prior
and bass player Rick Kemp. It was a course called
"Performing With Fun" and was great fun. It seemed very
peculiar when we had an after dinner "party piece" to lead singing on my
guitar with my favourite singing doing backing vocals! |
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I made this into my
main
holiday of the year by taking 3 days to travel up there and
2 back (one in the Lake District) This gave me the opportunity to
further my interest in "hunting" and photographing the originals of Lilliput Lane model buildings. My
"LAPOLLO" website has followers in several continents.
When I planned my route I suddenly realised that the section between the
2nd and 3rd stops on Day 1 took my past the
Royal
Air Force base at Pocklington where my father spent World War
II. It was a very nostalgic time looking across the runway where the
planes he'd serviced took off, many not to return and the one remaining
hanger where he may have worked. I then went on to see the restored one
remaining
Halifax aircraft similar to those he worked on. |
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I did visits to several
places this year and last week went to Bletchley Park
(code breaking of Enigma in
World War II) and saw the world's first semi-programmable computer --
Colossus -- which was used to break Hitler's Lorenz codes used to his
field commanders. This was particularly interesting both as my major was
in Cybernetics, but also because the person who worked out how to break
the code,
Bill Tutte, was born and brought up in Newmarket a few miles
from where I live.
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I also had a private tour of the
Houses of Parliament
with a friend who works there. We got access to places not on the normal
public tours.
Other places visited included the
Tower of London,
Buckingham Palace,
Downe House (Charles Darwin),
Eltham Palace (boyhood home of Henry
VIII + Art Deco house), the
Cutty Sark and Tate Britain for the
Lowry Exhibition. |
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This year's “Bucket List”
item ticked off was attending at the
Newmarket
Town Plate -- the worlds oldest horse race -- started by King
Charles II in the 17th Century. |
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I again acted as a Business Presentation Judge at
Formula Student
[Formula SAE] at Silverstone. Some good
friends of mine had published a book
"Learn & Compete" on how to do well in the competition. I foolishly
pointed out that, whilst there were chapters on most aspects of design,
there wasn't a chapter on Business Presentation -- so I found myself
writing that chapter for the second edition of the book which will be
published in the US next year. |
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I’ve been keeping busy
with
Music Builds Communities. I
continued the fortnightly [every two weeks!]
“Singing for Fun” session where we take a theme and accompany songs
on guitars and also taught
guitar on Saturdays to an "Intermediate" and "Beginners” group. We have
decided that, after 3 years, we'll take a new approach to the Saturday
Sessions We also met a few times for electric guitar
sessions and have had 2
"Jazz Workshops". We are planning to
start a "Jazz Orchestra" in 2014 if there is enough interest in the
locality. The climax of 2013 was our
"Family Night of Entertainment"
concert. |
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I continue to maintain
the
MBC website as well as those for the
Village Church, its
Hall one for the village
(www.exning.net)
and
this personal one of
my own.
I’ve continued to play
guitar in the Church Music Group (yesterday I played at 3 services with
21 Christmas hymns). As we have not had a Minister for over a year I
have been preaching about once a month.y. |
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I'm still playing Real
Tennis [Court Tennis] at least once every week though a torn triceps in
my right arm inhibited that quite a bit, Very alarming when your arm
gradually goes purple from the shoulder progressing down to the thumb!
That also meant no golf at all in 2013. |
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I
wish you a very Happy Christmas and every blessing in 2014
John |
