John's Newsletter 2006

Who's Whose & Where

Family
In May Louise moved back to Cambridge with her children. Her husband Andy remained in the Netherlands, but visits frequently.
In July my aunt Joan, aged 90, died in Leicester after a number of falls at home. Her devoted friend Norman and his sister looked after her exceptionally well during a very difficult time.

Travel

Photographs
Many of our holiday photographs can be found on our website www.rabancourt.co.uk, and my genealogy site is at www.rabancourt.co.uk/abacus

Health
Following my slipped disk operation last year, I have had almost no trouble with my back, though my left leg remains numb, which makes me walk awkwardly – then my knee and ankle hurt, which makes me hobble a bit. However, I still walk many miles and go up mountains!

Car
At 13 years old and 210,000 miles, my old Renault Clio finally got traded in for a new Clio – bigger and safer (and cleaner!) than the old one. The long-awaited Baldock Bypass opened earlier this year, and that makes driving back into Baldock from Cambridge much quicker. There is also a lot less traffic passing our house, though still too many lorries turning the sharp corner at our traffic lights.

Exercise
In the Lake District in May I climbed to about 1700ft and did several lower walks. Andrew and I walked along with the Pride Parade in London in July, and I walked in Lathkill Dale in Derbyshire in July, seeing a wild otter for the first time in my life. In Berlin in September we cycled round Potsdam.

Friends
In February Michael and Graham celebrated their Civil Partnership in Cambridge, and in May Anthony and Gregory held their Civil Partnership reception in Brighton. In September our friend Hilary Jenkins died aged 75, and Andrew and I attended his memorial service in Cambridge. My friend from choir, Tony Palmer, also died this year.

Work
Continues as before, mainly editing biographies of Cambridge alumni.

Singing
Choral workshop for parts of Bach's B Minor Mass in April. With Trinity Singers performed Handel's Messiah in November – my 50th anniversary of singing Messiah (first as a treble in 1956!)

Playhouse
Fran and I have designed and built a two-storey playhouse in Louise's garden for the children to play in. It's almost as much work as building a full-size house!

Genealogy
Slowly working through my genealogy course (next sections are Armed Forces, and Schools). Some paid work coming in. In Sacramento I visited the California State Archives to try to find my paternal grandmother, knowing only her surname (King) and the fact that she was a head teacher somewhere in California in 1945. I've now established that she was not a secondary school head teacher, but I haven't been able to find lists of names of primary school teachers or heads. Among aunt Joan's photographs there was a photograph of my father, John King, in his U.S. Navy uniform. She always said I look like him, and I do!

Our email addresses are:
John:       john @ rabancourt . co . uk
Andrew:   andrew @ rabancourt . co . uk


My father John King, in 1944 or 1945


Louise with Rory


Louise with Morgan


Morgan