What about Snoopy's Robot Boat ? See the Snoopy page for this ... " Snoopy is in Robin's back garden, and needs proper checking and test before the 2020 Atlantic Attempt. We now have a new Blog8 page, recording details of repairs and tests of Snoopy Sloop 11, before the next Atlantic Attempt. Robin, June, and other Team-Joker members, have other things taking their time. e.g. Coping with Covid19 ; Health problems; That Roof & Kitchen work is still on-going. June likes her tennis; Robin likes minimum hassle and spending time with Grumpy Old Men :-) Click on pictures to expand, play, or visit the relevant page. Robin claims that some of his friends, and work-mates over the years, are crazier than he. We all have our "crosses to bear", be it recent bereavement, physical health, addiction, or stigma resulting from mental health problems. Sometimes many things overlap, such as helping friends, making new ones, or doing work in the Garden . Robin prefers to just oversee work ;-)

We have new Neighbours ! Kinga and Tom Checkiewicz, and their two young children, moved in opposite us, during Covid19 lockdown, early in 2020. The place had been owned by Clive and Jill Warner from when our houses were built in 1978. That picture on right, of Samantha, with Robin's mum and dad, when we came back for the Easter holiday from Holland . See pictures on my AMRA and Old AMRA pages. Play the video on the right: by 1996 our other two daughters had been born: Saskia and then Michelle. That's her starring on TV with young Julie Warner, when Nick Knowles ( of recent DIY SOS fame ) gave us our first TV publicity. Tom and Kinga will recognise their house, including their MUCH big Christmas Tree than what it was 24 years ago, when the Warners planted it ! :-)

June and Samantha love their tennis, and have managed to continue playing regularly at their local Ascot Tennis Club, working within whatever Covid19 lockdown rules were in force.

They still managed to take their "Active Away" tennis holiday in Greece this year, and left Robin to cope as best he could at home.

It is alleged that Robin used the opportunity to see more of his friends and relations, and treat himself out to meals out, on most days, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This included places in our village of Sunninghill, like La Sorrentina, The Flame Cafe, the Sun Cafe, the Raj Vooj, The Duke's Head, and Dog and Partridge Pub. Also other places :-)

Robin tracked their flight back, including them coming over the Alps, past Paris, across The Channel, to touchdown at Gatwick Airport. Then to the terminal buiding. June's SMS text "just landed" was no surprise. He had plenty of warning to make the house tidy :-)

June and Samantha with their medals ! :-) They ran their first 5k race at Dorney Lake in September. It was a time trial with no spectators because of Covid, but they still got their medals at the end. They are in training for another 5k next year, with possibly a 10k to follow.

The video shows June and Robin's visit to Dorny Lake and the Jubilee River in October 2020. For some reason, Youtube chose that frame from the clip, showing the free TV publicity that Falconer Gary Morris and Robin got over 20 years earlier, on Robin's AsOnTV . page :-)

Samantha on walk with June in Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park on 20th June 2020. Sometimes it's just the two women; sometimes June and Robin; sometimes with others :-)

For those looking at paper: recent videos on Robin's Youtube Channel on https://www.youtube.com/user/RobinLovelock/videos . Or just click on the pictures if online.

Now some extracts from my Covid19 page, which is updated every Tuesday. This section is NOT a substitute for the page above, but it does provide further background. e.g. earlier in April I published a picture for illustration of a "total deaths" graph. The weekend before, I emailed the ONS, with the link above, and offered to pay the cost. I also emailed Adam Afriye, MP. I was delighted to see what happened shortly after.

UK Government adopts monitoring of total deaths on 14th April 2020
Tuesday 14 April 2020: Nick Stripe of UK ONS appears on BBC TV News. He said that there were 16,387 deaths registered in England and Wales during the week ending April 3, which "is the highest weekly total" since the authority started compiling data in 2005. This was the main lead on the UK BBC TV 6pm and ITV 6:30pm TV News broadcasts. You can play the 2 minute video, giving extracts from the 10pm BBC TV News, on the right.

Thursday 16th April 2020 from Robin Lovelock: Good to see the UK Government adopt this approach of monitoring total deaths, even if the graph is only for England and Wales, and compared to the average for previous 5 years. The latest graph can be reached from here . Tuesday 3rd November 2020: The ONS switch to publishing seperate graphs for England and Wales, instead of the combined graph since April.
Some other countries, not already monitoring total deaths, may find it useful, but graphs of individual years may be needed, to compare with deaths affected by things like natural disasters, famine, war ceasefires, etc.
Dame Vera Lynn passed away, aged 103: BBC News on 18th June 2020 . I hope she would smile at this ^

<- Click on the Graphs to enlarge. I have edited down excerpts for compactness here.

Click on pictures to expland. The illustrate how we use "Common Sense" in adopting UK Government Rules, particularly when there is knowledge or experience around. e.g. wearing a bottle of disinfectant gel, and using it regularly, particularly if handing things to others. Use of disinfectant on everything, such as parcel packaging and contents; spraying of my car, everywhere the occupants might sit. Airflow control, such as having the windows down, or intelligent use of fans, ventilation, etc, particularly in places like one's own home, if people are visiting. As the BBC might have said on Blue Peter, "an alternative product is OK" :-)

The following extracts flow naturally into how Covid19 has affected our extended family, and humour has an important part to play.

From Saturday 18th April 2020 ... Recent TV News, including talk of the recession after the first World War, WWI ( 1914-1918 ), or veterans on WWII ( 1939-1945), reminds me of "old soldiers", including in my family. e.g. my grandfather, Harold Sharp, who was wounded on the Somme, and remembered walking back through the confused lines, helped by German wounded: also the Christmas ceasefire football match. More recently, I spent a lot of time with my Father-in-Law, Jack Ponsford , who spent most of WWII in Stalag 8b POW Camp in Poland. Some of this is on my "Bigger Picture" page, linked from my Home page. My Uncle Bernie Sharp, in Sandhurst, has memories of his dad, Harold, and of WWII, and is near the top of my Family page. He remembers, as did my mother, their living under canvas during the recession, before a local doctor loaned Harold money, to buy land and build a shack.

Recently, both Uncle Bernie and Auntie Ruby, were admitted to Frimley Park (Military) Hospital and sadly, my Auntie Ruby passed away. Bernie returned home. I visited him and his sons before the UK lockdown, and like a typical old soldier, he still has a sense of humour. Click on Bernie to play the video, recorded on Christmas Eve 2016 :-)
Click on Bert Davies, on the far right, to read his War Memories of Italy. Bert, with wife Ada and son Alan, lived in the same road in Wokingham, from when I was six.

Based on emails to trusted friends, including from EASAMS, Ferranti, UK MoD, Team-Joker, and Grumpy Old Men :
13th August 2020: June and I will be busy here, watching and recording the online funeral of my cousin Colin Cox. This followed a visit to my "old soldier" Uncle Bernie Sharp at Sandhust. My Auntie Ruby died recently. All: please do not waste time with condolences, etc. Last night I was visiting Tracy and Bill in Chobham: their young son, 23, passed away. We never know what might happen next. I try to be prepared for anything, as best I can, minute by minute. Bad sad news overlaps with crime...

Little happens in Sunninghill, it being a "sleepy little town", particularly on a Sunday, but ...
Friday 7th August 2020: There was a non-fatal stabbing across the road, in Cavendish Meads, at 0100, 15 minutes after two cars appeared on our CCTV. Good quality video was obviously shown to the police and trusted friends, including those who also witnessed events unfolding. There had been a "wild party" of 200 guys, including from places like Southall, London, at an Air B&B. Earlier that evening I'd met a lot of guys in our village, and exchanged brief, friendly words with them. The first the Lovelock family knew of it was when Samantha, working from home, received the news on Social Media. I quickly found details, including a picture like this, in a local online newspaper. It did not take long to find the Air B&B, and I quickly saw that Google Maps would have been guiding the party seekers to the wrong place. Hardley surprising that several cars, with recognisable occupants and number plates, would have driven around Armitage Court, after midnight, listening for loud music. Others closer to the Bagshot Road heard it. Of course, a few visitors may have used the opportunity to "case the joint". We soon heard that the stabbing victim had not sustained life changing injuries. Since then I've spoken to the lovely young guys who live at the party location, got a very friendly reception, so gave them my visiting cards. This news never made it to local radio or TV - partly because of the "Chobham Fire".

The Chobham Fire hit BBC1 National TV headlines. My best guess, based on behaviour of the Fire Engines and police, and direct observation of who went past the Monument, is that the fires were probably started deliberately. But maybe the culprits did the community a favour - the car parking is free again. But that's just speculation :-) Other topics that may be of help to anyone writing up the history of what was the "Chobham Tank Factory" : Geoff Fox is the neighbour of the Bansals, is friendly with them, exchanging vegatables, etc from their gardens. His wife Daphne Fox passed away recently, having been the dinner lady at St Michaels School where our three girls went. Geoff is not on the Net - but he can speak face to face. Geoff worked at Ferranti in the early 1960s, then many years at "The Tank Factory" Chobham - knowing of the local "Give Way" road sign, riddled with bren gun ( or AK47? ) holes ? June and I visited it recently - but the sign, there for years, was missing - stolen by "Pikeys"* ? :-) See my Chobham page. * "Pikey is an old slang term for Gypsy, Traveller, etc. I understand that I might have Pikey blood in me from my Great Grandfather. Maybe that and Viking blood is in my DNA ? :-)

Monday 7th December 2020 Baby Jack is born ! Frimley Park (Military) Hospital, at 0947z (09:47); Mother and baby Jack good; 6 lb 7 oz ( 2.92 kg ); Click on pictures to expand. Bill Gurney and Jack Ponsford looking down on their Great Grandson ? :-) From last year's 2019 newsletter "Lovely Wedding of nephew Paul Gurney and Kim".

Speaking of new babies, and recent news, in the early hours of Thursday 10th December, I got a lovely email from old friend Jhinns Cheng, in China: "Dear Robin sir, I checked your website. Thank you for remebering me all the time. Monday 7th December 2020 Baby Jack is born ! Congratulate. My son was born at 2020.11.25. His Chinese name is YiTing. Could you give him an English name? He is smart and strong:) sincerely, Jhins".

I obviously sent Jhinns a suitable reply, shared with some others, and we can all see visits from Shenzhen and Shanghai. Any ideas ? :-) Click on this old photo to go to my relevant page. Both babies YiTing and Jack were born in this Chinese year of the rat. I understand some believe that means "Wealth and Begining of a new Day". The Chinese New year starts on Friday 12th February 2021, so, for most Chinese, "Christmas", originally a Pagan Festival, lasts longer. Those curious may google There may be more here soon. For me, it just means a more intensive period of catching up with old friends - and a longer period of celebration :-)

The sad headline TV news of Dame Barbara Windsor, passing away with Alzheimers, caught June and Robin's attention, as they had breakfast in their kitchen, at 0900 on Friday 11th December, 2020. Here is yet another example where comedy, humour, and death, and doing good, may combine. Tap of click on Barbara, to visit www.NHSCare.info and see that both Robin's parents passed away with Alzheimer's. Robin, but particularly his sister Sally, and her late husband Michael Campion, became experts on the subject of that condition, and long term care in general. See Sally's Michaels Memories or Click on Michael below for others. Michael worked for many years as a Carer, before his own health problems. Sally found the drug Aricept on the Net. The patent has now expired. A simple Alzheimers test takes only a minute, using a stop watch: "How many words, begining with S, can you say in a minute". Mum and dad only managed about 7 for the last years of their lives. The Aricept worked, with mum still being able to enjoy visits, remembering the good old days, but not something said a few minutes earlier.

Robin and his family have regularly done this test, since Robin has little fear, their having spoken to others years ago, that early diagnosis, followed by a drug like Aricept, does at least arrest or slow down the condition.

Robin's friends know how Robin regularly "winds up" June, by making sure old "Carry On" films, like "Carry on Camping", happen to get switched on, when June wants to watch TV. Robin did that Alzhemers test on June earlier this year, because of her symptoms of flares up in temper. She passed with flying colours. It was obviously Robin's annoying behaviour, encouraged by fishing pals like Gus. Play that trip to Lechlade and RAF Fairford. It brought back memories, shared recently with school day fishing chums :-)

Much of this page may appear to be "Self Promotion". No point in "hiding your bushell under a barell" if it may do some good ;-)

The video on the left shows the first day of Royal Ascot, under Covid19 conditions. Most of the video is of Robin's Uncle Bernie Sharp, back home from hospital. He gives Robin a tip, which turned out to be the winner ! What follows is part of the video, shot in Christmas 2018, with Berny talking about his dad, Harold Sharp, including how to make money on the horses ! :-)

I understand that research shows laughter is an animal survival instinct: it's not just cathartic. Recent BBC Radio 4 News.

Like many others, Robin has been hampered by his Internet Service Providers, affecting things like email, his web sites, visit counters, etc. See the bottom of his Home page. e.g. bookmark my alternate hostings such as on Force9. as well as www.gpss.co.uk . His "belts and braces" approach since 1995 has paid off - so far :-)

Networks of friends, such as RADYNE, Ferranti , City University , NATO , EASAMS ; their feedback: e.g Nigel Benee sat opposite me in 1970, before we both went to Holland, then returned to UK. e.g. UKAEA Police Inmarsat in 1996 . The British invented the Digital Computer at Bletchley Park; Ferranti exploited it; the Yanks invented GPS and the Net :-)

Last but not least:
A Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ! Love and Strength for 2021 from the Lovelock Family in Sunninghill ! :-)

© 1991-2020 Robin Lovelock.

Who has visited this 2020 Christmas Newsletter page ?