phone: +44(0)1970-880-416 mobile: 07974-113-283

e-mails: jrl@aber.ac.uk wendyling8@gmail.com website: www.johnling.co.uk

December 2013.

Can it be? No, surely not. Yes, it really is. Another twelve months have passed, another Christmas has arrived and hence, another newsletter is due.

John is, at long last, on the final, final leg of writing his latest book, now entitled Bioethical Issues – Understanding and Responding to the Culture of Death. There have been many early morning starts and long nights of text tweaking and paragraph polishing. It is due out next March. And there is now a Romanian version of his When Does Human Life Begin?, called Când începe viaţa umană? Other writing projects have included his regular updates of bioethical issues posted on his website, pieces in Polish and even an article in Welsh on euthanasia and palliative care. Despite all this, he remains solidly monoglot. Next year is already beginning to look bioethically busy with debates on so-called ‘three-parent’ IVF and a euthanasia bill in the House of Lords.

Speaking engagements this year have been as far apart as Harrogate, Derby, Bridgend, Godalming, Northampton and Reading. Besides these there were regular committee meetings in London and Leamington Spa. And magistrate court sittings have continued at Aberystwyth and Haverfordwest.

Wendy has resumed her grandmotherly duties of childminding, knitting, quilting and sewing. Her wifely duties of PA, proof-reader and bookseller (and much more!) to John continue. This year she harvested a bumper crop of red, white and blackcurrants from the garden, plus wild blackberries. Reading everyday and swimming every week are now part of her routine, as are spectacle-finder, ladder-holder and first mate on Lazy Lady.

In late May, we flew to Łodz (strangely pronounced, Woodj) where John was a speaker at an international conference, deep in the Polish countryside at a former hunting lodge of the Russian tsars. Then we took the opportunity to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau – everyone should go there once in their life to see what man can do to man. We spent a few days in Warsaw, the city disliked by most Poles, but thoroughly enjoyed by us. We took a bus and a walking tour. Virtually no building there is more than 60 years old – the Germans razed them and then the Poles rebuilt them exactly as they once were.

In August, the Brumettes came to stay with us while their parents swanned off to Florida for Simeon’s firm’s annual jamboree. We took them to the town’s highlights, including Constitution Hill, but the best fun was going crabbing for an afternoon – we caught dozens of the scary little beasties.

Lazy Lady had a good few outings this summer, 14 to be precise, and we caught 233 fish, mainly mackerel. And we are still enjoying eating them every week.

No Olympic torch in Aberystwyth this year, but the Halford’s Tour Series came – it was amusing to see the Olympic cycle champion, Ed Clancy, zipping round our tiny streets. And then one day in September, the Tour of Britain started in nearby Machynlleth, so we spent a rain-soaked morning watching Team Sky as Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and others prepared for their day’s wet ride.

Our regular trips to London continued. This year we visited the Manet exhibition at the Royal Academy, Gauguin at the Courtauld Gallery and Art Under Attack at Tate Britain. In the evenings, we ate at Zedel twice, and at Angler on Wendy’s birthday – all memorable occasions for quite different reasons. We also saw the RSC’s novel take on Voltaire’s Candide at Stratford-upon-Avon – superb.

Simeon remains with his US-based law firm, Squire Sanders, at its office in Birmingham. He cycles to work almost every day through the roaring streets of our second city. On other days he regularly has meetings in London and Leeds.

Anne has started work as a part-time administrator at a city-based Anglican church. She manages to juggle that with the school run and the demands of three fast-growing

daughters. As respite, she enjoys singing in her choir. She got her vital dose of all things French – sun, food and language – when the family spent some time at Saint-Chéron, just south of Paris, during the summer.

In September, you may have seen all three Brumettes briefly star on BBC TV’s The Culture Show to coincide with the opening of the new £190m Birmingham City Library.

Esther (10), yes now into double figures, is transitioning out of young girlhood – why, she now even bothers to brush her hair. Next year she moves up to a secondary school. Her violin practice is going well, driven largely by playing in a schools’ string orchestra.

Rachel (8) is as photogenic, as easily distracted and as crazy as ever. Ask her to create a story or answer a question and her reply is usually something totally unexpected and hilarious. She can now recognisably play Jingle Bells on her guitar!

Naomi (6) is as noisy as ever, perhaps she has always had to compete to be heard above her sisters. This year, she lost her front teeth, but now has a new, pearly set. New class at school, new friendships – she is doing well.

Ben continues to work in the Public Good Plant Breeding (weird name indeed) group at Aberystwyth University. They have just secured a multimillion pound, 12-year contract for breeding field beans. At home he has been busy laying new paths and building a huge shed. And he is now the owner of Honey, Holly and Hatty, three chickens, which produce three eggs every day. Sadly, he has had to sell the motorbike and buy a little car to keep warm and dry on the daily commute.

Glenda has started work too. She does just one night a week at the local Cysgod y Coed residential home. It is a place full of old, but sweet, characters. And she really enjoys it.

Tiana (4) now attends Ysgol Feithrin, the Welsh-speaking playgroup, five mornings a week. In January she will start at the Llanilar Primary School, full-time. Changes, changes.

Gwen (2) is now thriving. She walks well and talks constantly and she has an endearing love of books. She eats like a proverbial horse and even lets John suck her thumb. She is so cute!

The Rymans had the BIG event of the year – another son. On 17 May at 08.03, at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Caleb Zephaniah Ryman was born. He weighed 9lb 2oz with strawberry blond hair. He has now grown to be the most placid and smiley boy ever – grandparents’ poetic licence allowed.

Christopher continues with his musical interests, playing and listening and recording. Next year, he and a friend plan to launch a business, teaching Futsal. That is a five-a-side game, played indoors, that apparently works wonders for learning football skills.

Anna seems to be busier than ever with a constantly full house in Reading. She is on the go with church meetings, library visits, walks along the Thames, nursery groups to attend, playing in the nearby park and all the other normal duties of a modern mum.

Mia (4) meanwhile is becoming quite the little grown-up, with a clear determination of her own, though her childlikeness does surface every now and again. She has started to read and is quite good with numbers – she must be just about ready to start at university.

Joshua (2) is as contented as the day is long. Give him a toy tractor or a ball and you and he are friends for life.

Christmas is Incarnation time. Actually it is not. At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Christ child. The Second Person of the Trinity came to this earth, at His Incarnation, some nine months before. It was God in a womb – very God and very man, one person with two natures. Think how that dignifies all human life. He came to rescue lost men and women – that is the real meaning and joy of Christmas. As they rightly say, Christmas begins with Christ. May we all know something of that most profound meaning and joy in the coming days.

And we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Greetings,