TOM LEONARD---CHRISTMAS GREETINGS 2022, UPDATED NEW YEAR'S EVE

                                      Tom Leonard---Christmas Greetings 2022

                                  

UPDATE: I watched my Anglo-Canadian second cousin Celia Hatton on the BBC last night, she is a sweet and wonderful lady, and so similar to her mother Janette, my dear Auntie Audrey, and my great Aunt Olive.

                                                       

                                                                                 

Greetings to all my friends and relatives, and I hope that you are bearing up during these troubled times. My social bubble (with my very forbearing flatmate Scott and his equally dynamic girlfriend Julie  who is now teaching autistic children) have experienced our fair share of troubles and more than our fair share of good times (e.g Scott and Julie's wonderful trip to Prague while parts of Czechia were in flames) 

                                                     

and we are as always looking forward to Scrabble at Julie's place on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. My carers, mainly from Africa and India, are following the World Cup, and also looking after me, as are the GPs and nurses at my new medical practice as I now fall into cognitive (according to my recent CT scan, I have a smaller than expected cerebellum) as well as physical decline, My memory has already become very selective indeed, but I am hoping that my mind will improve if and as I progress into dementia!!.

                                                       

8th December 2022: Nevertheless, with a draw against Gussarom of Colombia (rated 2091) I this evening achieved a Chess.Com rapid play rating of 1960, in the top 0.3% in the world, though there are lots of beginners among the over 2 million Chess.Com players.

My congratulations to Plymouth Argyle on their recent successes, about 64 years after I first started attending Home Park, and to my statistical friends Julian and John at the University of Plymouth  for compiling all the relevant statistics on Argyle's behalf.

   RECORD BREAKING ARGYLE WIN AGAINST EXETER CITY 

                                                          

    ELEVEN TALENTED STATISTICIANS AT UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

 I pray for my ex-partner Nicky, and my dear friend and literary collaborator Lindsay as they remain productive, in Tucson and in Edinburgh, during all their adversities. My thanks to Jim (Dame Ophelia Mountshaft) and several fellow attendees of Broughton St. Mary's Parish Church, and Rev Bill Taylor and Geoff Floyd for all their help and support.

                                                        

                                               Dame Ophelia              

My thanks to Dr. Jan Kerr and the staff of Princess Alexandra's Eye Pavilion for speedily and successfully operating on the cancer in my eyelid, and the consultants in respiratory medicine at the Western General for treating my complicated chest condition. 

                                         OH GREAT SPIRIT

                                                 

Nicky in about 1996