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Welcome to John´s homepage, a little coarse to begin with but I´m just learning. This is to give a view over the John Owens, de Sarre family, which I will attempt to update as more material becomes available. Stay tuned!

The above photo of me was taken in Norwich in about 1970 (oh! what times they were). Oh, the car by the way was my baby, a Porsche 930 Turbo SE 'flachschnauzer' (a flatnose 911 to the uninitiated).

Now I've turned practical, middle class, driving a Volvo V70 D5 SE (diesel!!!) estate (old age or dementia LOL). (Still miss the kick though.....Practical sucks!!)

But back to the past, and family things. I had left home in Northern Ireland, in 1968, after my GCE 'O' levels, and via a round about way, arrived in Norwich (due to my Aunt Caroline and Uncle Pete living there at the time thus providing a roof over my head). I started work as a builder’s mate (no GCE results yet) but two weeks later I was working at the Clover Can Company, in the factory. I made swift promotion to manager’s assistant, but I had to get a bus to work, and as the pay wasn’t very much, I looked for something closer to home (which by that time was close to the city centre). I got a job as clerk at Mann Egerton (car dealership), in the city centre (no bus needed). This lasted a few months, but still on low wages.

Then I applied for, and got a job as a conductor (bus, not orchestra, silly), on the back of a Roadmaster double decker bus, no back door, earning more than twice as much as I had as an office worker, stuck in doors, and it was the summer.

Lovely, the outdoors (well nearly). Here are a few photos I found online to give you an idea

I had a great time, and really fun summer.



- - - - AFTER THIS POINT I HAVE ADDED A NUMBER OF PHOTOS HAVE BEEN CENSURED ON THE ORDERS OF SOMEONE WHO WILL OF COURSE REMAIN ANONYMOUS !!! - - - -



During this turbulent (no, laid back, relaxed...) period of trying to find the (my) meaning of life I had met someone (in a club, disco's hadn't been invented yet), and started going out with her. Sylvia She was beautiful. It's a pity that due to censurship no one can see this. Anyway back to the story. Little did I know that she was 15 at the time. Our lovely daughter Amanda was a/the result of this relationship. Years later Sylvia told me that Amanda was conceived after we’d returned to my rooms after being to a Free concert (the group, not the entrance fee), at the University of East Anglia, and having seen ‘All Right Now' sung live by Paul Rodgers……(The POWER of MUSIC !!!).



As you can clearly see, Amanda was a beautiful baby/child obviously taking after her beautiful mother, Sylvia , and of course, ME, her father .



Well at that time, probably being a little naieve, I kept wanting/waiting to marry Sylvia, but she didn´t seem that way inclined, (and her parents wouldn't allow her to see me for some reason !!!), so given the circumstances, I decided to take up the offer of a job in Amsterdam ,only really expecting to stay here for about 6 months. (Things, though, do take a strange turn... see later!)



Before I knew it 7 years had gone by, During that time I had met and married Marie, and had a son Jon Denis (JD) (1978)...... ...(named in part after a Blondie song), and a beautiful daughter Sarah (1979).. ... (Have you guessed? Named after the Bob Dylan song - WELL COME ON NOW, IT WAS THE SEVENTIES!!)



This was while we ... ... were still living in Holland. ...



We ended up back in England in 1982, in Newark, where Marie and I divorced shortly after.


I made contact with Sylvia during this period, but when I knocked on her door and it was answered by some bloke, I got the impression that she was in a relationship and so nothing came of this.



Now Newark isn't the most stimulating of places on this planet, (some would call it the enema of the earth) and my work prospects weren't exactly brilliant (being out of work at the time), so when I got the offer of work back in Holland I couldn’t really turn it down. The only regret was losing contact with JD and Sarah.


A couple of years later (1987) .. … I met, and a year later, married Jacqueline, and out of this marriage came THE BOYS, Jay (1989) and Michael (1992)... . ..



A great street party in 1995 ..enjoyed by all..



Two great boys



And aren't they darlings when they're asleep .... and .... Not Mike's everyday sleeping position, LOL xxxx



Jay with friend Ramy (who Michael also saw as his friend) and and friend Mike found on holiday in Spain in 1999, and waiting for the plane to spain in 2006 and Disney



During this period, while on holiday back in England (Newark) I also came in contact with Sarah again, sadly, only to lose contact again shortly after.


 A few years later (around 1995) Jacqueline and I were divorced.



As I mentioned above, things took a strange turn. Getting to a certain age, I understand, sometimes people look back at their past life, with all its ups and downs, sometimes with regrets about how it all turned out (or didn´t),

or to try to make sense of it, or try to sort it out, however late it might be.

Anyway, by coincidence I found out Sylvia´s address in England, and sent her a xmas card as way of introduction after all those years, and not knowing her social situation. (I had apparently missed her wild lifestyle, as is obvious in the photo)

She sent me a card with her telephone number in reply, saying that it would be nice to meet up again one day. She decided to call me and we were once more in contact. We met shortly after that and 6 months later, 19th July 2002, we were married, finally after about 22 years. But both expecting the other to move, and both having personal responsibilities, she remained living in England, with Amanda .... and I stayed in Holland. What a way things turn out. This story continues later.



As all can see, the beautiful child has turned into a beautiful woman who manages to bear a reseblance to her beautiful younger (half) sister, Sarah or am I the only one who sees it?? ...... ( LOOK AT THE CHILDHOOD PHOTOS )



Of course life has been going on since I started this homepage. Everyone is older. The Boys have grown, and of course changed. Jay has gone through various phases Also during this time he met Michele and they got married and they are living in Austin, Texas, where they both work for Apple.



Mike is still around Amsterdam, and, like Jay, has gone through various phases He is quite an accomplished musician, playing guitar, and most other instruments that he picks up. He is also a great Web designer, having been working professionaly for various companies since he was about 15.




Sarah is a beautiful woman and has a daughter of her own, Niamh I see a striking resemblanse betwee the first photo of Amanda, and the first one of Niamh (or am I wrong?



JD, or Jon as he prefers is working in computers (what a coincidence, me, Jon, Jay and Mike all making our livings with computers...) and is married, and lives in Australia seen here with his wife Yuki, and daughter, enjoying life in Australia..




Having got a new hobby, a boat, renamed Scorpio. A small one, 34 footer (10.5 metres), and teaching myself to sail, hoping to sail solo to Cyprus in May/June 2014, to live there for a few years, enjoying the lifestyle, and sun..............

Update to that, through Jacqui and Nigel (now living in Cyprus since Oct. 2013), I learnt that I would have to have skipper's papers and VHF mariphone license (which are not necessary for sailing around Holland, so I don't have them), and also a mooring is almost impossible to find there, so plans/dreams have to be rethought if I want to move there. Now it's a case of selling the house (first priority), and then probably the boat.

2015 was a busy year.

In May I sold Scorpio, tears in my eyes, but I didn't want to be stuck with a boat to sell after selling my house, and having to delay my moving on.

On the 31st July 2015 the court pronounced the Decree Absolute, and the end of my marriage to Sylvia.

On the 1st September I signed the sale contract for my house (after 22 years of having lived in it, no tears)

and on 3rd September I was sitting in a plane, destination ----- Cyprus.