ABOUT ME (Part Ten) - Please sign my Guestbook HERE

....continued from Part Nine.

About Me Page:   [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]  [5]  [6]  [7]  [8]  [9] [10] [11]

 

The first 4 years of marriage were very busy running coach tours and railway trips. I still managed to continue cycling with the club. However all that came to an end when our first son David was born in February 1967.

This was a great opportunity for me to buy my first '00' gauge model railway items (for David of course!!). See more about this in Railways section.

During the next ten years I carried on with my hobbies of still and super 8 cine photography, together with model railways and found time to give talks to local societies accompanied by film and slides. David was only four months old when we first took him to Scotland. We travelled on The Thames Clyde Express from Kettering on a special midweek ticket for around £10.50 return and it took roughly10 hours to get there. Nowadays you have to go via Northampton and it takes about 5 hours!

I still did my 'tapesponding' (see video pals) and was corresponding with up to 36 people across the world including Denmark, America, Canada, Kuala Lumpar etc.

In February 1979 our second son was born. He was named Peter-John (see picture - left) after our very good friends from Dumbarton, Scotland (again see ' Videosponding ').

Other things worthy of mention during our first 15 married years was a four day weekend trip to Paris with Shelton Osborne Coaches of Wollaston. This cost a mere £36.00 including all travel, accommodation and food. No such thing as the Channel Tunnel then!!

We also paid some visits to Butlins Holiday Camps. Yes Billy Butlin. He put holidays within the reach of the poorest families. Hundreds of chalets and mass feeding, together with more entertainment than you could manage, gave a week of  sheer joy to many people.

I was still working for the Co-op and one day I got the surprise of my life when I received a letter from Lever Brothers telling me that I had won £300 in holiday vouchers and a camera. This was a lot of money in the 70's.  We had a 2 week holiday in a 5 star hotel in the Julian Alps (northern Yugoslavia) including all flights, accommodation and entertainment for £297 for two adults and one child.

Just after Peter-John was born my life took a complete turn. New avenues opened. All the time that I had worked for the Co-op as a supermarket manager I was also doing interior decorating. A friend of mine John K said "you should give up the co-op and set up your own decorating business". How right he was. At this stage I had no driving license . I was finished with the retail trade. So I took driving lessons, passed on first test, set up a painting and decorating business and with the help of friends who hired me went from strength to strength. I ran a successful business until I retired at 66 years young. I just cant give up completely and still operate a small maintenance business.

During the last 25 years or so my wife and I joined Sharnbrook Amateur Theatre Trust where June performed on stage (she has had this hobby since schooldays) and I took part in various activities including running the bar for some 6 years.

 

I am so privileged to have a loving wife who is a brilliant cook. I have two wonderful sons  ... David is married to Natasha (a lovely lass} and they presented us with our first grandson ....Benjamin  in 2004.  PJ is still viewing the field so we are awaiting developments. I feel so lucky .So far I've had a brilliant life and I am thankful.

So what about now and the future? ....Well, I have started going to societies and clubs again giving talks and film shows, from which any payments are donated to The Macmillan Nurses Appeal. Three years ago I purchased my first computer for the sum of £699. With the help and guidance of my two good friends Kevin and Colin (who have one hell of a lot of patience), I have now spent £1500 on my computer! ...You know how it is  .....Better graphics card....  bigger drive  ....DVD rewriter, the list is endless.

I use Pinnacle for all my film and slide shows. Trainz. Wow! Now that's some program. I build train layouts galore. Paint Shop Pro, Nikon View, Incredimail,  Ebay (mmmm  I get a bit addicted to that at times!!!). Then, of course there is this website. Without my pal Kevin this would never have happened ....... thanks matey.

I have made a lot of new friends since I retired, mainly due to a war weekend at the Columbia Hotel in Wellingborough, I thank everyone who is involved in my past and present life for putting up with me 

Yes Life really does go on........During the summer of 2006 I was given a bike by my good friend Gail. By a bike I mean the kind that you peddle. So here we are full circle. If you read 'About Me' page 8 you will see what I mean. I had been doing town and village walks on foot, but NOW I am doing the same on a bike. At this point I would like to thank the great staff at Halfords in Wellingborough who certainly went out of their way to help an old age cyclist get kitted out properly.

During September 2006 June and I visited our friends John and Peter in Scotland taking the bike as well as the holiday luggage. During the two weeks there I cycled almost 100 miles, sometimes videoing as I peddled along. Not easy but this method creates a very unusual video.

                                                     

I now average two or three rides per week and combine video and still
photographs. Not wanting to overdo things I usually just average 8 to 12 miles on each trip.

It is the end of 2007. It's a pretty dull day but I'm glad to be sitting here still alive and kicking .A couple of weeks ago I opened the window and ' in flu enza ' !!!!!! I got over that ok and must say had an excellent festive season with a wonderful family and great friends. I hope you did too.

 The whole year has been very good for us. Our young son PJ has got engaged to Jemma who has a four year old boy, so we are lucky to have an instant grandson. They expect a little girl in mid January so we will then have a granddaughter. Her name will be Hannah.

Here is a picture of her at seven and a half months  What a fantastic picture. Scans were unheard of when I was born !!

We made a lot of new friends this year, among them a group of students from Canada who stayed a week at the Columbia Hotel. When they were not racing their car at Silverstone, we entertained them. Visiting places like Sywell Air Museum and the American Cemetery near Cambridge. We also did a  fair bit of eating and drinking.  

                                        The students and the car that they built.

Other new friends are Dave Clark, the guys down at Mill Road bridge and at Harrowden Junction. Hi to you all, thanks for your friendship. A little 'motto' here. Never kick a friend away like a deflated football. He may not feel he is able to come bouncing back.

Photography ? Well as you can see there are a lot of new pictures on the site, the latest being in RAILWAYS Modern Image. I hope you enjoy them. I get a great deal of pleasure using my camera but still have a lot to learn.

I have done some experimenting...    Need I say more

We managed to get to our friends in Scotland twice this year for holidays and there are of course plenty of pictures on this site in ' HOLIDAYS '

Our final holiday for the year was Weston Super Mare Illuminated Carnival. A joy to behold. You can see the pictures in ' Holidays ' on this site.

On a jovial note we did buy some Penguin Poo this year !! 

We have already booked a family holiday for 2008. This will be staying in converted and restored teak bodied railway carriages in Devon. We stayed there some five years ago and can thoroughly recommend it. We will bring you pictures of this next year.

I would like to mention here,  'FISH' . All my life I have avoided eating fish due to tiny bones that one sometimes finds. I have always been a Steak man and indeed at one time was a Steak Chef. However many of my friends have been talking ' fish ' and how good it is for you. I got tempted. The first I had was Halibut with a white sauce and prawns over it. Mmmm delicious. Next was Sea Bass fillets. Mmm more delicious.. and no bones. I am now nearly ' hooked' . Trout fillets, Swordfish steaks, Skate wings,

 and would you believe it.. ...Octopus...Full marks to my darling wife for her expert preparation and cooking.

So that's about it for 2007. I will be 71 years young in April 2008 and I trust that you will all join me as we travel through another year. Hope you have a really good one. Thank you.

I leave you with a summer scene at the river in Wellingborough..

 

 

About Me Page:   [1]  [2]  [3]  [4]  [5]  [6]  [7]  [8]  [9] [10] [11]