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I finished the contract in Saudi and returned to Tylers Green, where we were about to move house again. We'd agreed that we wanted a tennis court, and that a swimming pool was a waste of money in the UK - so we moved into:
Roman Lodge, Manor Rd, Penn, Bucks - aged 40 to 47 -1983 to 1990
Cost was ?70,000 - It had an outdoor swimming pool - and no tennis court - brilliant!!
Down a private road with speed-humps (sleeping policemen) - now has a web-site - http://www.manor-road.com/
Nice properties all down the road
Lots of trees, hedges
The Bassys were quarter of a mile further down on the other side
Within a week or so of moving in... Guy Fawkes/Bonfire night at next door neighbours - Eric Richford & Jan Richford - a foretaste of what was to come
Brittsy and Inga - good mates with Jason Richford (Eric & Jan's son & heir)
Cars were BMW & White Beetle (it got re-sprayed red years later)
The hedge and lawn cutting plus pool cleaning - what chores during the summer!! They'd take all day!!
Also - cleaning out the gutters - 14 foot ladder out on the balcony, tilted out only 3 feet - me at the top, leaning out backwards to get over the roof/gutter lip - many a scare there!!
The kids ended up at private schools (Brittsy at Croft House in Shillingstone in Dorset and Inga Sherborne, Dorset)
A typical school weekend.......
Out with friends for Friday night
Saturday morning around 10:00 o'clock start driving to Dorset,
Around 12:00 arrive a Brittsy's school, hang about while she says tearful farewells to classmates/friends who are "prisoners" for the weekend
Drive off to Sherborne - 15-20 minutes
Around 13:00 pick Inga up after similar exchanges... the two chatter and play idiots in the back whilst the driver gets on with it - can remember the trusty Walkman coming in handy to aid concentration to the road from the hysterics in the back!!
Back home around 15:00 - start the chores... lawns, hedges etc...
Out with friends for Saturday night - usually with kids etc... great!! Peking Inn at Cookham was an all-time favourite (Kwok Leong are you still there??) - Matt / Jane / Toasty /Michael, Eric / Jan / Jason, Paul / Anne / James / Claudia - fabulous times!!
Back home around 23:00 - up Sunday a bit late
Classical music and champagne until lunch-time, then around 15:00 have to start sobering-up to take the kids back to school
Around 17:00/18:00 start drive back to school, drop Brittsy off - then Inga, then 2 hours back home
Around 21:00/22:00 arrive home and get to bed!!
It was worse in the winter - icy roads - slower traffic, dark, lights, wipers, heater etc....
The Marathons & Half-Marathons that used to come down the road... Eric was a bit of a "torturer" and insisted that we sat outside, on the road with bottles of Shampop - drinking ourselves, quietly to oblivion whilst cheering the silly sods on... wonder who the silly sods are now??
No, no - truly - we DID share the pop with any of the runners who wanted it!!
Tennis with Eric & Jan on their court - what a great way to revive on a Sunday after a heavy Saturday out.
Then of course... bottles of Shampop after the game
The cherry tree in full bloom
BBQ's and swimming parties - our pool for the hardy outdoor types - then Eric & Jan's indoor pool for the fainthearted
I especially enjoyed sitting in the little rubber dinghy, just floating around our pool with a drink and Sunday morning papers - what luxury!!
Emily crashing out the back of the house, barking mad, racing off through the hedge, through into Eric & Jan's garden, through their Rhododendrons, out into their lawn area - only to find.... nothing - what did she think she was chasing??
The upgrading of the road etc.. we all had to pay in for that - but very nice... pillars either side of the road - at both ends - with electronic barrier - very snooty!!
Sitting out on the balcony, looking at the setting sun - through a glass of Shampop - Chris Rea trilling away - brilliant!
Italian dinner evenings - in our dining area off the kitchen - as many people as possible, all reaching and stretching for food & drink - everybody pile in - first come first served
131 Tilehouse Way, Denham, Bucks - aged 47 to 50 - 1990 to 1993
And then it was all over....kids still at school, the removal vans went their separate ways, Emily got given away.. aaahhh poor Emily!
My mother had been in a Nursing home for a few months - and with no chance of her returning home I'd started getting her place "renovated". Good old Steve Warren and Marsha Warren organising everything - new windows, new central heating, convert garage into a bedroom, fitted cupboards in most bedrooms, new gas fire in lounge, new kitchen, new bathroom etc.. etc.. but of course it was only half finished when I moved in
First night - all bedrooms were off limits because of work being undertaken in them, no electricity, no water, all furniture etc.. piled up in lounge - I had to sleep amongst it all
Next morning - up early into work - to get a shower etc..
After a few days.. can remember the first shower in the new bathroom - not enough water pressure - but great all the same.
Eventually getting rid of the "workers" and being able to get sorted out
Brittsy moved in and decided to do a Diploma at Amersham College
Lots of noisy evenings - her mates round - poor neighbours - sorry....
Buying of Whoopsie - her Citroen 2CV - took it to college where it was painted by members of the "Art Dept"
Knocking golf balls down the garden with Brian Stoate - then deciding to really get into a couple - went over the railway embankment at the bottom of the garden - never to be seen again.
Fitness running round the block a few times, in the winter too - with 3 or more pullovers on, to help sweating.
Neighbours next door - nice couple, and Pauline across the road.
Again.. the chores... cutting the lawns and Laurel hedges
Working at UBS above Liverpool St station, went in late (around lunch time) stayed until 01:00 am or later - the boys supporting the IBM systems, good company... Team leader (?Steve?) had a brother who worked in Shenzhen, the Irish guy left to go volunteering in Philippines, then there was Kiwi and fat-bastard!! Sorry names have ...gone!!
When that contract finished - I decided to try retirement - very enjoyable - salads for lunch then off for a doze on the bench down the bottom of the garden. Was spending too much though... then Wal phoned - and off I went to Hong Kong....