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So....... married and
finished with South Africa we returned to Europe.... but language and contacts
virtually dictated that we returned to London rather than (say) Rome or Munich
or wherever.. Bassy and Anne gave my Mum a lift to meet us at Heathrow and
then it was the usual wife/mother-in-law discontentments for the next 15/16
years.
2, Brickwell
Walk, Tylers Green, Bucks - aged 30 to 32 -1973 to 1975
What a "wake-up"....!!
I'd gone off to South Africa 3 or 4 years before and a big detached house on 1
acre in Gerrards Cross cost £15-20,000. So we had some savings and reckoned
that's the sort of lifestyle we'd get into...... alas, prices were more into the
£40,000 bracket - and all we could afford was poor little Brickwell Walk (about
£12,000) - a terraced, 3 bedroom cardboard box, warm-air central heating etc..
Memories...
 | I joined up with
Jim Davis & Bassy in Systems 70 |
| We bought a dark
blue MGB-GT, nice car but broke the rear axle |
| The piddly little
back garden with single car garage occupying 30% |
| Easy shopping on
the estate |
| Me doing the DIY
- installing double-glazing - very badly!! |
| Paying £15
call-out for Gas Stove guy to come (when the gas stove wouldn't turn on) and
point to the "Timer" switch which had somehow got pushed to 3 minutes - but not
initiated - all he did was come in, point, collect the money and left. |
| BBQ's inevitably
ending up in the garage because of the rain. |
| Walks on Sundays
in the woods around the area |
| Brittsy being
born and her arrival home - the "nursery" |
| Meeting Roger
Hicks and Maureen Hicks - lots of outings (and even holidays - to Italy) with
them |
| Meeting Les
Bentley and Regina Bentley, again lots of good outings, they lived in the same
road as my mum. |
| Selling to a
couple (he was into graphics) and the brilliant decorations he made to the
place. |
| Good times... |
33 Wheeler Ave,
Tylers Green Bucks - aged 32 to 40 - 1975 to 1983
OK - this was getting
more like it... on a smaller estate, bigger 4 & 5 bedroom houses with maybe 1/3
rd of an acre garden each - good quality, kept nicely etc... £30,000
| Inga being born
and coming home |
| Emily arriving -
our black cocker-spaniel - no brain, but lovely. |
| Ron & Pam next
door neighbours and their kids Matthew and ?Katie? |
| Other neighbours
Mike McAvoy, the doctor next door, the couple next to them, who went off to
USA, the sub-mariner across the road, and others up left of us |
| The Jubilee
Street Party - excellent!! |
| Building the
sandpit at the bottom of the garden, installing the swing |
| Having a guy come
in and build a brick fireplace - the chimney was there - but the installed
fireplace was only plastic. Took him about 3 days - and it was very smoky (but
that was more the chimney's fault than his) |
| Recording lots of
Greg Edwards shows from Capitol Radio |
| Nice big double
garage |
| Gardening was
easy, enjoyable |
| Taking kids to
Tylers Green First School and picking them up in the afternoons |
| Meeting the
Kunheims - Mat, Jane, Michael and Toasty - through the Tylers Green School -
lots of outings and holidays - thanks Matt & Jane for 2 great holidays in their
Cape Cod home. |
| The start of
au-pairs - basically to look after the kids - Lore was first, her sister also
au-paired in Beaconsfield |
| Then came
Gabriella, Anna-Grit (didn't last long), Anke and Ute - all lovely girls -
thanks!! |
| Britta wanting to
"board" at Godstowe |
| Inga following
Britta to Godstowe |
| Inga getting
blown-up by a bottle of beer - that was a bad day!! |
| I did my 1 year
contract in Saudi Arabia during this time |
| Buying the BMW
320 - in Brussels, Belgium - what a great deal - despite ****ing Government
taxes:
 | At that time,
the car would have cost £9,000 in the UK |
| From a BMW
dealer in Brussels we bought it for the equivalent of £4,500 |
| We ran it in by
going to the family in Hannover then |
| Entering UK
through Dover paid £1,500 in Taxes (Import and whatever - applying amazingly
biased (in the Govt's favour) exchange rates) |
| £6,000 instead
of £9,000 and a great weekend in Brussels to boot!! |
|
| A variety of
cars...Blue beetle, Citroen Dyane, Chrysler Alpine, VW Scirocco, White Beetle,
BMW, |
| Good times... |
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Lived-in
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