there's always one rotten apple!!!

In the Summer of my twelfth year, I learned another valuable lesson-- not all of your family can be trusted.
One of my aunts, named Mary, was married to a Polish man called William. My other uncles and aunts didn't really get on with them for two reasons. One, they owned their own house in which they are living---making them snobs. The other reason was, because my Uncle William they said "was a bloody foreigner" and this I heard from my own mother's mouth--- one Sunday morning, when she was talking to her sister, my Aunt May.

Yet, despite all of these criticisms, Mary and William used to have me at their house a lot during the holidays to play with my cousins, Peter and Paul, and never forgot anyone's birthday--always came on Christmas eve with presents for everyone. Mine was always a ten bob note (50 pence) but this Christmas, it was a fishing rod complete with reel, line, hooks and floats---making me so keen for Spring to come.

box of chocolates...

A lot of you must wonder why I don't talk about  my mum on here. Truth be told, I really did not know her. Apart from sometimes seeing her at supper---very occassionally. She spent so many hours at work that our paths rarely crossed. On the odd occassion that I saw her, she usually was sleeping. At that time, it was not uncommon for people in the nursery industry (greenhouse) to work 90 hours a week. 

My one real regret is that by the time I left school, my mum was really more like a person I just happened to know. That is why you will mainly read stories of my grandfather, my nan and uncles.

I regret it, but that's life. 

As Forest gump says in the film: "life is a box of chocolates-- you don't know which one you will get."

Oh what a day!!!!

As I was saying in my last blog, my friends and I had enjoyed a couple of trouble free trips to our local orchard---picking apples and pares. I was ten at this time. Being very clever ---sneaking in and out like ninjas or so we thought. Little did we know, the owner of said orchard had seen us on our second trip and it seems that scrumping whether  you're a ninja or not, was not going down well with Mr. Davies (owner of orchard). After planning our third trip to restock our tree house with much needed fruit (we were also Robin Hood and his merry men part time) we arrived at lunchtime as we knew or thought we knew everyone would be eating. We also made the biggest mistake of all which was climbing the same tree. As I was in mid pick, I heard this voice from below saying "now then young Jim what will Joe have to say about this?" (I never knew that was my grandfather's name at that time). I realised straight away that it was the village bobby (policeman). He said "now you can all get down here" so I and my mates Mark and Paul (they were brothers) climbed down to meet our fate. "Now" said the bobby as he gave us each a slap round the face "you two can go home" he meant Mark and Paul. "Why them" I asked--another slap was the answer "because you and me young Jim are going to see your grandfather Joe!" (the penny then dropped oh sod) .

THE START OF LIFE'S JOURNEY

Let's Begin 

Hi my name is Jim. I was born in the UK in 1954 into a very big family. like most in my era  I did not appreciate just how blessed I was to have been born in time when you could leave your door unlocked  and all your neighbours knew each  other. Unlike today when kids get home from school and go to their bedrooms to watch TV,  play games on their xbox or text friends and mum brings them some junk food nuked in a microwave oven (I know that is not the case in all house holds). In most cases, both  parents have to work which leaves little time for family bonding. 

I came from a single parent family but was lucky to be surrounded by aunts and uncles. My mother's mum, my grandmother, had seventeen sons and daughters and although my mum had to work full time my grandma and granddad helped raise me (we lived with them in the family house). Also, we lived in in the country side in Cheshunt , Hertfordshire. At that time, it had the biggest nursery industry in Europe which is where my mum worked growing fruit and veg.