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Notes from bygone years – October..ctober..tober..ober…
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
October 2022 (1 year before publishing this article)
In October 2022, I visited Cirencester’s Roman amphitheatre to see a display by the Ermine Street Guard, a reenactment and experimental archaeology group that builds and tests Roman Army equipment. They’re often in demand for events all over the UK. There was quite a crowd on this day, most of them sitting on the arena slopes and giving a good idea of the amphitheatre’s size in a way that’s not so clear when it’s empty. The military display was excellent too and the weather was kind.
October 2021 (2 years before publishing)
In October 2021 my Mammillaria cactus was in full flower. I bought it in the 1960s as a gift for my girlfriend, Judy, when we were both still at school. It lived on her bedroom windowsill until she went to university in 1967; and when we were married in 1970 it moved with us into our bedsit in Bristol. It’s still going strong after all those years and is now getting almost too large to manage with seven flowering arms.
October 2018 (5 years before)
In October 2018 Donna and I spent some time at Westonbirt Arboretum, strolling amongst the autumn colours and taking photos of some of the best views. We love this place; I’ve known it since childhood and it never disappoints – at any season.
October 2013 (10 years)
In October 2013 we were in Edinburgh. Some friends were getting married there and we’d been asked to help. It’s one of our favourite UK cities so we spent a few days there after the wedding before returning home to St Neots. One of the places we visited was HMY Britannia, now permanently moored and open to the public. The photo shows the state dining room.
October 2008 (15 years)
In October 2008 I was working for Unilever at their Colworth research lab north of Bedford. I worked four days a week at this time, and one of those was from home. You can see my work laptop at the left of this photo, in a quiet corner of our conservatory.
October 2003 (20 years)
In October 2003 I visited Bayeux with two friends from work, Tony and Phil. We drove to Portsmouth where we visited HMS Victory, the Mary Rose and HMS Warrior and then took my car across to Cherbourg on the ferry. We looked at Bayeux Cathedral inside and out and also took a look at the famous tapestry, then Omaha Beach. It was a great trip.
October 1998 (25 years)
In October 1998 Donna and I had a week’s holiday on the south coast of Turkey, at Fethiye. We had a good break (apart from 24 hours with bad tummies) and we mixed days by the beach with visits to interesting places. One of these was the ruined Greek town of Kayaköy.
October 1993 (30 years)
In October 1993 I was working at Long Ashton Research Station as the Microcomputing Manager and Judy was teaching Biology GCSE and A-level at Cotham Grammar School. Our daughters Debbie and Beth were both at Backwell Comprehensive school.
October 1988 (35 years)
In October 1988 I’d just redecorated Beth’s bedroom and she had organised the furniture and put her belongings back. She did a brilliant job, still at Yatton Junior School at the time. The photo shows the result in part.
October 1983 (40 years)
In October 1983 I was researching fruit pollination at Long Ashton Research Station, mostly on plums and apples. Debbie was eight and was at junior school, Beth was five and had started school too. Judy was probably teaching by this time.
October 1978 (45 years)
In October 1978 Debbie was three and the new baby (Beth) was only 5 months old. We were living in Yatton, near Bristol; at the time both were within the county of Avon.
October 1973 (50 years)
In October 1973, the old family business was still active, the image is from their price list.
October 1968 (55 years)
In October 1968 I was in my third year at the University of Bath, studying for a BSc in Horticulture. I sent a tape letter to my girlfriend Judy, at university in Aberystwyth. (Tape letters were a thing in those days, you recorded a message on a small reel-to-reel tape and posted it in a cardboard case.)
October 1963 (60 years)
In October 1963 I visited Chedworth Roman Villa on a school trip and took a photo of the museum building on the site.
October 1958 (65 years)
In October 1958, my sister Cindy turned seven; NASA launched Pioneer 1 into space; and BOAC flew the first transatlantic jet service, beating PanAm by three weeks. I was in my sixth and final year at junior school (Miss Taylor’s class).
October 1953 (70 years)
In October 1953 I had settled in to my first term at junior school. I think I was quite happy by this time, enjoying learning to form letters and doing simple arithmetic, making some new friends, and playing in the playground.
October 1948 (75 years)
In October 1948 I was two to three months old; although I don’t remember anything, of course, I’m told my grandfather took a bit of a shine to me. We were living at my grandparents home in Cirencester while Mum and Dad saved up a little money and put their names down for a council house on the Beeches Estate. Mum’s parents lived in Northern Ireland.
October 1943 (80 years)
In October 1943, Dad joined Cirencester’s Air Training Corps (ATC), he’d long been interested in aircraft and was a keen model builder and flier as well as joining the ATC at school. I think that he was already intending to join the RAF as soon as he was old enough.
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