Bristol – Journeys of Heart and Mind

Two welcoming families

Judy and I were hooked, more and more so as we spent further time with the lovely people at Zetland Road. We discovered that the origins of Zetland were with the Brethren as that movement spread from the south-west peninsula of Cornwall and Devon.

Zetland Road Church – (Both images in this article are from Google maps)

2 – developing faith

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We left part one of this series with our discovery that the weird-looking place near our flat in St Andrews in Bristol, was in fact Zetland Road Fellowship (now Zetland Evangelical Church) – and not weird at all. Judy and I had hunted high and low, all over the city, and not found what we were looking for. Somehow, we had known all along that we would know the right place when we found it. And so it turned out to be.

Zetland Road Fellowship

The first thing we noticed on walking into Zetland was that several people took the trouble to talk to us. There were smiles and we felt welcome amongst these people. This in itself was a novelty, different from everywhere else we had tried. When the meeting began things were pretty much as expected; there was a welcome, a mix of prayers and hymns, some notices, a Bible reading, thoughts and teaching on topics from the reading, and after the closing prayer an invitation to remain for tea or coffee, a biscuit, and a chat.

The conversation over a drink and biscuit was good too, welcoming, not pushy, but friendly and we had a chance to speak with several different people before we left.

After going along to Zetland for several Sundays, I decided to try an evening meeting on, I think, a Wednesday. I was blown away by what I found there! The text was from one of the books of Samuel and concerned King David, though I no longer remember the details. What I do remember is that it was a passage that I had read for myself in the past and that the way it was explained in the meeting was very striking. I remember being greatly impressed at the convincing thoughts expressed, the fact that there was more to know than I had seen for myself, that what was being said acted like a telescope, helping me see further and in more detail than before. I wanted to hear more – and more was being offered the following week.

Judy and I were hooked, more and more so as we spent further time with the lovely people at Zetland Road. They felt like a welcoming family. We discovered that the origins of Zetland were with the Brethren as that movement spread from the south-west peninsula of Cornwall and Devon. Both Zetland and (later) Horsecastle were Open Brethren assemblies. A lot of small, independent chapels were built in the Bristol area during Victorian times. There were a few things that we questioned privately – the insistence that women should wear hats for example, and the irritating fact that they were not permitted to speak in meetings. To some degree this spoiled the lovely Open Meetings they held once a month. And the belief they had that the spiritual gifts were no longer present in church life was also a problem for us, but they had so much clearly right that we were happy to ignore these niggles. We were not entirely happy, but more than happy enough to stay. Our spiritual and social lives benefitted enormously from being part of the Zetland fellowship. We particularly cherished the experience of each assembly governing itself. There was absolutely no higher level of authority apart from the Bible – no hierarchy whatsoever, no bishops, no pastor, no circuits, no rules, no limitations. From what Judy and I had read in the New Testament this seemed right to us.

We were only with the Zetland Road church for about two years because we wanted to move up the housing ladder from our unfurnished flat in St Andrews, Bristol, to a small mid-terrace 1960’s house in Yatton, twelve or so miles west of the city. Our first daughter, Debbie, was born shortly before the move and was dedicated at Zetland Road Chapel, a simple expression of gratitude not involving water or godparents. We’d already planned to share a caravan in Ilfracombe for a late summer holiday with Cliff and Ginnie, another young couple from the Zetland fellowship, and although we moved to Yatton before that holiday, we were still able to get away with them later. Cliff and Ginnie collected us from Yatton on their way to Ilfracombe (they had a car, we did not), but for the return journey they dropped us off at Barnstaple Railway Station and we caught the train back part way, but the Barnstaple train was delayed and we missed our connection to Yatton, the last one of the day. We had to ask a friend to rescue us from Bridgewater Station.

Horsecastle Chapel

We were absolutely up against the financial buffers when we made our bid for our first house in Yatton. We were only able to offer £7000 and it was a time of rapid inflation which made saving very hard. The asking price was higher than we could afford: quite a lot higher (perhaps £7500 or so, I don’t recall the exact figure). So when we put in our offer of £7000 we expected it to be rejected. Much to our surprise it was accepted straight away without discussion or argument. This seemed strange, but it was exactly what we needed and so we were relieved and excited as well as a little puzzled. But you don’t look a gift-horse in the mouth, so we just said thank you and the paperwork went through.

Two of my friends from work, Ruth and Peter helped us move. We hired a self-drive van and filled it with our hand-me-down three piece suite; our double bed funded by my grandmother, Nor; all our clothes, books, LPs etc; our cheap second hand dining table and four chairs; cooker and more. We set off for Yatton and and then discovered at the first right hand bend that a rear tyre was rubbing under the wheel arch and making a terrible noise. We had to take all right handers as slowly as possible, and with great relief arrived outside our new home.

With Ruth and Peter’s help we soon had everything indoors or stashed in the garage, and Ruth and Peter left us to it. By now it was late on Saturday and the shops had closed. As the evening light began to fail we turned on the light in the lounge only to find there was no bulb! We looked round the entire house and found all the bulbs removed and of course the shops would remain closed all day on Sunday. Finally, I checked the garage and found a bulb in the light fitting there, took it up to the house and fitted it so we had light at last, at least in one room.

Much later, we learned that the previous owners of our new home were Mark and Jean, members of the local Evangelical Chapel (Horsecastle). They had prayed about selling their home and moving to a bigger house in the village, and felt quite certain that they were supposed to accept whatever price we offered them!

What wonderful ways our heavenly Father has, working unexpectedly and often leaving us in ignorance until the time is right for us to know. He really is amazing!

Of course, one of our first thoughts was finding another gathering of people like those we’d been so delighted to find at Zetland. When they knew we were going to live in Yatton, the Zetland folk had told us about Horsecastle Chapel near the railway station in Yatton, and Claverham Chapel in the nearby village of Claverham. They recommended we take a look at these two places. We found we liked both, but Horsecastle was closer and larger so that’s where we ended up (a second welcoming family).

Our time at Horsecastle was good, we were both baptised while we were there, in a small pool underneath the raised dais at the front of the main meeting room. This was an exciting time and an important step in our journeys. For both of us it felt like a time of triumph and of belonging. We learned a lot at Horsecastle, we grew in faith and in knowledge, and we became deeply involved in the church community at a time when our young family was thriving . When our second child (Beth) was born she was duly dedicated at Horsecastle. But not everything was good.

Horsecastle held quarterly meetings when the entire church would meet to discuss planning for the future. We would talk about what had gone well, any issues that needed attention, that sort of thing. There was no single person in charge, no minister, no lead elder or pastor or anything like that. There was a small group of elders, all older men, but their role was informal, limited to providing advice, and perhaps speaking from the front a little more often than others.

At one of these quarterly meetings we discussed the idea of finding and employing someone to lead the church on a full time basis. Judy and I thought this would be an unwise move, and I expressed this as clearly as I could. I suggested that we already had a full-time leader whose name is Jesus, and pointed out that Israel had demanded a king ‘like all the other nations’ and Saul had been chosen, undermining Israel’s reliance on Yahweh alone. It had not worked out well for ancient Israel and it would not work out well for us, either.

In the end, as you might guess, a pastor was appointed. It was a factor that, over time, led Judy and me to feel a little less comfortable at Horsecastle. There were undeniably some good things about the move; the new pastor, Peter Cresswell, initiated an annual Holiday Club for children from the village with fun and exciting Bible-based crafts and activities, sports events in a local field, and these proved very successful. Judy and I helped with the first two of these events.

But more and more we felt sure that the teaching about spiritual gifts having been present in the early church but now no longer active was incorrect, as was the choice of employing a pastor. These niggles turned into something stronger as we began to experience the gifts for ourselves. And it seemed to us that if you are given something, you should also be using it. But that could not be part of our journey with the good folk at Horsecastle. For that we would need a different environment, with different friends, people open to receive, rejoice in and benefit from the presence of the Spirit of Jesus in our meetings and beyond.

How we found those friends, and what happened next will have to wait for the next part of this series.

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Blast from the past… 27

Beth was 1¾ this month, and Debbie was almost 5-years-old. We were living at 22 Rectory Drive in Yatton at that time and Debbie would have settled in at the Infants School and made a fair number of friends. (1980)

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August 2024 (6 months before publishing this article)

We were on our annual family holiday, this time at Portrush in Northern Ireland. On 5th of the month we drove to the Giant’s Causeway and spent a very interesting time looking around. Then we visited the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This was quite an experience as well.

On the evening of 5th, Paz cooked steak for those who wanted it, and later I strolled around the harbour. The sunset was magnificent and I took a lot of photos, including the view of birds heading home as the sun sets.

JHM: I posted part of the introduction to JDMC; and a photo of a complete Roman villa. World events: Azerbaijan captured Nagorno-Karabakh; and the Queen of Denmark abdicated.

< Jul 2024 – Sep 2024 >

February 2024 (1 year before publishing)

Gas mains were being replaced in Cirencester. A team was going around, street by street, digging up the roads and pavements and fitting large bore, yellow, plastic pipes – where possible passing them through the old metal pipework they are replacing. Disruption was considerable for a week or two until the work was done and the team moved to a another street. Each property lost gas for only a few hours. Overall the work continued for months.

Cavendish House in Cheltenham closed down in February. Shopping has moved on these days and department stores are dying. I remember going to Cavendish house with my parents as a child, with my first wife before and after we were married, and noting that it was still trading much more recently – but now, it’s gone!

And we visited ‘Nature in Art‘ at Twigworth this month, too; a lovely old house with art exhibits indoors, but also many interesting installations in the gardens.

JHM: I wrote about the war in Ukraine; and innovation by Ukraine. World events: Alexei Navalny died in a Russian prison at the age of 47; and the U.S. launched multiple air strikes in Syria and Iraq.

< Jan 2024 – Mar 2024 >

February 2023 (2 years before)

We drove up to York for a visit and to watch the Fulford School musical, ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Meredith was the beast, Verity played the part of Belle’s father, and Sara was one of the young lady ‘hangers on’ of the villain of the piece, Gaston.

It was very well done by everyone; we were highly impressed. I’d have loved to take some photos, but these days it’s not permitted.

The day after the musical we explored the city centre including All Saints Church and the Museum Gardens. The photo, taken in the Gardens, shows part of the Roman fort dated to 107-108 CE, along with a surviving tower, ‘The Multangular Tower’. The Roman masonry consists of small blocks of stone and the red strip of Roman brick. The much larger stones above are medieval. Click the photo for a clearer view of these details.

JHM: I posted about Starship’s first launch; and on some hard to see planets. World events: A derailed train in Ohio released poisonous gases; and the European Parliament banned sales of ICE vehicles from 2035.

< Jan 2023 – Mar 2023 >

February 2020 (5 years)

On 11th it was clear that there had been more than a thousand coronavirus deaths in China, and although the rate of infection had been reduced it was still around 6% per day. This all seemed rather worrying. By 19th the virus was being called COVID-19 and it seemed to me that we were on a knife-edge between containing the infection or facing a world-wide endemic disease like a very serious kind of flu.

I was pulled over by the police after missing an exit on a roundabout in Gloucester and braking hard. They were very nice about it. After checking my licence and finding it clean they wished me a nice day and sent me on my way.

My sister Cindy held a book signing event in Cirencester at a local bookshop; in the photo she is squeezed between copies of her latest book and various toys and other items. (Find a copy of Cindy’s novel.)

World events: The World Health Organization officially named the coronavirus ‘COVID-19‘; and stock markets fell on fears of its spread.

< Jan 2020 – Mar 2020 >

February 2015 (10 years)

During the month I met often with my friends Mo and Sue Urbano at their home in Eynesbury, and also with a group of friends at local coffee shops. These were useful times of growing together in following Jesus to the best of our abilities. There were other people too and there are snippets of the conversations in my journal. This was a busy period in my life.

We visited Broadstone to stay with Donna’s parents, and Paul and Vanessa came down from Weston-super-Mare as well. We walked on the beach with them at Sandbanks to get some exercise.

JHM: I wrote articles on running out of wine; and a celestial ballet. World events: A ceasefire in Ukraine was agreed and ignored; and Australia won the Cricket World Cup.

< Jan 2015 – Mar 2015 >

February 2010 (15 years)

We were living in St Neots at this time, in the old village of Eaton Ford, once in Befordshire but now incorporated into the town as part of Cambridgeshire.

Unilever Colworth’s Christian Union (CU) met every Monday lunchtime and of course the meetings were not denominational in any way since we were all from different places and denominations (or in my case from no denomination at all). This was one of the features that made it so good.

Peter Farmer visited us and stayed the night on 6th, in 2009 he had been visiting one region of Britain every month to find out how people were meeting and reaching out. Quite a project! The following day we had a great meeting at Moggerhanger House.

JHM: The USA thought free software was ‘piracy’; and we considered knowledge and wisdom. World events: Cyberattacks took aim at the Australian government; and a very severe earthquake hit Chile.

< Jan 2010 – Mar 2010 >

February 2005 (20 years)

Driving cross country, I visited Debbie and Steve in Chipping Sodbury; Debbie and I walked to the nearby Iron Age hill fort which is very well-preserved. I didn’t even know it was there! There’s a double mound and a deep ditch between them; in the photo Debbie is standing in the entrance across one of the earthworks.

I had recently bought a new Nokia 6230 phone. It seems primitive indeed as I write this in 2025, but at the time it was an impressive little device. The iPhone appeared in 2007 and changed phones forever.

World events: North Korea announced it had nuclear weapons; and YouTube was founded (but not yet operating).

< Jan 2005 – Mar 2005 >

February 2000 (25 years)

This is the kitchen, still as it was when we moved into our new home in Eaton Ford, St Neots. One of the things we’ll always remember is that the earthing on the cooker was faulty and it was sometimes possible to get a bit of a jolt from a metal pan handle. Renewing the kitchen was high on our to-do list and a few days after this photo was taken, we began taking down the old units and redecorating ready for the kitchen fitters to start work.

Towards the end of the month we travelled to Calais with the Open Door Church Small Group we were part of. Here we are walking along the coast path south-west of the town, I think. It was a good weekend break and fun to all be together. I can recommend it as a way to cement friendships, doing anything together is helpful.

World events: Microsoft launched Windows 2000; and February 29th was a rare century leap-year.

< Jan 2000 – Mar 2000 >

February 1995 (30 years)

Despite Judy’s best intentions, she had to give up working at Cotham Grammar School because of the stress and demanding hours. She was still not fully fit after some issues with chemotherapy in late 1994. Apart from her teaching job she was in really good shape and able to live perfectly normally.

For the first time in ages we were able to spend time together as a family in the evenings and weekends and that was a real joy for me and our daughters, Debbie and Beth, now 20 and 17 years old.

World events: Steve Fossett landed in Canada, the first person to fly solo across the Pacific by balloon; and Barings Bank in the UK collapsed.

< Jan 1995 – Mar 1995 >

February 1990 (35 years)

On 10th of the month Debbie took a leading role in the Larchmount Players pantomime production of Tom the Piper’s Son in Yatton Methodist Church Hall. She did really well, a great performance. There were two further performances the following Saturday.

On the 20th we visited Judy’s parents in Cheltenham during the day and mine in Cirencester in the evening before driving back home.

World events: Nelson Mandela was released from prison; and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union voted to end its monopoly of power.

< Jan 1990 – Mar 1990 >

February 1985 (40 years)

We were living at 22 Rectory Drive in Yatton, between Bristol and Weston-super-Mare. Debbie was nearly ten years old and Beth still six.

My Uncle Dick received a letter (image above) about a book published in Cirencester in 1911. Nobody seemed to want this book at the time and my Dad gave it to me in February 1985, I was working as a microscopist and the book is about microscopy. In January 2017, I asked again if the Corinium Museum would like to have it, and this time they were interested so that’s where it can be found today. If you wish, you can read the letter, the book, and the museum form online.

World events: William J. Schroeder became the first patient with an artificial heart to leave the hospital; and the Provisional IRA killed nine at Newry police barracks.

< Jan 1985 – Mar 1985 >

February 1980 (45 years)

I was considering ways to localise the plant hormone family of gibberellins in sections of plant tissue. The Pomology Division in which I worked was being closed down and the options were redundancy or a move to East Malling Research Station in Kent where pomology research was to continue.

World events: The 1980 Winter Olympics opened in Lake Placid, New York.; and Iran’s parliament was to decide the fate of the American embassy hostages.

< Jan 1980 – Mar 1980 >

February 1975 (50 years)

Judy was looking (and feeling) very pregnant by this time. But she was in good health and there were no issues. The ante-natal classes had been helpful and we’d accumulated a lot of freebies and gifts and had bought necessary items ourselves as well. There were baby clothes and blankets, little booties and sterilising kits and bottles and teats and all the other things we thought we’d need. All this stuff fitted neatly in the basketwork crib Judy had made.

My MSc thesis was with the binders at this point. It was good to have all that paperwork and typing and drawing of diagrams (see photo) and charts behind me before the baby arrived!

World events: Margaret Thatcher defeated Edward Heath as Conservative leader; and there was a major tube train crash at Moorgate station.

< Jan 1975 – Mar 1975 >

February 1970 (55 years)

I can’t be certain, but I believe this photo was taken by Judy on her way home from Aberystwyth (where she was at university) to Cheltenham, probably on a Black and White coach. That would be appropriate as the countryside looks black and white as well! I was in my final term at Bath University, and we were both working towards our finals.

World events: Tourists died in an avalanche at Val-d’Isère, France; and Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group as a discount mail-order record retailer.

< Jan 1970 – Mar 1970>

February 1965 (60 years)

Cousin Sue had her 21st birthday party on 6th of the month and Granny-in-Ireland’s 67th birthday was on 9th (she was my Mum’s mother).

School continued through February, it was my second term in the Lower Sixth, studying for A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics. My sister Cindy was also at the Grammar School, in the third year I think. Ruth and Rachael were still at junior school (Querns School).

World events: The Gambia became independent of the UK; and Ranger 8 crashed on the Moon after photographing possible astronaut landing sites.

< Jan 1965 – Mar 1965>

February 1960 (65 years)

One of my favourite toys at this time was Meccano; I’d had small amounts of this as birthday and Christmas presents. There were red bendy steel sheets in various sizes, green strips, dozens of nuts and bolts, wheels, axles – what fun for an eleven-year-old! But around this time I was given large quantities of second-hand Meccano parts, hand-me-downs from my cousins Tim and Jeremy. That was so exciting!

World events: The first CERN particle accelerator became operational in Geneva; and the Hollywood Walk of Fame was established.

< Jan 1960 – Mar 1960>

February 1955 (70 years)

We were living at 17 Queen Anne’s Road on Cirencester’s Beeches Estate. There were two conifers, one outside our house and another outside our next door neighbours, the Watts family.

There had been more of these trees, planted when the estate was built; but children being children the young trees had been tweaked and pulled about and most had eventually died. Mum and Mrs Watts would run out and chase the boys away, and had managed to save our two trees.

I was six-years-old and my sister Cindy was three.

World events: The Chinese Nationalist army and residents left the Tachen Islands for Taiwan; and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was established.

< Jan 1955 – Mar 1955 >

February 1950 (75 years)

We were a little family in our own, rented council house on the Beeches estate. I had a cardboard box, open at the top, containing my toys. I remember (from later) that there was a nesting stack of bakelite pots in different colours.

You could put them inside each other (I probably watched Mum or Dad do this) or you could make a tower with them (and I’m sure I enjoyed pushing the tower over).

World events: Chiang Kai-shek was re-elected president of the Republic of China; and in New York a credit card (Diners Club) was first used.

< Jan 1950 – Mar 1950 >

February 1945 (80 years)

On 3rd February Dad travelled back to Skendleby, in Lincolnshire where he was a radar operator on a Chain Home RAF site. It was about a mile north-east of the village, but is not marked on the map, of course.

Mum and Dad continued to write often, on 17th he was troubled to learn that she was unwell and might need surgery that would result in her not being able to have children. On 24th he heard that she would not need the operation after all. He writes in his diary, expressing his extreme relief; and had she needed that op, I wouldn’t be here to write this now!

World events: An oral version of penicillin was announced; and Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin met at the Yalta Conference.

< Jan 1945 – Mar 1945 >

February 1940 (85 years)

John Jefferies & Son Ltd had a florists shop on the corner of Cirencester Market Place and Castle Street, now the Vodafone shop. In February 1940 we can assume the vegetable-seed trade was good as the wartime population would have been growing their own produce on every available scrap of land. The ‘Dig for Victory‘ campaign would have encouraged this.

Entering the front door on the corner, there was a space for customers, with a service counter on the right and a private door opposite the shop’s display windows. Through the door and turning right, was a small, almost triangular outdoor space where buckets of cut flowers were stored, and there was always a smell of cooking emanating from the kitchens of Viner’s Restaurant next door in Castle Street.

Turning left instead brought you to a wooden staircase leading to offices on the floor above. There were also steps (possibly stone) leading down to the cellar.

World events: Altmark incident – The British destroyer HMS Cossack pursued the Altmark, freeing 290 British seamen held on board; and carbon-14 was discovered at the University of California, Berkeley.

< Jan 1940 – Mar 1940 >

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Blast from the past… 24

Judy’s Dad turned 70-years-old on the tenth and she made him a cake decorated with emblems representing his life so far. We met at their house in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, with her brother Frank and his family. (1994)

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Notes from bygone years – November (Remember, remember).
Hint: Click images to enlarge them.

November 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

We drove to Bristol to take Donna’s saxophone in for a service at Headwind and then spent the rest of the day in the city. We visited the museum and spent some time in the art gallery there. The main lobby still has the Bristol Boxkite hanging from the ceiling, reminding visitors of Bristol’s long and continuing contribution to the aerospace industry. We also walked down Park Street in the rain, investigated Bristol Guild, ate at a student cafe, and looked around the cathedral briefly. A good day out!

Erin (our cat) responded very well to steroid treatment and was fit and happy for the first half of the month, but towards the end of November she was becoming very unwell again and there was nothing more that the vet could do to help her.

JHM: I posted an article about Chuck Pfarrer and his maps of the Ukraine war; and another about Yara who lives in Kyiv. World events: An AI safety summit was held in the UK; and global average temperatures exceeded 2° C above pre-industrial times.

< Oct 2023 – Dec 2023 >

November 2022 (2 years before publishing)

The Christmas cactus was in great form in November, and a couple of Streptocarpus as well.

We had a visit from two friends from the St Neots area, Jim and Kevin. Jim’s wife, Pam, couldn’t make it this time, and Kevin is living on his own. I took them down to Cirencester and we visited the Corinium Museum. Jim was suitably impressed by the tesselated pavements, and Kevin (a fitter by trade) was intrigued by Roman lock mechanisms and the workmanship of these items.

JHM: I wrote an article about truth; and another about Clifford’s Tower in York. World events: The cryptocurrency exchange FTX went bankrupt; and OpenAI released ChatGPT.

< Oct 2022 – Dec 2022 >

November 2019 (5 years before)

We were meeting at the Baptist Church in Bibury for a while to help encourage them with some changes and fresh ideas. I was involved in other meetings as well, and we were helping Donna’s Mum and Dad with decorating and getting about (though that was becoming harder).

I went to the election hustings where our local MP, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was booed and heckled a lot. I certainly wasn’t inclined to support him.

There was quite a lot of rain this month, and a dusting of snow as well. As a result there was some flooding. There’s a concrete bear (a garden ornament) on a wooden platform on the edge of Riverside Walk in Cirencester, and the bear is our water level gauge. As we walk past we see him sitting with his fishing rod on a dry platform (usually). But the photo shows him during the flooding, still clutching his rod and line.

World events: 11 000 scientists warned of a climate emergency; and there was a transit of the planet Mercury.

< Oct 2019 – Dec 2019 >

November 2014 (10 years)

Donna was training as a teacher but was having some second thoughts because of unruly and difficult kids, she also wanted to spend less time running the Open Door Small Group since the teaching work gave her much less available time. Meanwhile I put in a claim for my state pension and we helped some friends move house.

John, one of the guys I’d met at Caffe Nero, was grasping spiritual truths really quickly. He was asking a lot of questions and understanding everything quite deeply. I found this very exciting and immensely encouraging.

I was meeting frequently with different people, there was the Open Door small group once a week, coffee shop meetings with some friends in town, and meetings with my friends Jim, Sean and Kevin rotating around our three homes. It was all good and seemed useful, but three such different groups! Another friend, Chris, was working through Revelation and we met for coffee to discuss this too.

I took my coffee shop friends Matt and Kev to the Newforms Gathering at Kidderminster at the end of the month (photo).

JHM: I wrote about a book I’d contributed to; and about the seal of Paul’s apostolic gift. World events: The IPCC warned of ‘severe, pervasive and irreversible damage from global emissions of CO₂; and the Rosetta spacecraft‘s Philae probe landed on Comet 67P.

< Oct 2014 – Dec 2014 >

November 2009 (15 years)

I wrote a short note on the old family dining table we’d been using. It came originally from one of my Dad’s relatives and we’d used it when Judy and I lived in Yatton in the 1980s and 90s. Now we no longer needed it as we required something a good deal larger; we decided it should go to one of my daughters (assuming one of them wanted it).

We had new next door neighbours, Annette and Jerry moved into number 126. And there were major changes taking place in Unilever’s IT organisation that would affect us at Colworth where I was working.

JHM: I wrote about a video of the Space Shuttle; and about a meeting at Great Doddington. World events: The Belgian Prime Minister became the first permanent President of the European Council; and NASA found water in a crater on the Moon.

< Oct 2009 – Dec 2009 >

November 2004 (20 years)

Mum and Dad booked two adjacent holiday villas at Ross-on-Wye and the whole family spent the weekend together. It was a lovely time, a great way to keep in touch, typical of Mum and Dad to organise something like this. They were both closer to the end of their lives than any of us could have imagined, so it’s a special memory for all of us.

Mum had no idea there was an alien spacecraft hovering above her head! Click the photo for a better view.

JHM: I posted meeting notes titled Butterfly and bird; and Water and stars . World events: George W. Bush was re-elected President of the USA; and the Orange Revolution began in Ukraine.

< Oct 2004 – Dec 2004 >

November 1999 (25 years)

We had a new gas heating system installed in our home – boiler, radiators, hot tank – everything. The preexisting system was old, decrepit and very inefficient, so high time to replace it.

On 4th November I flew to Schipol for Unilever business at Rotterdam.

And we had a new permanent house guest, Truffles the cat. She was a gift from friends who had more than enough cats, and Truffles preferred being a bit of a loner (though very affectionate with humans).

JHM: View the predecessor website at this time. World events: Australia decided to keep the Queen as head of state; and Kuwait revoked a 1985 law that granted women’s suffrage.

< Oct 1999 – Dec 1999 >

November 1994 (30 years)

Judy was getting stronger after the problems with the attempted chemotherapy. She was out of danger and out of hospital too during November. She had lost her hair and was wearing a hospital wig, but new hair was already starting to grow and the wig would be only a temporary measure.

World events: George Foreman became the world’s oldest world heavyweight champion; and the first ever internet audio webcast was made.

< Oct 1994 – Dec 1994 >

November 1989 (35 years)

In November I bought a new video camera to replace the one stolen in August while were on holiday. This time I bought one of the new, higher resolution Hi-8 cameras. The photo of Beth was made from a VHS copy of a Hi-8 original.

Debbie was probably playing clarinet around this time, but I don’t recall if they ever attempted a piano/clarinet duet!

World events: Dial-up internet was introduced in the USA; while the East German communist government resigned and the Berlin Wall came down.

< Oct 1989 – Dec 1989 >

November 1984 (40 years)

Do they know it’s Christmas?
(Wikimedia)

I developed a DECO database for the Plant Science Division at Long Ashton Research Station to improve the processing and storage of bibliographic information.

World events: The first Hackers Conference was held; and Band Aid (assembled by Bob Geldof) recorded Do They Know It’s Christmas?.

< Oct 1984 – Dec 1984 >

November 1979 (45 years)

At this time I was still studying pollen tube development in apple and pear cultivars at Long Ashton Research Station.

World events: The Iran hostage crisis began; and Provisional IRA member Thomas McMahon was sentenced to life for assassinating Lord Mountbatten of Burma.

< Oct 1979 – Dec 1979 >

November 1974 (50 years)

This month we had a bit of a breakthrough. My boss at Long Ashton, Ken Stott, put us in touch with a friend of his who was a bank manager; we were then offered good terms on a mortgage.

During the interview we had to hide the fact that Judy was pregnant, as her income had been taken into account.

John Jefferies and Son Ltd published their Christmas bulb offer (see the full details, but don’t place an order – they’ve sold out!)

World events: The Arecibo Radio Telecope sent an interstellar radio message; and the International Energy Agency was founded.

< Oct 1974 – Dec 1974 >

November 1969 (55 years)

My Granny (Nor) celebrated her 80th birthday and the family gathered for photos and a short celebration at Uncle John’s house, 4 Tower Street, Cirencester.

In the photo – Back row: Cousin Tim, me, Uncles Bob, John and Dick, cousin Jeremy, and my Dad. Middle row: Judy, Aunty Betty (Bob’s wife), Pippa (Jeremy’s wife), My Mum, and Deirdre (Tim’s wife). Front row Aunty Jo (John’s wife), Nor, and Aunt Millicent (Dick’s wife).

World events: Sesame Street premiered on US TV; and NASA launched Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to the Moon.

< Oct 1969 – Dec 1969>

November 1964 (60 years)

Bonfire Night on 5th November was always an important calendar date when I was a child, and indeed right up until recently. It’s gradually been replaced by Halloween over the last ten or twenty years.

This triple Roman candle was the prize firework item in my parent’s back garden in 1964. I took a time exposure on a tripod while this one ran its course, and the photo came out remarkably well. I was 16-years-old and in the Lower Sixth at Cirencester Grammar School.

World events: NASA launched Mariner 4 to Mars; and France tested an atomic bomb underground in Algeria.

< Oct 1964 – Dec 1964>

November 1959 (65 years)

I was still in my first term at Cirencester Grammar School. My classroom was in the southernmost of the three Prefab Classrooms; the first year forms 1A, 1B and 1X had these three rooms, perhaps because they were a little way away from the classrooms for the older pupils.

It was an easy walk to the playground where the tuckshop was (it’s important to get important details sorted out as early as possible).

World events: The first section of the M1 Motorway opened; and the MOSFET transistor was invented in the USA.

< Oct 1959 – Dec 1959>

November 1954 (70 years)

I was in my second year at Querns School, and half way through the first term. I think that we had Miss Hourihane as our teacher for this second year as well as my first year, although I can’t be sure about that.

I joined the Trex Club, Mummy helped and I remember being a bit puzzled by the whole process, frankly! If you’d like to join, here are the full details.

World events: The first Godzilla film premiered in Tokyo; and a four-kilogram piece of the Hodges Meteorite crashed through a roof injuring a woman.

< Oct 1954 – Dec 1954>

November 1949 (75 years)

There’s little to say about this month, as in October I was 1¼-years-old, life went on, and we were still living in my grandparents house in Victoria Road, Cirencester. Dad continued working on the nurseries, part of the old family business.

World events: Oil was discovered beneath the Caspian Sea; and Winston Churchill supported the idea of a European Union.

< Oct 1949 – Dec 1949>

November 1944 (80 years)

Mum and Dad briefly talked about the idea of one day being married, and Dad bought a postcard of Cirencester Parish Church in the village shop in Coagh! They visited Uncle Samuel and Aunt Annie in Belfast on 23rd. On the 29th, Dad heard he was soon to be posted away from Northern Ireland, they were both very sad at this unwelcome news.

World events: The German battleship Tirpitz was sunk by British Lancaster bombers in Norway; and nearly 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded at an RAF storage site in Staffordshire.

< Oct 1944 – Dec 1944>

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Blast from the past… 23

We were living in our flat at 20 Belmont Road, and I already had a Scottish Widows life assurance policy as a first step towards securing a mortgage.

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Notes from bygone years – October (Noctober after dark?).
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

October 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

An exciting scientific paper published in the journal Nature described how X-ray data and clever data manipulation had made it possible to recover small scraps of text from scrolls lost when Vesuvius erupted in October 79 CE. Hope was expressed that it might become possible to recover much larger sections of text, or even whole scrolls.

Our cat, Erin, was not feeling well; due to a tumour she was not eating very well and often threw up afterwards. She was losing weight quickly as a result. The vet suggested a steroid injection to see if it would help her cope better, but it would clearly be only temporary relief. It seemed well worth a try and during the second half of the month she seemed very much her old self again.

We visited Westonbirt Arboretum on 23rd October to enjoy the autumn colours, and Donna’s Uncle Ken died on 26th after a long illness.

JHM: I published Blast from the past… 11; and an index on posts about church as a network. World events: Mike Johnson was elected as Speaker of the US House of Representatives; and the Cricket World Cup was held in India.

< Sep 2023 – Nov 2023 >

October 2022 (2 years before publishing)

I began intermittent fasting, only eating between 11:00 and 21:00, as part of a Zoe trial. I’ve changed the timing slightly, but I’m still following the principle two years later.

There was a Roman Army historical display in the old amphitheatre on 2nd October, it was great fun to watch the events going on and look at the Roman equipment. They fired a melon from a ballista and it sailed right out of the arena. Seeing a crowd at the amphitheatre gave me a sense of scale and made the place look much larger. The crowd in the photo is using about a third of the seating space.

On Mondays I enjoyed meeting my friend Stephen for a walk, a coffee, and a chat.

JHM: I decided to make a fresh start. World events: Ukraine attacked the Kerch Strait Bridge; and Liz Truss announced her resignation.

< Sep 2022 – Nov 2022 >

October 2019 (5 years before)

I spent some time working out the route of the old canal through the built-up parts of Cirencester, it was an interesting exercise, poring over old maps.

We were also helping Donna’s Mum and Dad quite a lot, I get on well with Tony; we’ve always enjoyed chatting and he seems to trust me. He was mostly wheelchair-bound at this time as his Parkinson’s progressed, but on a good day he could still do quite a lot for himself.

On 19th I joined the People’s Vote march in London, quite an experience!

JHM: I wrote an article on climate change; and another about Cirencester Wharf. World events: There was a Turkish incursion into Syria; and tourists visited the summit of Uluru (Ayers Rock) for the last time.

< Sep 2019 – Nov 2019 >

October 2014 (10 years)

My friends Jim and Pam ran a church Mums and Tots group (Puddles) in St Neots. Jim ask me to take a set of photos of each mum with their child for official use by the group, here’s a more general shot that I included for them.

I was meeting frequently with different people, there was the Open Door small group once a week, coffee shop meetings with some friends in town, meetings with my friends Jim, Sean and Kevin rotating around our three homes. It was all good and seemed useful, but three such different groups!

JHM: I wrote about the ‘seal’ of an apostle; and about simplifying my blog. World events: Pope Paul VI was made a saint; and Alan Eustace set a world record highest and longest free fall jump.

< Sep 2014 – Nov 2014 >

October 2009 (15 years)

Donna’s Mum and Dad came to stay for a weekend in the middle of the month and we drove over to Olney for a walk and then to Stoke Bruerne to look at the canal and the ladder of locks. There were some great autumn colours on the day. The photo shows Isobel, Tony and Donna on a bridge.

JHM: I posted about a home meeting; and an article on Google Wave. World events: WikiLeaks published the membership list of the BNP; and Microsoft released Windows 7.

< Sep 2009 – Nov 2009 >

October 2004 (20 years)

At the end of the month we visited Cirencester to visit my Mum and Dad, and while we were there we popped over to Westonbirt Arboretum to look at the autumn colours. There’s always a wonderful display there, and the trees were more or less at their best.

JHM: I wrote an article about moles and what they can teach us; and about walking in the light. World events: Explorers reached the bottom of the world’s deepest cave; and the first European constitution was signed.

< Sep 2004 – Nov 2004 >

October 1999 (25 years)

These are the web development servers in the open plan office where I worked as part of the Web Team. Today these would all be virtual servers hosted at a data centre elsewhere in the company. It was very useful to have multiple copies of each website, one for the developers to work on, another for testing purposes, and a third for the live service.

World events: NASA lost a Mars orbiter due to a mix-up over measurement units; and there was a serious rail crash in London.

< Sep 1999 – Nov 1999 >

October 1994 (30 years)

Things seemed to go from bad to worse with Judy’s colon cancer. In October (I think) she began the first of three courses of chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil) to shrink the metastases and slow them down. This was expected to give her at least a couple of extra years of healthy life. But after starting the first course she became quite unwell and the doctors discovered that she lacked an enzyme that normally enables the body to dispose of the drug. She had to spend some weeks in hospital, quite dangerously ill for some of them.

World events: Tim Berners-Lee founded the World Wide Web Consortium; and Iraq withdrew its forces from the Kuwaiti border.

< Sep 1994 – Nov 1994 >

October 1989 (35 years)

I had been working in Long Ashton’s Electron Microscopy Lab, helping to manage the instruments and operating the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for staff unable to do the work themselves. But with a further reshuffle at work I’d been moved to the Computing Section and was now working on MS-DOS and developing the environment that became the LARS System.

World events: The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize; and the Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area.

< Sep 1989 – Nov 1989 >

October 1984 (40 years)

I was the Computing Representative for Long Ashton Research Station’s Plant Science Division.

The photo of Lilias (my Mum) and my nephew, Tom, is a still from my Dad’s cine collection in October 1984.

World events: The Provisional IRA attempted to assassinate the UK PM and Cabinet ; and The Terminator premiered.

< Sep 1984 – Nov 1984 >

October 1979 (45 years)

The Good News Crusade came to Portishead and a number of us from Yatton and Claverham were involved. There were several days of the Crusade itself, and then we (and others) arranged some post-Crusade meetings as well.

Mum and Dad had a late touring holiday along the Devon and Cornwall coast. Dad took several 35 mm transparency films of that holiday.

World events: A National March for gay rights was held in Washington DC; and the eradication of the smallpox virus was announced.

< Sep 1979 – Nov 1979 >

October 1974 (50 years)

We were living in our flat at 20 Belmont Road, and I already had a Scottish Widows life assurance policy as a first step towards securing a mortgage. We were still not well-placed despite having quite a lot of available reserves in our joint bank savings account.

World events: Harold Wilson’s Labour government won a general election; and five bombs were detonated in Manhatten.

< Sep 1974 – Nov 1974 >

October 1969 (55 years)

I was back in Bath University and the fourth year was underway with the final exams looming after Easter. Judy’s position was similar, back at Aber (Aberystwyth) for her third and final year. She took the photo from a ground floor window in Alexandra Hall on the Aber seafront as the sun was setting.

World events: Hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the Vietnam War across the United States; and the first ARPANET message was sent between two computers (the start of the internet).

< Sep 1969 – Nov 1969>

October 1964 (60 years)

The autumn term meant the start of my time in the Lower Sixth at Cirencester Grammar School. During half-term a friend and I dug a hole in the Lower Garden just east of the footpath behind Churnside (37 Victoria Road). We found some Roman stonework, small pieces of burnt clay, pieces of a broken amphora rim, and a small piece of Samian ware with a failed repair, also a piece of tegula (roof tile). We had no idea this was a bad thing to do!

World events: The world’s first high-speed rail system opened between Tokyo and Osaka; and Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize.

< Sep 1964 – Nov 1964>

October 1959 (65 years)

I was in my first term at Cirencester Grammar School. Amongst other subjects I had to learn some Latin, it wasn’t my favourite subject at the time. The image shows a Latin exercise in which I managed to get seven correct answers out of nine. I think my favourite subjects were maths, geography and chemistry.

World events: Luna 3 returned the first images of the far side of the Moon; and Astérix the Gaul first appeared in a French comic.

< Sep 1959 – Nov 1959>

October 1954 (70 years)

Cindy turned three and I was in my second year at Querns School; we were living on the Beeches Estate in Cirencester. 17 Queen Anne’s Road was a three-bedroom semi so I had my own room. Mum and Dad’s room had a special feature, a wall-mounted electric fire with two switches. I never saw this heater in use, but there was also a two bar plug-in electric fire that was used downstairs on very cold days in the winter.

World events: Texas Instruments announced the first commercial transistor radio; and the Paris Agreement was signed.

< Sep 1954 – Nov 1954>

October 1949 (75 years)

I was 1¼-years-old, and life went on well enough as far as I’m aware. We were living in my grandparents house in Victoria Road, Cirencester and Dad was busy working on the nurseries, part of the old family business founded in 1795.

World events: The People’s Republic of China was founded; and the cornerstone was laid for the United Nations HQ in New York.

< Sep 1949 – Nov 1949>

October 1944 (80 years)

As October passed and Mum and Dad spent more time together, they became what today we would call ‘an item’. His brother Bob, an army officer and 15 years older than Dad, was married to Betty from the town of Dungannon 13 miles south of Coagh. Dad visited them from time to time, but spent much of his off-duty time with Lilias and her family.

World events: The first German Me 262 jet fighter was shot down; and Warsaw was destroyed by the occupying German forces.

< Sep 1944 – Nov 1944>

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Blast from the past… 22

At this time we were busy with faith meetings of various kinds. Our band, Fountain, played and Judy spoke at Pill Baptist Church.

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Notes from bygone years – September after September after September.
Hint: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

September 2023 (1 year before publishing this article)

From time to time we visit Donna’s brother Paul and his wife Ness in Weston-super-Mare, and their two Labradors (pictured). They are sisters, but they have different temperaments, just like people. On this visit, Paul and Ness were heading off for a holiday so Donna and I looked after the dogs for the week.

One of our favourite walks is to take the dogs to the beach for exercise and then to Stones Cafe, a seafront place where we like the breakfasts, so we get a treat before walking home. If we just take Maizi, she gets a dog sausage as well, but fatty foods are a problem for Marple.

JHM: I wrote articles on ‘Dad’s diaries‘; and on ‘Detail or big picture?‘. World events: A large earthquake struck western Morocco; and the world’s oldest wooden structure (¾ million years old) was discovered in Zambia.

< Aug 2023 – Oct 2023 >

September 2022 (2 years before publishing)

Donna, Paul and Isobel at Pembroke city wall

We finished our family holiday in the Pennines, and drove home on 2nd September. And the very next day we set out again to drive to the village of Llantisilio in Pembrokeshire for a week with Paul, Ness, Isobel and the dogs.

It was during our stay that we heard about the death of the Queen and the accession of Charles III.

One day we drove to Tenby to look around and visit the indoor market, and we unexpectedly bumped into some friends that we’d made a few years ago in Cirencester, who have since moved to Yorkshire. And here they were in Tenby!

World events: The G7 Imposed a price cap on Russian oil exports; and Liz Truss was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

< Aug 2022 – Oct 2022 >

September 2019 (5 years before)

The fencing around our back garden was finished, and we were very pleased with it.

I was working on some decorating in Tony and Isobel’s new house, next door but one to ours; having them living close would make it far easier for Donna to help her Mum cope as Tony deteriorated (he had Parkinson’s). A local builder made some alterations for them, including bricking up an unwanted door.

JHM: I wrote an index for articles on my family’s old business. World events: In the UK, Thomas Cook went bankrupt; and in the USA an impeachment inquiry began against President Donald Trump

< Aug 2019 – Oct 2019 >

September 2014 (10 years)

Donna started her teacher training at the college in Stewartby; and at a Small Group meeting in St Neots she read out Ezekiel 47 and asked, ‘How deep are we prepared to go?’ This led to some good discussion. She was also helping with the Food Bank at this time.

I was meeting with my friends Matt, Kev, John, and Mo, we’d been reading the Bible together and trying to follow Jesus better. Meanwhile, the BBC reported the grim news that Islamic State had beheaded a British aid worker in Iraq.

We visited York to see Debbie, Beth and their families, Sara was six this month.

World events: ISIS attacked the border town of Kobani; and Scotland voted against independence.

< Aug 2014 – Oct 2014 >

September 2009 (15 years)

I flew to the USA for the House2House Conference in Dallas over the weekend of 2nd-6th. From there I flew to West Palm Beach to stay with Steph and Earl, then on to Boston on 14th to join up with Donna for a holiday, returning home via Gatwick on 26th.

World events: WikiLeaks exposed internal banking documents in the Icelandic Financial Crisis; and powerful earthquakes struck Samoa and Sumatra.

< Aug 2009 – Oct 2009 >

September 2004 (20 years)

We drove down to the RHS Garden at Wisley and spent a good part of the day there exploring. There’s a lot to see! Donna managed to get this picture of me while we were there.

We’d been invited to a party in St Neots in the evening, but we still had enough time to look around quite thoroughly before driving home and getting ready for the evening event.

JHM: I posted meeting notes on Touch and seasons. World events: Chechen rebels took 1,128 people hostage; and West Sulawesi became the 33rd province of Indonesia.

< Aug 2004 – Oct 2004 >

September 1999 (25 years)

We had a house-warming barbecue on 12th at our new home in St Neots, with a mix of guests from Unilever, Open Door Church and some neighbours.

On 17th we set off for a holiday in Sorrento. The photo shows the remains of a bakery in Pompeii, the grey devices are flour mills and you can see a brick-built oven in the background. Pompeii and Herculaneum were both amazing to see.

World events: An earthquake left 50 000 homeless in Athens; and Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga joined the United Nations.

< Aug 1999 – Oct 1999 >

September 1994 (30 years)

Arthur Griffith, Sinn Féin founder (Mediawiki)

During surgery to remove Judy’s colon tumour, metastases were found in her liver. She was offered a course of chemotherapy (5-fluorouracil) but although this was likely to give her a few more years, it would not be a cure.

This was a shock to the whole family, I have few photos, documents, or notes for the year following Judy’s surgery.

World events: Britain lifted the Northern Irish broadcasting ban on Sinn Féin and paramilitaries; and the Taliban movement was founded in Kandahar, Afghanistan..

< Aug 1994 – Oct 1994 >

September 1989 (35 years)

Due to lack of rainfall and a hot summer, the water levels in Chew Valley Lake fell to the lowest we could remember. The photo shows a road crossing the River Chew over a stone-built bridge, all of which would normally be under water.

World events: An IRA bomb exploded at the Royal Marine School of Music in Deal, killing 11 people; and Hurricane Hugo devastated the Caribbean and the southeastern USA.

< Aug 1989 – Oct 1989 >

September 1984 (40 years)

It’s always fun to do something unusual. Here are Debbie and Beth eating outside in the sunshine, it was lunchtime judging by the direction of the shadows.

There are fully grown apples on the tree beyond the table, but unpicked so presumably not quite ripe at the time of the photo.

World events: Space Shuttle Discovery landed after its maiden voyage ; and Joe Kittinger became the first person to cross the Atlantic solo, in a hot air balloon.

< Aug 1984 – Oct 1984 >

September 1979 (45 years)

Debbie was 4½ and Beth just over 16 months.

At this time we were busy with faith meetings of various kinds. Our band, Fountain, played and Judy spoke at Pill Baptist Church around 16th, and on 21st Colin Urquhart spoke at Portishead URC where I recorded his address in support of the coming Good News Crusade.

World events: Pioneer 11 became the first spacecraft to fly past Saturn ; and Two families escaped from East Germany by balloon.

< Aug 1979 – Oct 1979 >

September 1974 (50 years)

We visited Blenheim Palace, possibly with Judy’s Mum and Dad. It was a fine, early autumn day with a blue sky and strong sunshine.

Judy was pregnant at the time, we had no way of knowing whether to expect a boy or a girl (no ultrasound scans in those days), but in the event it would turn out to be Debbie. A highly satisfactory outcome!

World events: A bomb exploded on TWA Flight 841 killing 88; and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was deposed.

< Aug 1974 – Oct 1974 >

September 1969 (55 years)

Judy’s 21st birthday was 10th September and we were all invited to Cheltenham for her party. I think this was at 18 Hales Close, and Judy’s brother Frank must have taken the photo. We were both about to head back to University for our final year, me to Bath and Judy to Aberystwyth.

World events: Colonel Muammar Gaddafi seized power in Libya; and China carried out an underground nuclear bomb test.

< Aug 1969 – Oct 1969>

September 1964 (60 years)

Our Irish holiday continued into the beginning of September. This is the River Bann at Toome Bridge just north of Lough Neagh. Granda was a water bailiff on the Lough, protecting the eel fishery from poaching. The boat he took us out in is the one in the bottom-right corner.

World events: The Forth Road Bridge opened in Scotland; and the Beatles refused to play to a segregated audience in Florida.

< Aug 1964 – Oct 1964>

September 1959 (65 years)

After my Grandpa’s death and the funeral, Granny (Nor) went to Kent for a holiday in the area where she grew up, and visited places she remembered and was fond of. Perhaps she had friends or family to visit as well, I don’t know. What I do know is that this card had a long strip of conceretina-folded photos with other views that you could pull out. However, this has not survived.

World events: Luna 2 became the first human-made object to crash on the Moon; and the Xerox 914, the first plain paper copier was introduced.

< Aug 1959 – Oct 1959>

September 1954 (70 years)

We were on holiday at Muddiford, near Christchurch 0n the south coast of Hampshire. I was six at this time and Cindy was three, and Dad decided to send a postcard to Ireland on our behalf. His message on the back seems a bit cheeky, though, recommending Muddiford over Portrush! I wonder what Granny-in-Ireland thought about that? (view the card)

World events: The magnitude 6.7 Chlef earthquake struck northern Algeria; and the novel Lord of the Flies was published.

< Aug 1954 – Sep 1954>

September 1949 (75 years)

It was Mum and Dad’s second wedding anniversary at the end of September, and I was 14 months old. I was likely becoming more confident at both walking and talking. Possibly I’d have been doing unhelpful things as well, like trying to climb the stairs! Keeping a young child safe gets harder as they try new things.

World events: The Federal Republic of Germany was founded; and the pound sterling was devalued from $4.03 to $2.80.

< Aug 1949 – Oct 1949>

September 1944 (80 years)

Dad’s Uncle Herbert died (he’d been ill for some time). Dad continued working with radar at the Ballinderry RAF site, and visiting Coagh to spend time with his new friend Lilias. And on 6th September Dad reported hearing ‘awe inspiring drumming’ in Coagh.

By the end of the month Lilias was feeling she was falling in love with Dad, but in his diary he wrote that this was ‘a pity’. I’m glad he changed his mind later!

World events: II: In Operation Market Garden airborne landings began in the Netherlands and Germany; and the first V-2 rocket was used to attack London.

< Aug 1944 – Oct 1944>

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2 – developing faith

Zetland Road Fellowship

Horsecastle Chapel

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