February 1962

Born and raised in Sutton Close, just off Greensted Road, Whitebridge school was never out of sight for very long. I don't recall too much about it, perhaps the teachers: Miss Farrow, ???, Mr Evans, Miss Bromyard. I wouldn't say I was slow but I failed the eleven-plus and have no recollection of actually taking it. Whilst others got to West Hatch, Buckhurst Hill High School, even Bancrofts.... off I went to the Brook and wasted another four years as they tried to shoe-horn me into Ford's production line. Nope!

1955

I was late starting at the infants' class, I suffered from all manner of infections .. and boils - lots of boils! Doc said I wouldn't get spots when I reached my teens as my body had already been through that phase. A right load shyte that turned out to be.

1958

1958 and all that education was swelling my brain to the point where I needed to extend my forehead to fit it all in. So that's the cause for my perennial and enduring immaturity... too much brain. Frankly, I don't recall ever looking like that but who could forget such a jumper!!!!

1966 ish

Now a teenager, filled with testosterone and trying to look something between cool and 'ard. Spectacularly failing to achieve either. Nobody told me that boys part their hair on the left side - not that I had to worry about it for many more years.

Having escaped the Brook without a criminal record (they couldn't catch me), I meandered into a number of McJobs until 1969 when I joined London Underground, retiring 38 years later in 2005 at the age of 54. I had a great time there, driving trains, teaching (really!!!), managing an operations area and ended up controlling the Central Line train service. Good money and a great pension. I never really grew up, hence I'm on my third marriage, someone has to do it I guess. Now living in sunny Croatia and enjoying myself mostly. I survived kidney cancer (phew!) but a dodgy L4/L5 spine problem has slowed me down a great deal. I've been feeling a bit mortal lately, so now I want to find all the kids I was at Whitebridge ... err ...with! It's OK, you can end sentences with a preposition these days.

2014

A lifetime playing in bands of all kinds, from 1973, ended in about 2014 with this final night at a blues festival in Croatia. I still play a Telecaster and still take lessons but my days in bands are over and, to be honest, I should've quit sooner.

2020

These days, trying to keep the bones working. A park, a forest, a river and a lake behind the house, two energetic dogs, long Croatian sunny summers (hate the winters!), trying to keep healthy and spending too much time and money rescuing abandoned cats.

1962 cricket team, everyone looks happy to be part of it .... I was practising my Elvis Presley snarl! (far right, back row). What was I thinking? The years of plonkerdom had already started at age eleven.