Well, I've been down to my mum's place near Romford,primarily to visit her, but also for some B&B, for a trip across the Channel with some ol' boys I've know since, in one case 1965, to celebrate his 65th birthday.
My first job on leaving school with the promise of 8 o' levels, was with a company called Kearley & Tonge (K&T), better known to some as International Tea Company's Stores, or International Stores. At that time they ran grocery shops, about 1000 of them, in England & Wales. K&T was the food manufacturing/wholesale buying operation. Anyway, straight from school at 16 1/2, following an interview in Mitre Square London EC3 I turned up for the job, not particularly concerned at what the job was, as long as I didn't go to the Midland Bank Chelmsford to work with a bank manager mate of my dad's.
I should say, at the age of 15 I had no idea of what I wanted to do. I did know that, I didn't want to work in a factory or a shop! So I stayed on for o'levels.
I was escorted into a large room, which eventually held about twenty people. As I found out, also new job starters.
One by one, all but two were herded off to our new jobs, leaving me and another young fella on our own.
We were told , " There's the Grocery saleroom, or the Company Secretary's office, what would you like to do?"
We looked at each other, and shrugged unknowingly in response!!
So off we went, he to the sale room, and me to the Secretary's Department, as I later learned THE OFFICE. My potential 8 o'levels must have impressed. I never did admit to getting only Art & Craft.....just about. But, that's possibly another Blog entry story.
This is where I met Ivan, a 21 year old , now the 65 year old, but who to anybody who asks, is still 21, although it is noticeable he's moved on to 40 in some instances. My job was general dogs body, filing clerk and tea boy.
Very shortly after joining the A Team, I was to find that there was an International Drinking Society, to which I was invited, never having drunk anything stronger than a ginger wine or a lemonade shandy, let alone been in a pub.
The IDS was up to 20 of us at times, we would go on pub crawls around London, all pre-planned as to location, the pubs we found on the crawl, as it were.We would have a half pint in each and quickly, at first, move on.
I still remember feeling sorry for those first couple of pub landlords, as we swarmed in downed our half pint and moved to the next.
We even had minutes drawn up of the events, I wish I knew what happened to them, they would have made a great book.
There was also in one year, a competition between some of us to get to every pub in the alphabet within walking distance of our lunch hour. One made it, others of us decided it was just too much like hard work walking for 55 minutes for a half pint!!
Once a year we would hold an AGM in one pub, and have a competition on the number of pints downed in the evening from 5pm 'til closing. 13 pints I think, not by me I hasten to add!!
Many tales to tell, including the time we were thrown out of a pub, then an Indian restaurant in one night because of Ivan, and ended up in a Wimpy Bar next door to Liverpool Street station, and he got us thrown out of there too!
I have to say, because there are one or two who think that most of my forum posts were done under the influence of drink, that my training was first class. I can still hold my drink, and have never been in a position where I didn't know what had happened the night before!!
It lasted perhaps 7 or 8 years with many changes of personnel, mainly due to travel problems, kids & marriage, not necessarily in that order!
There are 4, sometimes 5 of us, who still carry on 40 odd years later, but only 4,5 or 6 times a year on birthdays and at Christmas. Just a bit less drink consumed, more of a good food trip .
So anyway about the last few day's.
My old friend Ivan, who admitted during the trip,he may be 55, paid for 4 of us to have an over nighter to Lille. As it happens one of us , didn't arrive. He's suffering the old man's problem unfortunately!!
Which reminds me, it's about time I had the finger test!!
We met at St Pancras, got on the train, and were in Lille in 80 minutes, having checked in 30minutes minutes before the train left,with only a cursory glance made at our passports on the way out.
For those close to London this is the way to travel to France,or come to that Belgium and all places beyond.
So quick and so comfortable.
We arrived in Lille,found ourselves a bar to get our bearings, shared a carafe of red and wandered off the the Hotel, close to The Opera. Not bad at all, a two star and we were on the 6th floor in two rooms with two single beds in each.Quite comfortable.
To cut a long story short, we had two very good meals, dinner and lunch,in different restaurants and good quantities of , mainly wine but, also some of that lager stuff as we sat in the main square watching the girls go by, and roasting in 30c.
We arrived back home at 8pm the following day, all a bit knackered.
Once again I found out what it is to have good long term friends , compared to some of those passing acquaintances we get ourselves caught up with from time to time.
I'll have to start saving for my turn, although the other ol'boy will be celebrating his 70th in October, as it stands so far, a trip to the equally exotic...Petersfield!
Kids inheritance
The kids I was really hinting about earlier, are those who sponge of their parents from working age, and seem to think they are entitled to some windfall, even before the death off their parents.
I've seen and heard of a few I don't need my own kids to know that either.
"Dad, buy me a car". "Dad bale me out, my credit card is over spent" "Dad I want .....I want"
They are better off than you ever were at their age, mostly thanks to you. They want everything on a plate so you are doing them no favours,giving them your hard earned.
Go on, spend it on yourselves, have some nice holidays, a better car, have fun while you can..
Leave them the house if you want.
Those kids that have got on with life will tell you, they don't want your money.
