Patsy and I (Warts and All).

[colpatben]

A number of emails were exchanged between us over the coming days of September 2001.

They are here in date order up to 17th September 2001, and are mostly general chit chat with redactions of other names that cropped up plus the more sensitive stuff, I hope you can enjoy or at least indulge me a little.

Sorry about the photo quiality but cant find the original and i only had a B/W printer in 2001

Always in Love.

Colin

 

[sdmhred]

I looked your thread up tonight as a bit of late night reading @colpatben …….maybe it will become a novel!

Good old Slough eh! My Dad taught at Langley Grammar for a while.…..these days social services in posh Surrey land ship the homeless to B&B’s in Slough as no-where more local will take them 😢😢

Next instalment please……

 

[colpatben]

I looked your thread up tonight as a bit of late night reading @colpatben …….maybe it will become a novel!

Good old Slough eh! My Dad taught at Langley Grammar for a while.…..these days social services in posh Surrey land ship the homeless to B&B’s in Slough as no-where more local will take them 😢😢

Next instalment please……

Originally the Slough Trading Estate was known as 'the Dump' as the vehicles being returned from the first world war were stored there.

Slough Trading Estate - from 'Dump' to 'New Slough'

Funny how things come around, now a century later and it is taking the 'unwanted" again!

I am not sure I have a novel in me, but probably a couple of short stories🤔

Next post in the saga coming before the weekend.

Courage through thick and thin.

Always in love, Colin.

 

[colpatben]

From the following attached emails during late September 2001 you can maybe see where this is leading, but I will let you read and digest those and then continue our story.

Always in Love, Colin.

 

[colpatben]

So the die was cast, we arranged our meeting in the final days of September 2001.

Patsy, as ever the wily one, arranged the meeting in a Putney pub called The Dukes Head, on the bank of the River Thames, it is a well known hostelry with a large veranda from which the boat race can be watched with great views towards Putney bridge.

She knew the Landlord and later admitted to me that the arrangement was as she watched me approach if she did not like the look of me then she would high tail it out of the door, never to be seen again. Fortunately she liked the ‘Cut of my Jib’ and we met for the first time in over 40 years.

After several more lunchtimes spent reminiscing we were certain that fate had decided that we were destined to be together, by Easter 2002 I had moved to Putney, all thoughts of her house being sold and moving to Bedfordshire had become history.

There we were together at last and a new future for us had begun!

These two characters joined us (they were actually our exchanged Easter presents). They were immediately adopted to make us a family and will be seen occasionally during the next parts of our story.

Their names are Pascal and Geraldine.

Always in Love, Colin

 

[SeaSwallow]

Thank you again for sharing @colpatben

 

[colpatben]

The second half 2002 was a bit of a whirlwind.

So much to discover about each other but despite our very different middle years we found it very easy to get on together.

You must remember that I had ‘Invaded’ her own little home which she had considered a sanctuary from the big outside world and she was very protective of all that she owned and had worked so hard to get.

Now there was this second person under her feet for the first time in thirty years!

But nothing mattered except us.

Now Patsy was all fired up and was spending some time on Friends reunited in the quest to find old school chums of hers and mine much success, and being in London we were able to contact and meet quite a few, no photos though although we did keep some, many of them have lost contact.

Always in Love, Colin.

PS Just jumping forward to 2023... This years’ Christmas has been very different, My Eldest daughter called in early December and said would we like for her and her husband to come and do our Christmas dinner, we agreed and it was wonderful.

 

[jennifer1967]

The second half 2002 was a bit of a whirlwind.

So much to discover about each other but despite our very different middle years we found it very easy to get on together.

You must remember that I had ‘Invaded’ her own little home which she had considered a sanctuary from the big outside world and she was very protective of all that she owned and had worked so hard to get.

Now there was this second person under her feet for the first time in thirty years!

But nothing mattered except us.

Now Patsy was all fired up and was spending some time on Friends reunited in the quest to find old school chums of hers and mine much success, and being in London we were able to contact and meet quite a few, no photos though although we did keep some, many of them have lost contact.

Always in Love, Colin.

PS Just jumping forward to 2023... This years’ Christmas has been very different, My Eldest daughter called in early December and said would we like for her and her husband to come and do our Christmas dinner, we agreed and it was wonderful.

thats good they came and cooked for you. my son does the same thing with a roast. he comes over with his family and will cook a roast and clean up after them. he did that on boxing day a salad, potatoes etc and cleaned up afterwards. the grandkids also help while they are there as well. quite often we will get the meat and they will bring the veg.

 

[hillyjay]

I love reading all this, Colin. I see that you’ve decided on the pier phot being Bognor. I’d been going to suggest Herne Bay (pier now in disrepair) but I think you’re probably right.

As for the mysterious church in the photo, I’ve been there! It’s the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi in Umbria in Italy. I checked back on my own pics and yes, definitely it.😊

 

[GillP]

Colin, I have found reading this fascinating. You have both had such rich lives and found love together. It has made me both smile and shed a tear as the best love stories do. Thank you, Gillian

 

[colpatben]

As 2003 dawned Patsy had said that her little patio garden, which was mostly crazy paving on a bit of a slope, was quite scruffy and untidy. So I tried to prove my worth by putting some of my skills to the task of making myself useful by trying to be as much of a live in handyman as a lover.

I levelled it off using new ‘Railway Sleepers’ and decking, top soil etc. and we had a staring point for a flower Garden.

Early in 2003, Patsy invited my Dad and The ‘Wicked Witch of the West’ (my stepmother) up to Putney, we did the sights, up on the Londo Eye.

Etc.

Patsy on left, Wicked Witch front and centre

(As an aside). The merchant bank Patsy worked for had been in the group that had raised the funds for the project, so she was one of the first to ride this attraction back in 1999 before its official opening, she has said that before she got up close she had expected it to have open cars like a fairground Ferris wheel 😄

One evening during dads visit My Patsy plied him with scotch and he was well oiled and took a tumble, so we covered him up and let him sleep on the floor.

Needless to say the Wicked Witch was not best pleased when she came looking for him in the early hours.

Now what does a person, passionate about research, do after exhausting the avenues that Friends Reunited had provided?

The answer was Genes Reunited!..........

Always in Love


Colin.

 

[colpatben]

By Mid 2003 the fledgeling garden was blooming.

Pasqual liked it as well.

You probably noticed that Patsy’s mum is somewhat darker in skin tone.

So now we have Patsy interested in Genealogy and beavering away on Genes Reunited. Her mothers two sisters are at this time alive and living in East Anglia so they have all the stories and a few documents that point towards their past, They know the family name is Lewis and their birthplace is East London.

Lots of Research and eventually she gets it, Her great grand father was a seaman who had arrived at London Docks, left the boat and married an English girl.

She is certain these are photos of them both, although she could not actually verify this.

Where did he come from?

St. Kitts, My Patsy is 1/8 Kittitian.

In June 2003, Patsy says to me.

P - ‘Pack your bags, we are going on a Holiday’
C - ‘Where to’?
P - ‘Its a Surprise, but pack light cos it will be warm’
C - Thinks ‘Ooh Spain’

When we jump in a cab from Putney a couple of days later and the driver doesn’t head South to Gatwick, but West to Heathrow the mind goes into overdrive, but not until at the Check in desk does the destination be revealed.

Yes, St. Kitts!

We are heading for her ancestoral home.

Always in Love.

Colin.

 

[sdmhred]

Wow! I was going to ask about Patsy’s ancestry earlier on….how fascinating…you have a part Caribbean girl!

Look forward to hearing more about the holiday…

 

[colpatben]

Here we are in St Kitts,

The reason for being here is not just our first holiday together but to try to get a copy of her Great Grandfathers (family Name Lewis) birth certificate.

She had an address for the family home, Prickly Pear Alley in BASSETERRE.

The history of Basseterre indicates that this afore mentioned alley was a ‘Street of ill repute’!

According to this, https://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/62913 there are still Lewises and still trouble.

Basseterre (The Capital of St Kitts & Nevis) has a memorial clock in Piccadilly Circus, yes very British.

Patsy found it very easy to get a copy of the birth certificate, this would have given her the opportunity to get citizenship and as a returning National she would have been given eight acres of disused sugar plantation land.

Patsy never pursued this and with the benefit of hindsight, for her it proved to be a wise decision.

In 2003 St Kitts was still very sleepy and laid back and an ideal holiday destination in the Caribbean, but in the early 2000s things were changing, the main industry (Sugar) was in rapid decline and died completely by 2005,

Port Zante was being built at the same time to reap benefits from the ever growing number of cruise ships in the Caribbean. If you want a taste: https://portzante.com/

This together with a vast building programme of a holiday resort along the SE Peninsula has in my opinion completely ruined the island.

Always in Love.

Colin

 

[colpatben]

After our return from St Kitts, there is much discussion as to whether a move from the UK would be prudent, Patsy was again doing research as to the economy of the CariCom countries and the opportunities of moving to the Caribbean. This was shelved for the time being as we planned a trip to Australia.

September, a holiday to Perth WA, out via Singapore and Back via Bangkok.

Our first oriental holiday, where I discover that Patsy likes Curry for breakfast! & she loves oriental chicken sausages.

In Singapore two for @MaNaAk

Festival of the Moon.

and this photo dated 11th September 2003. (Yes it was a full moon).

The following day off to Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling

On to Perth, Scarborough Beach with some Friends who had moved there just a few weeks before.

When Patsy lived in Putney she had several lodgers over the years, Three of whom now live in Perth, so a lot of catching up and many G&T’s.

A month later back through Bangkok

Patsy with her back to the camera.
Note: When travelling in the humid air, long curly hair is a frizzy nightmare.

Always in Love



Colin

 

[GillP]

Fascinating, thank you for sharing more of the ‘memoir’. Stunning photos too. I hope that this is giving you pleasure.

 

[colpatben]

Fascinating, thank you for sharing more of the ‘memoir’. Stunning photos too. I hope that this is giving you pleasure.

Thank you.

Yes I must admit this is a great distraction for us both and reviewing our photos and memories is heartwarming.

The digital camera really does make for good photography, with the ability to store date, time etc helps you home in on those recollections, plus you can review the shots taken and store them forever.

Colin.

 

[colpatben]

By early 2004 Patsy was ready to sell up in Putney and find a place we could call ‘Ours’, but where?

Our love of London was not diminished so we started to look towards the City. We found a Duplex close to tower Bridge. Alongside the wall of ‘Fortress Wapping’. Our Balcony looked out toward Tower Bridge, and just a stones throw to St Katharine’s Dock.

Patsy enjoying the view (Fag in hand)!

Also close by was Brick Lane. For lovers of Curry and not being tourists we were able to visit many of the finer emporiums.

Note: For tourists the Brick Lane experience is good but there are always touts trying to entice you to try a particular restaurant or another.

The summer (July) holiday in 2004 was to Montana!

When in the US and you have to rent a Mustang.

We went to Montana at the invitation of an old work colleague of Patsy’s from her oil days and we stayed with them at their farm as well as their Billings home.

I had never been on a horse until this holiday, magic!

We had to go to Yellowstone:

I think that this is ‘Old Faithfull’

Another day, to Little Bighorn Battlefield.

The following day to Mt Rushmore.

To give you some idea of the size of these sculptures

We were experiencing many new things together everyday

Always in Love.
🥰
Colin.

 

[GillP]

Awesome photographs. You have had a life together full of adventures.

 

[SUNTA]

Loving the story and some of the photographs brought back happy memories of trips with my husband pre-dementia. Thank you!