A tiny autobiography.

 

I'm proud to say that I've lived parallel to, if not in any contact with, Winston Churchill, Queen Elisabeth II (my Queen), and Sir David Attenborough. All giants of the 20th and 21st C's.

However, I have met a few notables including Paul McCartney, Brigitte Bardot, David Hockney, Igor Stravinsky, and Twiggy, to name but a few; and Marianne Faithful came to my 50th birthday party. None of this is really surprising as I lived in central London during the second half of the 60's; when London was 'swinging'. Celebs, from A to Z, were ten-a-penny, and bumping into them was almost obligatory.

I've been extremely privileged to have lived through a long period of relative 'peacetime'. I had some basic military officer training, but have never been asked to enlist; and at my advanced age I doubt if I now ever will. There were not many Englishman of my age, previously, who had NOT been asked to go and kill Johnny-Foreigner.

I have never experienced poverty, and any very rare medical needs have been met without too much difficulty, and without payment. I've lived through an era of post-war Rationing, Heath's three day week, the Falklands war, the Miners strike, Computers, Covid, the Internet, and even Mini Skirts. None of which has really had any truly negative effect on my life.

I somehow managed to be awarded a Classics Scholarship (bursary) at the age of 14, a 1st class Hons degree at 23, and I was offered a couple of prestigious teaching positions before moving to France at the age of 25. France has proved a total delight over the past 50 years; which is slightly fading at the moment. And, of course, my greatest pleasures is that I have three wonderfully inspiring, intelligent, and charming children, thanks to their lovely Mama (Lady M). 

I cannot claim to have been a great success in my chosen profession, but that was probably my own silly fault. Two of my closest school friends became very well known, whilst I remained a nobody, but that was only to be expected having turned down a provisional place at the RCA, then moving out to the wilds of S W France.

I do admit to being a bit of a hermit. I'm not over-keen on crowds, and I keep my circle of friends to a select few. 

I sadly became an orphan in the mid 80's, and my sister and I now live at opposite ends of the earth. I have very few other family members; just a couple of male cousins that I never see.

It ain't over quite yet, but it's been a pretty good life. Not a lot has happened, and I haven't achieved all that I'd intended, but overall we've had a lot of fun, and I hope that I've passed-on my love of 'good things' to my children; it does seem so! I certainly intend that the fun continues for as long as possible.

I'm writing this just out of view to the left of the room in the photo above, in our rather primitive 300 year old stone cottage. This is probably the most friendly, and smallest, home I've ever owned. All our dogs and the cat have lived here and (like us) have loved every minute. It has a very special place in my heart.

I shall finish by repeating that some of my mobility has recently gone, and how that will pan-out for the future remains to be seen.

So, there we are; I've been banging my own very small drum. I promise I won't do it again.