The loss of a parent is a very big event. It is the loss of someone who has known you & been part of you for your entire life and leaves a large hole demands a final growingúp. In the case of Bill his last years were very sad but now he is free of that we can remember all the times and ages we shared,
I would like to talk about our young years,
Bill, or Will as his family called him (or even Nobby) was full of fun & energy. He was a doer rather than a thinker and the grass was always greener in a new place I think he moved nearly 20 times in my life but the time I remember best was 8 Abbotshall Ave, New Southgate. Dad was in the police then and we lived in a police house, having found a love of boats & water in the navy he went on to be stationed on the River Thames, we were able to go with him sometimes and hear the stories of great chases and who or what they fished out of the water,
A big event was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 1952 Dad bought us a TV one of the very first & we attended several street parties but best of all was being in the police boat watching the Queen & Prince Philip return from their first commonwealth tour, all that noise, the cheering, the band and we were right in the middle of it .
He bought me a budgie we called him ‘Twinkle' I'd asked for a cat but Dad hated cats anyway he then decided to breed budgies, we had cages from floor to ceiling in the dining room all paired by colour, we had an albino pair called Omo & Daz and a lutino pair who never laid eggs. I'm not sure what happened to them but it was a passing fancy' and he gave in & I got my cat - Prudence
He had a motorbike, on family outings Mum & Terry were posted into the sidecar I was allowed to ride pillion & we sang all the popular TV songs as we sped through the wind to Ramsgate for a holiday with dad's parents or to his brother Stan's farm (My favourite)
Family was important & we visited grandparents for events or Sunday tea, I looked for the pin beside my plate it meant we were having winkles a cockney treat,
Life moved on Dad changed his job and we moved to 377 Bowes Road part of a large Victorian house - long gone. It was here he re-connected with Tony Simmonds & his love for classical music began.
We were 2 doors from the church and everyone came for coffee and stood in the tiny kitchen after mass Chopin booming out for all to hear.
Dad became church warden then, it was the sort of thing he loved to do and learnt a lot from the priest Father Kenny. He went on to run the boy scouts & the sea cadets.
About 15 years ago during one of my visits, Dad took me back to Abbotshall, Arnos Park, the viaduct bringing the tube to Arnos Grove station. It all looked so very small but very familiar - & brought back happy childhood memories which I have chosen to share.
CAROL ANN KISS/PODD