A sort of autobiography
As I was saying...
I have an affinity with some places. This page is to mention some of the places I have been to during my life so far.
Let's go back to 1983. As you may recall, that was the year I caught encephalitis. I was taken to the local children's hospital at Boston. A big Hi to all the people both then and now. I wouldn't be here were it not for you. If you live in the Boston area (that's Boston, Lincolnshire, UK, not Boston, Massachusetts, USA - just making sure), then why not see what help you can give to this hospital?
There's another great place in Lincolnshire where we used to go egg-rolling. It was quite near the Wash, I'm told. Silly, I want to go to somewhere pretty nondescript, whereas I can't remember school daytrips to Hunstanton, except the bare facts of going.
Anyway, moving forward to the last Thursday in June, 1985. From my primary school, we went on a trip to Belton House, also in Lincolnshire. I don't remember a lot about the House, but I do recall that we went to a kind of theme park with lots of wood. I always tell people it was really close to Belton House, but I'm no longer sure. Anyway, it was wonderful, mostly wood. There was this fort, and an amazing slide that you could only get to by climbing up a big ladder, and following this path through the trees. Being short, short-sighted and scared of heights, it remains remarkable that I went through with it, though philosophically, the journey was more exciting than the slide. If I ever get the chance, I want to go back and find this place - I cannot recommend it highly enough.
The day after, we moved house, to arrive in Lancashire. We lived in a caravan in someone's field (yes, we had permission) in Forton for 6 weeks, notable for the time the van we travelled in got stuck at the far end of the field.
After 6 weeks, we got to move into another field (belonging to the same person), and after a further couple of months, we moved into a B&B (also owned by the same).
Moving swiftly on, on Friday 30th September, 1988, 29 days after I started at LRGS, we moved house again, into a mobile home, in a field of our own, still in Forton. We lived there for 8 and a half years, until arriving in Garstang on the last Wednesday in March, 1997.
But to more happy matters.
At Forton County Primary School, I got to go on a trip to London. There were 13 children and 2 adults in the party, as I recall, and we stayed from a Wednesday until a Friday.
Whilst in London, we visited the Tower of London, the Guinness World of Records, St Paul's Cathedral, had a cruise along the Thames, the House of Commons and House of Lords, attended a performance of Starlight Express, travelled on the tube a fair bit, and other places no doubt.
We stayed in the Ambassador's Hotel, and though I couldn't tell you which part of London that it is in, the nearest tube station is Gloucester Road, I think. I recommend it anyway, though as it's the only hotel I've ever stayed in, perhaps you should take that with a pinch of salt.
Where else?
I've been to Newcastle Airport. That was in the crazy hot Summer of 1991, as my brother was going to Norway. He came back too.
Also with FCPS, we went to see Skipton Castle. That was memorable for getting locked in the dungeon, in the dark, and for a trip along whichever river runs nearby, on a barge. Or it might have been a canal. I didn't start taking details in life until 1991.
I've been on several school trips with LRGS. To London, to see the Natural History Museum, where on the most memorable occasion, a friend and I nearly got locked in. We went to Hadrian's Wall. We went to Newcastle University, and its annual Classics Conference, which I visited 4 times! And there were others.
Going to draw this to a close, as I've run out of memory.
For now, anyway...