A sequel to Times of My Life: A Forest Gate Girl, this book carries the reader from a wedding in 1971, to the present day in Wiltshire, spanning 50 years of events that have punctuated the writer’s life up to now. It’s been a whole adventure and education for a girl from a fairly sheltered and strict family background, embarking on married life as a young wife which would soon take her away from the London she had known and loved to following her husband’s career all over the country. She would eventually achieve all the things she had dreamed of as a child. She would travel the world, meet fascinating people in far-flung places and make lifelong friends. She would have a successful career of her own. She would teach. Her love of music, theatre and performance would lead to one of her most thrilling and satisfying endeavours, running her own musical theatre group with amazing young people and watching them grow in skills and confidence. This memoir revisits those hectic days which tend to get lost in the fullness of time. Treasured old photos bring it all back. Most of all, she would have a long and happy married life, and be blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren. There were many adventures and so many reasons to celebrate along the way. But there were also trials and challenges, tragedies and sadness, as there are and have been for everyone, particularly during the Covid years. The best of times always outweighed the bad, however, and the happiest memories will be cherished forever.
Times and lives can be ordinary yet still fascinating and touching to others.Times of My Life: A Forest Gate Girl is the story of an ordinary girl born into an ordinary family and how historic and global events affect the family and her life.
For this writer’s family, it’s a harsh contrast between the luxury of generations of colonial life in India to the privations of post-war London. For the writer however, it’s a fantastic ride from fairy tales, comics and Children’s Encyclopaedia to The Times newspaper; from skipping ropes, Saturday morning pictures and toy pianos to appearing on TV’s ground-breaking show Ready, Steady, Go!
The timeline for Part One
covers 1950 to 1971, with references to the rich legacy of family
history. It spans revolutions and innovations in science, technology and
the arts. London in the sixties was an amazing and exciting place to
be. Everything was changing so fast and for the first time, young people
were successfully challenging the status quo. Fashion, art and music
led the youth movement. For a convent schoolgirl from a relatively
sheltered background, it was the centre of her world and the beginning
of her adult life. The adventures continue, each moment to be relished
and cherished, creating memories for a lifetime and future generations.
I wanted to share some pictures from my Meet the Author Event on 31 July at Devizes Books. It was a great success and a great thrill for me to meet so many lovely people! So far my book has s ........
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