Some Characters I've met......

     Rather like this!

 This is an article dedicated to some of the characters I have met in my life.
The first was in Bolton, Lancashire, his name was 'Barnes' forename 'Frank' (I'm pretty sure).
This man was an inventor!
Despite being mocked often by other members of the Church of which my father was the Minister and of which he was a 'member of the Board', he spent every second of his time 'inventing' things!
He took, for example, the basis of a 3 wheeled motor bike, spent time building a 'bodywork' around it - IN PLYWOOD! -
The seating was made up of little 'angler's chairs' (foldable type - something like this)  They were NOT anchored, so at every sway of the 'vehicule' the passenger went with it - in all directions!
Nowadays of course totally illegal, but then (in the 1950's) - allowed!
He used it day for day, go to work, come back, on holidays he used it to go from Bolton (NW England) to Cornwall (S England) complete with family (wife & 2 children) plus the luggage necessary!
So far as I am aware, he never had an accident, he probably never had Insurance either!
I was quite good friends with his son David, around my age, but he never told us of any 'events'.....!
Quite amazing, this man had a heart of gold - I recall one Winter's day, when it snowed heavily (quite rare for the area) and he had taken my parents home from the Church (which incidentally was known locally as 'The Tab' ) and then turned around and came back - looking for me - I was on foot and quite small. He found me and took me home!
Another character was Allen Longworth, a nice guy who had one big problem, he didn't SING in church - he howled, roared - all generally flat notes! He was willing and enthusiastic! Side fact - he met and married his wife 'Something Mather' who came from a family of 8.....ALL of whom (including Mum & Dad ) who had the initials 'E.M.'
You've gotta do it, just finding the names.
Kathie Stewart from Paisley, in Scotland, who was my 'baby nurse' - I'm ashamed to say I didn't appreciate her - she was a marvel and introduced me to things like Bananas, Pineapple, Grapes.......all this exotic, for the time, stuff which you can get everywhere now.
When We left Paisley for Bolton, she started sending me and my sister Ruth, every week, a bundle of comic books and 4 'sixpenny' Post Office savings stamps!

Now no longer in existance.

This habit she kept up even when We left Bolton for London - for many, many years.  
I never got the chance to thank her sufficiently, and I am ashamed of that fact. I was of course, extremely young, but even so!
At the time, anything out of the ordinary from our little life between School, Church, Home.....Church Board Meetings (when we got a small piece of my mothers 'currant cake' for which she used up our total Ration of dried currants for a month)- just anything different was sensational and I enjoyed!

Pocket money did not exist, in fact money  did not exist - rationing was still present - I was just as skinny then as I now am after all my illnesses!

I'm sure there are other 'characters' and I'll probably come back to the subject, but right now - 10am on the 21/02/2017, a good 60 years later, I'm due to go to see my House Doctor, who will, without doubt, tell me that my heart is even weaker than the last time....

Well, sometime or other it has to stop completely and then these 'characters' will be eternalised, like myself.

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