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A New Year Calamity!

...�t really safe to use – however, he insisted that he could fix them with a bit of tape even though Kev (who was a trained electrician) told him they were unsafe and he would be willing to go to the next village to buy some new ones.  But my dad wouldn’t have it and he certainly wouldn’t spend the few pounds required, so they were botched up much to Kev’s disgust and hung on the tree. As we went to switch the lights on just before people arrived, they blew the main fuse in the fuse box.  My mum had locked the cupboard that contained the fuse boxes because she kept all the bar stock in there and as she had gone away for new year there was no way of gett...

Moving in - to a stately home! #2

...lly found safe and well in another part of the woods. I watched him like a hawk after that!   Paths full of weeds near Robert Bakewell gates   At other times we’d play tennis in the Ballroom – I’m not sure if my parents knew we were doing this but it was good fun while the room was empty – it was incredible that we didn’t do any damage to the large ornamental pieces hanging from the ceiling!! And so the summer rolled into Autumn and we were about to start our new schools. I was moving up to secondary school having passed my 11 Plus and was going to the local grammar school in nearby Uttoxeter – well I say nearby but it was actually abo...

Ghostbusters! #7

...a walk-in safe off one of the basement rooms – I think this is where they kept the family silver. All the rooms seemed to have a smaller room off them and it was a great place to play hide and seek! Halfway up the spiral staircases were store rooms (to one side) with slatted shelves for keeping the linen and towels to hand for the servants. I used to stand in these large cupboards and feel myself transported back to another era, as nothing had really changed in 100 years – but not for long as they were quite dark! All the rooms were still the same as they had been when the house was first built; same décor, everything – so it was easy to imagine that the...

A New Year Calamity! #30

...�t really safe to use – however, he insisted that he could fix them with a bit of tape even though Kev (who was a trained electrician) told him they were unsafe and he would be willing to go to the next village to buy some new ones. But my dad wouldn’t have it and he certainly wouldn’t spend the few pounds required, so they were botched up much to Kev’s disgust and hung on the tree. Kev and I on New Year's Eve   As we went to switch the lights on just before people arrived, they blew the main fuse in the fuse box. My mum had locked the cupboard that contained the fuse boxes because she kept all the bar stock in there and as she had gone away for...

Moving into the Manor #2

...lly found safe and well in another part of the woods.  I watched him like a hawk after that! At other times we’d play tennis in the Ballroom – I’m not sure if my parents knew we were doing this but it was good fun while the room was empty – it was incredible that we didn’t do any damage to the large ornamental pieces hanging from the ceiling!! And so the summer rolled into Autumn and we were about to start our new schools.  I was moving up to secondary school having passed my 11 Plus and was going to the local grammar school in nearby Uttoxeter – well I say nearby but it was actually about 10 miles away and I had to catch a double decker bus to g...

Ghostbusters! #8

...a walk-in safe off one of the rooms – I think this is where they kept the family silver.  All the rooms seemed to have a smaller room off them and it was a great place to play hide and seek!  Halfway up the spiral staircases were store rooms (to one side) with slatted shelves for keeping the linen and towels to hand for the servants.  I used to stand in these large cupboards and feel myself transported back to another era, as nothing had really changed in 100 years – but not for long as they were quite dark!  All the rooms were still the same as they had been when the house was first built; same décor, everything – so it was easy to imagine that the V...