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Lesley and Ian came to see us they too were upset about Angel as we all thought the world of her. Candy kept looking for her, poor thing.

My Dad and his lady friend were having a great time I have never seen my Dad so happy and relaxed for such a long time. Mrs Smith was good for him, they hadnt a care in the world. Every six weeks they would say , go to her bungalow then after six weeks go to my dads flat. The changing about was keeping them active. My Dad was now 71yrs old and I think Mrs Smith was about 72.

Dennis came home from prison and did seem a changed man but I am sure it wouldnt last but I really hoped it would. Once more our house was turned into a place of fun. Dennis loved walking and took Candy for really long walks, he said it was strange not having Angel as well. I said I wouldnt have any more dogs as it was just to painfull losing them. I was dreading the day Candy went , we had had her since she was 8 weeks old and she was now 10 yrs old.

Chritmas was coming and we all loved it. Lesley would be going to Ian`s mums for this Christmas ,I didnt like the idea much but thats what happens when your children leave home. Sheila was coming home, so we would have Dennis, Steve, Sheila and myself my Dad and Mrs Smith was going to her daughters. I hoped that Lesley and Ian would come to us for Boxing Day. Our traditional meal for that day was cold turkey and whatever other meats we had and chips and loads of homemade pickles. I preferred this to Christmas Day dinner.

Life ticked along everyone was doing great. Dennis still clean and job hunting without much success.Steve enjoying his job and Sheila , well she had changed so much living away from home. We got on so well the hard work had been worth it. Although during the rough times we went through I really didnt handle it at all well. The bottom line was in spite of the rows etc....we still loved each other and the fight was worth it, as now we had a really nice mother and daughter relationship with mutual respect.

Its really odd I had three children, who were all brought up the same with lots of love and respect but one turns out to be a wild child, but I wouldnt be without them.Its unconditional love.

I was still enjoying my job and was now an assistant buyer and if I say it myself a good one. Our parent company was in Belgium I had a lot of contact with them , asking for quotes for certain customer requirements . Myself and several other employees were invited to Belgium to see how the Aluminium was manufactured and processed. This would help me understand problems they sometimes had with my request for certain sizes and shapes.

We were put into a really nice 5 star hotel in Antwerp , the food was absolutely amazing. The bosses also took us out in the evenings to different places, they certainly knew how to eat. The `pubs` were really nice too especially for me as I didnt drink alcohol. All the `pubs` served coffee and biscuits and delicious cakes. I was in my element. we stayed for 3 days.

It was almost March 1983 an expensive time for me, as it was all my childrens birthdays. It was a turning point for Sheila as her employers had been true to their word and Sheila started her new job behind the bar. Steve would now be able to drink legally. He used to go drinking at the local pub The Marchmont with Lesley and Ian and loads of other mates.