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Steve and Sarah were getting on really well, they decided to get engaged just before Sarah's birthday January 2001. During the two years they were apart they became really good friends and I think this is always a good start to a good solid relationship, being friends first. Something I didn't have ,we met and married within 12 months. Marry in haste repent at leisure.
Around March time Steve and Sarah realised it was crazy to keep two houses going and decided to sell his and move into Sarah's, her house was bigger than Steve's . It would also mean they could save up to get married.
The wedding day was set for 6th July 2002 it was going to be a big wedding , as Sarah was an only child her parents wanted to go all out for her big day. Roxanne was going to be one of the bridesmaids and Frankie a pageboy, they were so excited. Jim , Lesley's husband was going to be Best Man. They were going to be married in St.Marys Church in Hemel Hempstead and reception at Breakspear BP House.
For some time I had been trying to get a house exchange back to Hemel Hempstead as I was really not settling in Milton Keynes, I felt so cut off and lonely. Being retired now meant I was spending an awful lot of time on my own. I had been registered on the council, both Milton Keynes and Hemel exchange lists for some time with no positive results. I then decided to put an advert in Hemel local paper and see if that helped.
A week after it appeared in the newspaper I received a telephone call from a young lad who lived in Hemel and wanted to move to Milton Keynes. I told him about my house and he was really interested. He lived in a 1st floor flat in a block of just 6 flats 3 on the ground floor and three on the top floor, it had security entry and was in a place called Crabtree Court in an area I wouldn't have chosen myself but I was prepared to go and see it.
I arranged for him to come and look at my house first and depending on whether he liked it or not then I would arrange to see his flat. He decided to come the next day, he seemed really keen. Evidently he had just split up from his wife and wanted a fresh start.
He came and brought the ex wife with him which surprised me but wasn't my concern. They both fell in love with the house and even more so when I said I would leave all the carpets and upstairs curtains. His name was Ian and he said he hoped I liked his flat as he would be so disappointed if it fell through.
While they were there I rang Steve to ask him to come and look at the flat with me and when we could go. He said he was on late shift so we could go any morning. I relayed this to Ian and he said how about tomorrow then. So we agreed we would be there at 10.00am.
Steve and Sarah were really pleased about me coming back to Hemel . I met Steve the next morning, we found the place with no trouble, the flats looked really nice from outside but I wasn't to keen on the area. As Steve said once you have shut your door. It really was a nice big airy flat with double aspect windows from floor to ceiling in the lounge and bedroom. The kitchen was big too and a lovely hallway. Ian said if I didn't like the decoration which was very loud ,definitely not my cup of tea, it was dark blue below the dado rail and an orange colour up to the ceiling, He said he would emulsion the lounge in magnolia and also do the kitchen. The rest of the flat was fine. It had been really well done but very loud.
One thing I forgot to mention when we knocked on Ians door Steve actually knew him they had worked together. What a coincidence. I looked at Steve and he said he thought I should take it. I told Ian and he was so pleased so we both said we would set things in motion straight away.
We promised to keep each other informed on any progress made. He was also going to leave his carpets, the one in the lounge needed replacing but the bedroom was ok, also he was leaving the curtains which was a godsend as the windows were huge and they each had wooden poles.

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Had a delicious meal at Steve's and had a good chat. He was looking so much better.The old Steve was back. Sometimes you have to give yourself a good talking to and get things in perspective to enable you too move forward. If it was meant to be then it will happen. I had really enjoyed my time at Steve's but now I had to go home and see to the dog.
Lel had applied for a job at Debenhams a new store was being built, she hated it on the checkouts at Sainsbury's. She was successful and started as soon as it opened. Her hours mostly fitted in with the children but if on odd occasions they were on holiday or something then I would have them. We would go to Howe Park Woods and have a picnic, we had some really fun times.
The summer all to soon passed at least I didn't have to do that journey to Kings Langley every day in the dark. I did find the winter very depressing mostly unable to get in the garden and my house was quite dark as it only had a small window in the front room.
One day Lesley myself and the children were in Westcroft the local shopping area when as we passed the bookshop I noticed a card in the window asking for a part time person, I quite fancied that and Lesley said I should apply so I memorised the telephone number to ring them later maybe.
I did ring the next day and was asked to go to the shop for an interview, which I did and got the job. The hours were only as and when needed it could be twice a week for two three hour shifts. It was ideal as I was definitely getting bored with being at home all day a couple of hours here and there would be great and in a bookshop too, perfect.
Also if I needed to have Rox and Frankie they would be able to come to the shop with me as there was only one person at any one time. At first I found it a little scary being totally on your own in the shop albeit only small. It was more involved than I had thought as there was loads of books to be ordered for people especially for students. It was very interesting. I loved it once I got the hang of things.
Steve rang me one day around October time and said he was back with Sarah and I could tell from his voice he was over the moon. In spite of my misgivings I was thrilled for him and hoped she wouldn't hurt him again. I realised she must have had quite strong feelings for Steve the first time they went out together and perhaps could be forgiven for panicking. Fresh start, New page, Fingers crossed.
I had really liked Sarah, I had liked her down to earth attitude. I really thought they would be good together.

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The Doctor suggested Steve spoke to a lady from the Neurofibromotosis Society as she could tell him all about the disease. He said he would ask her to give Steve a ring. It was only a short time later that she rang Steve and she spelled out the things he could expect to come across. Steve told her he had just started a new relationship and she said she would speak to Sarah and let her know the ins and outs. She also said she would ring me which she did.
Steve more or less decided he wasn't prepared to take a chance of having children the odds were just to close, he decided he would have a vascectomy, a decision he didn't take lightly. He told Sarah and she didn't take it too well, I believe she spoke to her parents and the outcome was she ended the relationship with Steve. This devastated Steve I have never seen him so upset and it tore me apart. I was really terrified he might do something silly, he certainly drank far too much.
He lost an awful lot of weight and you could see he was distraught, a double whammy. I rang him every day and went to see him often and he slowly got back to his usual self. I did wish he would ease off with the drink , I knew he would in time.
Meg my little dog , was amazing but she didn't like Frankie much I think because he tended to just poke her and not speak to her and she did snap at him which really scared us all. She was fine with Roxanne, maybe because she was with me when we bought her. Lynne my next door neighbour was also someone she snapped at, I have no idea why but I knew I would have to watch her especially with Frankie.
May soon came and Roxanne and I were off to Jersey again ,this time with full board and a hire car it was costing me a fortune but I loved going with Rox, we had such a good time. Lesley looked after Meg for me she got on so well with Paddy the Jack Russell but Jim now had a police dog, an Alsation called Matt and this did worry me a bit in case he hurt her. We were going to the same hotel The Golden Sands.
We had a really good time we went everywhere the Zoo and just about everywhere on the Island. Roxanne was my navigator and she was really good. We had a lot of laughs getting lost. Roxanne absolutely loved getting dressed for dinner at night the food was top class as it should be.
We would have loved going for a walk along the beach after dinner but unfortunately the tide was in but we made up for it during the day. All too soon it came to an end and we were on the flight home. Jim was working so Steve was meeting us at Luton Airport and taking us home.
Meg was so pleased to see me and she was fine. Lesley said she had been no trouble at all. Roxanne was so excited telling them all about the holiday.We would have liked to stay longer.
Steve took me home and then went home him self, he was looking more like the old Steve now. I arranged to go and see him next saturday and he was going to cook a meal for me, He was and still is a really inventive cook. He had always loved cooking from a child. Friday night was our cooking night, that is for Lesley and Steve, Sheila was never very interested.

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Roxanne and I went straight to the pet shop and bought Megan the same food she had been used to and a few toys for her,then we went home. When we got to my house the little dog went crazy sniffing everywhere and exploring the garden and house. From what the lady had said she had been shut in an indoor kennel all the time, no wonder she was enjoying the freedom.
Rox and I sat down and had a drink and a sandwich and Megan sat on the sofa between us. Then promptly went to sleep for about 2 minutes .
Where ever we went she followed us, she also loved her new bed but totally ignored the toys, we tried throwing the ball for her but she had no idea what to do. She had obviously never been played with, how sad is that.
It was time to take Roxanne home so Meg,as we had decided to call her, sat on Roxanne's lap as good as gold.
The next morning I took her to the vet for a thorough check over and to be vaccinated. She was given a clean bill of health. I also arranged to have her spayed but the vet said to leave it a while so that she could settle in a bit first, although he said she appeared to have settled already.
I took her for a nice walk and she soon got used to the collar and lead, she pulled a bit at first but by the time we got home she was walking perfectly. I was really pleased with her.
For some time Steve had some lumps come up under his skin and Dr Williams had said they were fatty tissue nothing to worry about. Over a period of time there were a lot more lumps and some looked as if they were about to burst. He saw the Doctor again and ahe said she would refer him to a specialist just to be sure.
After a couple of weeks he was told that they were not fatty tissue but a very nasty disease called Neurofibromatosis there were two types and lucky for Steve he had the less serious one. It was caused by a faulty gene and these lumps under the skin would get more prolific and if they got really big they could be removed. One nasty side of it was that any children he had would have only a one in two chance of not having it. They could also inherit the type 2 which led to lots of tumours and terrible disfigurements. This was a terrible shock for Steve and all of us. We had never even heard of it.

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It was so nice not having to get up and drive to work, I found it difficult to settle at first I couldn't sit still. The weather was really nice and warm so I was in the garden a lot of the time.
I had been working fulltime since 1970 and was finding it very difficult to get used to being at home all day. I felt really isolated. Some days I wouldn't speak to anyone face to face. Still I had better get used to it ,this is what happens when you get older.
Steve rang me one day and said he had met a girl who he liked very much and they had just started going out. She lived just a few doors away. I was thrilled to bits for him I know he had been quite lonely and I could tell by the way he spoke that he had fallen hook line and sinker for her. I couldn't wait to meet her.
Roxanne and I arranged to go and see Steve the next weekend and also to meet Sarah. I have no idea why Lesley didn't come with us.
Sarah was already at Steve's when we arrived, she seemed a really nice girl her Mum was portugese and she had the most beautiful black curly hair. We got on like a house on fire, she was very easy to talk too. I could see that Steve was smitten by the way he looked at her. I had good vibes.
On the way home I told Roxanne that I was thinking of getting a dog she was so thrilled and said we could start looking for one. I said I only wanted a small dog like a Yorkshire Terrier and she was so excited. I promised her that if I found one I would take her with me to see it.
The next day I looked at the adverts in the pet shop and found quite a few adverts for Yorkie puppies but really I wanted a bitch about 12 months old. I decided I would get a puppy as I was home all day it should be quite easy to house train one.
I rang all the numbers I had found but the puppies had all been sold one lady I rang gave me the telephone number of a friend of hers who had just had a litter. I rang but there was no reply.
The next day I picked up Roxanne and we were going to drive around and try and find some more pet shops. I said I would just try the number I had been given yesterday before we started on our quest. This time the lady answered and said she was sorry but the puppies had all been sold. She said all she had was a bitch that was 3 yrs old. Amazing this was what I wanted originally. I asked why she was selling her and she said she was a champion and had been the mother of most of her puppies but the last litter was only one puppy and that had to be delivered by caesarian therefore she wasn't able to even cover her costs. So she was going to sell her. I asked if we could come and see her and she said yes so off we went.
We were only 2 minutes away from the house. She brought out the most beautiful Yorkie , Rox and I fell in love with her straight away. She was running around everywhere, by the look of things she wasn't used to running around. She said she wanted £100 for her which in retrospect was a bit expensive but we wanted her. I said we would go and get the cash and be back in a while.
We went and got a collar and lead and the money of course and went back. The lady said she wasn't used to a collar and lead as she had never been out. I was shocked she must have just been used for breeding, poor thing. This made Rox and I positive that we needed to get this dog. Her name was Megan. She was tiny with silver and grey/blonde fur.
We put the collar and lead on but she really didn't like it and to make matters worse it had started to snow so I carried her to the car and we went to show Jim and Frankie as Lesley was at work, she had got herself a part time job at Sainsbury's.
They had a Jack Russell dog called Paddy and Megan and Paddy got on great. Jim and Frankie fell in love with her too.

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I went straight round to Lesley and told her I was being made redundant and the package was really good, I couldn't wait for August it couldn't come quick enough. I told Roxanne we would go to Jersey around May time and she was thrilled to bits.
It was a really bad time at work for the drivers and warehouse lads, some warehouse lads were going to work in the packing room as packers and some were taking redundancy and some were able to stay.The drivers were not so lucky they didn't have a choice.
I was pleased that Clare and John were going to be split up, that partnership was lethal. I would be so glad to be out of it. They had done me such a huge favour, they say if you wish hard enough then it happens and it certainly did.
The next four weeks flew by and this was my last day. The end of an era. It got to 5.00pm and I was ready to leave and must admit I was shocked that no one had even said goodbye, I felt really hurt I thought I had quite a few friends but I was wrong obviously.
I was just going to open the door to the yard when all my mates said "surprise surprise you thought we had forgotten", My two managers were there and they had two beautiful bouquets of the most amazing flowers. They had also bought me some crystal things, a clock , vase, bottle opener in fact loads of things. I was overcome. I said I was going to miss them but I had no regrets. Mark said he would keep in touch and I knew he would we had been friends for 10 years. The drive home was amazing no more of this nightmare journey. I was thinking that maybe I would buy a little dog, I quite fancied a Yorkshire Terrier, I would give it some thought but it would be nice to go for walks as there were some really great walks where I lived.
I had got really friendly with the lady who lived next door to me, she was a mobile hairdresser which was handy. She had a rottweiller called Roxy a huge powerful dog but a big softy. We used to take it in turns to make coffee. She was a really good friend. Her husband worked at Woodhal Prison and was also a Diving Instructor.My house was full of flowers they were in every room, even the bathroom. I was a little worried as I thought I might now have too much time on my hands . I didn't see much of Lel and the children unless I went to their house. Lel didn't drive and there was no direct bus route. I only really saw them on Saturdays to do the shopping. I saw Steve about once a month but spoke to him on the telephone most days yes, I decided I would get a dog at least we could go on long walks.

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The three of us in the Despatch Office received letters saying only one person would be required in the Office as the transport was being transferred to an outside haulier, which included the shipping overseas.
There would only be enough work for one person, therefore one could be transferred to the Packing Department and one voluntary redundancy. I immediately saw that if I took redundancy I wouldn't have that horrible journey every day. This was all scheduled to take place in August 1998, therefore I would only be 6 months away from retiring.
At the bottom of the letter we had to put our preferences and I put Voluntary Redundancy. John the young lad said he had also put redundancy which surprised me as he was only 21 yrs old. Clare the other one put that she would like to stay where she was.
I could see that I was going to have a fight on my hands but I was ready. I tried to argue my case with John and was surprised that Clare agreed that it should be me, as I was so close to retirement but John was adament, he wouldn't budge.
We would just have to wait and see the outcome. Mark spoke to John and said he thought it was a bad move for him to take redundancy as he had only been there 2 years so would not get very much redundancy money and he would have excellent prospects in the packing Department.
A few days past and John changed his mind he decided to go to the Packing Department and Clare wanted to stay in Despatch so hopefully the redundancy would be mine. We had a meeting with the group of Managers who were dealing with the re- structure and we each stated our reasons for our choices. They were delighted with the outcome and it was signed, sealed and delivered and we were told to expect confirmation in the next few days.
John and Clare both got what they wanted and I waited for my confirmation. It arrived the next day and I was so surprised at the amount I was to receive, pleasantly surprised I might add in fact I was in shock. This would set me up for the rest of my days if I was carefull. It also meant Roxanne and I could go to Jersey again as I had promised her. I had been at Ovaltine for just over 10 years.In spite of everything I had really loved my job, if not some of the people.