Maldon 1985

The set of slides from which these first two pictures were developed are dated March 1985 but it's likely that the snow came in January or February. This view looks from Leech's Gardens at the end of Lodge Road across the fields to the old railway line. This was closed in the Beeching cuts and later became the route of the Maldon bypass.

I love this picture of Lizzie and David fresh-faced in the snow. David's hat was one of many knitted by my mother, often using recycled wool. The checked tweed coat came from a charity shop. We've always been very happy to buy perfectly good second-hand goods to the benefit of a charity such as Oxfam but there was also the very good reason that we were desperately saving up money at this time for further work on the house - the roof needed felting.

Katy graduated from Brownies to Girl Guides that year. She does look extremely smart in her uniform. The picture is taken against the Caddicks' fence, with the french windows behind Katy leading in to our sitting room.

David's hand puppets were in a long Haylett tradition. I had two when I was his age - I remember one being called Jacko - as did my brother Richard. David's were named after characters in Fawlty Towers, so Basil, Manuel, and Sybil.

David's in the back garden here with the main cat, Lucy, who had the most beautiful, gentle temperament. She had been joined by....

....Katy's cat, Rosie, who was much less even-temperament and was sometimes known as 'the rug rat'. Lucy tolerated Rosie's behaviour but other people didn't.

This picture is the only one I have of Katy with Rosie, and was taken a year or two earlier, probably 1984.

Look carefully in the background, where a small boy is advancing holding a water pistol.

In keeping with tradition, here are two of our children in their school uniforms, David going to All Saints and Katy at The Plume. All Saints, an Anglican primary, did our first three children well. It was a very traditional and happy school and had the advantage of being a short walk away.

Up until 'A' level Katy did well at The Plume, even though she had the serious handicap of having her Dad as one of the senior staff, something which must have been very difficult.

From memory, however, I think we only met once in the class room and that was when she was in the Sixth Form and, as part of a rotation, came to me for one lesson each week for eight weeks as part of the 'A' level General Studies course.