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The last few months of South Africa are now a bit of a jumble in my mind.....
I know I was trying to go "freelance" with my newly registered company CCL (Curley Computing Ltd) - alas during the first 6 months - I got no business, so that started us thinking..... return to Europe..??
Almuth was pregnant, and had run-ins with the South African Police over her work-permit - no great disasters, more the nagging annoyance of having to present herself every few months at a police station and get treated not all that nicely - each time.
Mr & Mrs Hayward were great (particularly Mr H) he showed me how to take the engine out of the Escort and fix whatever was wrong with it (cannot remember what that was) - I also helped him knock down a doorway and move it further up a corridor in the Hayward house in Observatory.
But then some time around early February, 1973 we had packed everything and flew back to London. I can remember the plane descending down through lots of cloud, being unable to see anything - this went on for a long time - felt like we were descending into a grey/dark featureless world, and then through the gloom I made out yellow street lights (not many), then the Bath Road and the old Ariel Hotel (the round one - probably gone now), and everything was grey/black, wet and stark - and I can remember thinking "what have I brought her back to?" - no maids (she'll have to cook and clean), do the washing/ironing etc.. I'll have to do the garden etc... why have we come here?? Then came ... the 3 day-week, Miner's Strike, freezing cold winter etc.. what had we given up??
And it didn't get much better initially.... 4 years before (before going to South Africa) I can remember houses on up to a 1 acre plot, in Gerrards Cross, selling for about 12,000 Pounds - we had enough saved to buy one of those!! BUT... times had moved on...and we were to find out that 4 times that amount was now required..... where were we going to live???
We buckled down - initially staying with my old mum in Denham, I joined Paul Basson and Jim Davies in Systems 70 (Software House - like 1900 Programming), bought an MGB-GT, and then we were off exploring the UK...
Open roads....
and "full" of
traffic... on the way to North Wales.. being a creature of
habit, I ended up in Harlech and we got into a lovely old Hotel (had stayed
there with Lyn back in 1965) with views (see below) over the golf courses and
coast...
Is this the
"original" links course?? or what?? Royal St David's from the St. David's Hotel
and then we were off again...
Wouldn't have done this in South
Africa... pull up and go and sit in the bush..
Shortly after this the rear axle on "the B" broke, and we gave it back to the garage we bought it from (by the canal bridge in Uxbridge) - and sensibly continued with a blue Beetle!!
Mrs Hayward and Lyn visited Europe and stayed with us in Brickwell Walk around 1974. Almuth and I visited SA on holiday in Dec/Jan 1978/1979 and again with the kids in Dec/Jan 1988/89. Fabulous country and people - made lots of friends there - hope to return.....