During the years when Mum and Dad were "dragging us up", I remember mostly a lot of fun! but Dad worked hard to make sure we had what we needed and wanted! He was a cobbler, making shoes and even made ballet shoes at one point.I think he even measured Princess Alexandra for shoes (I need to check this fact). He also worked some nights as a collector for Vernons football pools and sometimes took me with him. I also spent a fair amount of time at the shoe factory, and got spoilt rotten by all the ladies who worked there. Probably he worked mostly as a painter and decorator - he was popular with his regular customers and he made a decent living from this. Written by Jan