For TSS

A few weeks ago I was invited to a surprise party for my good friend’s significant birthday.  She was the one who was supposed to be surprised, and I’m sure she was.  Not as much as me, however, when I found this magazine cover on my table.

It brought back so many memories: in the summer of ’83 I was a somewhat reluctant stay-at-home mum, and finding it difficult.  I adored being a mummy – but I hated the stay-at-home bit.  A housewife I am not, – there is a limit to the amount of pleasure one can take in making beds with hospital corners (and yes, I do!) and washing floors, and cleaning the bathroom.  A little more creativity perhaps goes into cooking and shopping, but we had very little money at the time – and anyway I didn’t really want to do it.  So I spent a lot of time in the park – the beginnings of the Walpole festival were on, and life was quite slow but nice.

One evening that summer we had gone out to dinner with a friend in Pitshanger Lane and she had invited this very exciting and entrepreneurial couple who had jumped onto the new bandwagon of videotapes;they had begun to  publish a sort of What’s On for buyers of this new way of watching films.  We couldn’t afford videos – but it was nice to know about.  Anyway, this very encouraging woman offered me the perfect job – something I could do between Kasia’s walks and naps – helping to sell space in the above magazine.  I remember jumping at the opportunity, even though it involved talking on the phone; but I had a script, and delivered it, so it all worked out.  T paid me handsomely for my time and I believe I did it until I was offered a job teaching part time at St. Augustine’s.

So when I saw this front cover on the table the memories of that summer came flooding back.  I don’t think I ever added this employment to any of my cv’s – but maybe I should have done! Who knows where it might have led me? Thank you TSS.