Since 75 I've spent most of my time working in various combinations of teaching, writing and research. I began teaching French and general subjects

in Bradford middle schools but desperately missed the Russian. In 1977 I decided to do something about it and signed up for a part-time PhD on women in rural Russia with Jim Riordan, which then took me until 1984 to finish! By then I was combining teaching adult literacy and numeracy at Bradford College with work as a commercial writer with a London-based design studio. The commercial writing really took off over the next few years until one of Jim's many grant applications finally came up and I went back to our old department (having never really left it!) as a postdoctoral research fellow.

In 1989 I became a lecturer in Russian Studies at Bradford and finally got to do the combination of teaching and research I'd always wanted in the area I'd always loved until the job became swamped by admin and undergraduate Russian was faced with closure. I left Bradford (well, almost entirely, as I still have an Honorary Readership in Mod Lang and a frequently used library ticket!) in 2001 to concentrate on writing and research. I'm currently

working on a research project based at Glasgow University and also writing a book on women cosmonauts. As a result, I get back to Russia far more

frequently than I was able to do when I was lecturing, which I'm very happy about. All in all, I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to work in an

area which has brought me so much fun and satisfaction.

On a personal level, my appreciation of Bradford drama group of the early 70s has been much in evidence: for the last 28 years I have managed to be married to not one but two of its leading lights of the day, Lester Hall and Alan Bridger, though, happily, not at the same time. Al and I sadly split up

quite recently but we are still good friends and if anyone would like to contact him I'd be happy to put you in touch. I now live in Scarborough,

sometimes sing at the local jazz club, occasionally try to get fit running on the beach and constantly attempt to work despite spectacularly distracting

views of the sea.

After graduating from Bradford I studied Industrial Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. I then joined Shell and worked in a number of Personnel Management roles based in London with occasional working trips to French- speaking Africa.

Having subsequently lived in Aberdeen for six years I am now back in the London area working as a freelance, part-time career counsellor and executive coach, having specialised in these areas and taken further studies in occupational psychology and psychometric assessment.

My marriage to Ron Butler , who I met in Stuttgart during my stage abroad, lasted 15 years and produced two daughters, Victoria (aged 19 who is currently studying Law at Bristol) and Julia (aged 16 currently doing GCSE’s). I subsequently married Mark Preece who coincidentally worked in the oil industry and with whom I moved to Aberdeen. He is presently MD of Bibby Line Ltd, a Shipping company based in Liverpool.

We now live in Teddington, near the river Thames.

After Bradford I started at at GCHQ on Cheltenham, together with Rod Leach. One year later I was posted to Berlin as a spy (go on Rod, tell them all about your work!!!!) which I worked as from 1976 till 1979. I should have returned to Cheltenham in 1979 but I had had enough of that sort of work and so took on a job as with a wholesale sugar importing and exporting company in Berlin. I remained with the company until 1984, when I decided to go self-employed and bought a small sports shop in Berlin. I had the shop when the Berlin Wall fell - that is probably one of the most memorable events I ever experienced in Berlin!!!! During the first few days the East Germans, who came across to West Berlin, formed queues outside the shop before we even opened!!!!! Those were the days!!!! And it is perhaps haard to believe, but for the following 3 or 4 months hardly a single West Berliner entered the shop because it was always jam-packed with East Germans - and they took a bit of getting used to at first!!! I remember one particular customer, who wanted to buy a track suit. I showed her one....then another...and then presented her with a third to choose from. That was my mistake!!!! she could have coped with the choice of either or...but a third one to choose from was too much for her!!!! they had never expereienced such a choice!!!! And so she beat a hasty retreat, saying she would have to come back again. I had overstrained her mind.!!! Needless to say she didnt come back. I learned from that, anyhow, to never show an East German more than 2 items to choose from!!!!!

One year after coming to Berlin I married Alison Keith, who you will all know from our course. She found job here with CEDEFOP (french abbreviation),Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, where she still works now - however we were finally divorced in 1995 (these things happen!!!!) and she now works in Thessaloniki in Greece.

Whilst I had the sports shop - and immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall - I sold sports goods to the Russian Army which was still based in East Germany. We made millions - but then lost it all again.....and I finally sold the sports shop (too much competition, too many unemployed, too little turnover) and started up again managing houses.

Mary Zulke has been keeping me informed of your plans for a reunion of the class of 75. I think she's let you know that I won't be able to join

you. It's a pity. I would have liked to have met up with everyone again.

So a little bit about me as requested. How have I spent the past three decades? Well, upon leaving Bradford I went to Finland and taught English

for a couple of years. I then returned to Britain to take an M.A. in 20thC English and American literature and to do a PGCE in English language

teaching. I've been abroad (Czechoslovakia, Germany, Bahrain, Poland, Yemen, Northern Cyprus and now Brunei) ever since, with a short break to do

another M.A. (in applied linguistics) in the mid 80s. I have been in Brunei for the past 9 years, teaching English, Applied Linguistics, and

English Literature at the university.

I married in 1992, and have two sons, Benjamin (9) and Joshua (6). Nine years in Brunei is the longest I have ever spent anywhere, but now I have a

family to consider I can't move around as much as I used to. In any case we are doing fine here, so there's no need to think of moving on at

present. We enjoy our work and there's a good international school just beside the university campus which the children attend .

I hope you have a great time at the reunion. There'll be a lot of news to catch up on. Finally, if anybody knows the whereabouts of Melody Moore

(nee Tannahill) I'd be delighted to get her current address. She was a fellow student for the first two years of our degree, after which she

married and went to live in Stuttgart.

I'm still in touch with Ros and Helen and we had a great reunion of the 3 of us and Margaret Martin nee Knowlson back in 2000. We rang Andy Lawson and had a chat with him too! I'm also in touch with Jacky Harmer who lives in the USA. I'd love to find out what others from the course are doing so you must take lots of photos in May. I have some of us in Paris - do you want me to scan those and any others to you? What are you up to these days? As you may know I spent a year at Oxford after Bradford then taught for 3 years in London, followed by 3 in Spain, 3 in Malaysia and 4 in Brunei. I've been in Melbourne Australia since 1990.I teach ESL and French in an FE college. I've been married for 22 years, have 2 kids 19 and 15 and I'm 50!!! I'm attaching a photo of us on hols in NZ in January- a different look from Bradford days! I'd love to hear from you. How is Verity ?. Great to be in touch – remember La Maison de la Saint Famille in Paris??!!

Living in USA

I am Ruth (nee Jackson, now Dawson), responding to your invitation to the Mod. Lang. reunion. I must first apologise because I will not be able to come on Saturday. However, I hope you will have a successful evening, with many friendships renewed.

I did German and French at Bradford, and have spent much of my working life as a translator, first of all full time, then part-time freelance, For the last 3 years though, since the freelance work began to dry up, I have been working as a classroom assistant at our local middle school (ages 8-12), where I spend a lot of time helping to teach maths and English, and also French.

Your invitation has prompted many trips down memory lane. I have fond memories of the year abroad, going places with Jo (Magne), Barbara (White) and others in Germany, and with Penny (Rossiter) and various French and Moroccan friends in France. I remember coming back to Bradford in Feb. of the 3rd year and sharing a room with Alison (Stewart, later Teed) - kept in touch with her after university as well, visiting her and Duncan a few times before her untimely death (1984?). I have happy memories of Bradford and Wardley House, too (except for the conference interpreting lab - too stressful). Always meant to go back and see the new look university - one of these days I'll get there!

Among others you might remember Tamara Berti, her friend Penny (surname escapes me), Rory (I think) and Pam who I think might be coming along on the night. There are a number of faces in the football photo you will recognise. I've also included a few of our farewell dinner at the Norfolk Gardens -

remember Dr Inglis ???

I've spent most of my career in the world of financial services, the last 15 or so with Abbey National. I now have the dubious title of Regional Sales

Manager for their Wealth Management operation in the Midlands - not all it's cracked up to be, I assure you !

I'm married to Rita and we live in a small village outside Nottingham. Kids are just about grown up and at University.

If you want an amusing ancedote, I suggest you ask Sheila Butterworth about the time I helped her move house - as the proud owner of a Ford Anglia in

those days (exactly like the Harry Potter one - I was in great demand on such occasions. The problem involved a very tight pair of trousers and a

very heavy trunk !!! I'll leave you to find out the rest for yourself....

to my surprise I've been living in Montreal for the past 16 years and to my greater surprise for most of that time I've been making most of my living as a freelance translator - a vocation that I had decided on leaving Bradford was not for me! I worked in book publishing in and around London until 1981 when I went to Australia to visit Tony and Heather. The holiday lasted four years! I then returned briefly to England intending to go back to live in Melbourne when I met a woman from Montreal and ended up here instead.

When we divorced after eight years I dithered about returning to England. Fortunately I dithered for four years, which gave me time to meet Barbara,

a meeting which led in short order to Gareth (now 15 months), marriage and a house in a leafy suburb of Montreal. I know, I'm a late starter, at an

age when some of you have or are probably about to have grandchildren. But I'm happier and stabler than I've ever been (life has been full of ups and

downs since Bradford, largely the result of my arrested emotional development) and I count myself extremely lucky.

I'm not sure how long we'll stay here - a move back to France or England is a strong possibility in the next few years.

Personal: married Denis Martin (Union President in our first year) and still married. He's on the Council of Bradford University. We have 2 sons,

Steven is 19 and at St John's College, Cambridge, Christopher is 17, doing A levels and hoping to get into Birmingham University. We have lived in York

for the last 25 years.

Work: after Bradford I went into agrochemicals and set up a distribution system in France for a UK company selling trace elements. Great for my

French - angry farmers and Min of Agriculture bods. When the travelling got too much I set up a language school (ESP/EFL) for one-to-one business

English courses, and an exporting company selling specialised electronic equipment in France and Spain. I spent some time in Sweden and still do a

lot of business there in other fields. Career break to concentrate on parenting, and then into management consultancy, working for the Munich and Copenhagen offices of a London based company. Now working for another consultancy based in London, but working

from home. I show my face about 3 times a year just to remind them I'm still there.

Amazing: I was in a massive traffic jam on the peripherique in Paris one Friday afternoon about 15 years ago, and had a row with a taxi driver who

was shouting at me - it turned out Helen was in the taxi - we hadn't had any contact since Bradford. One very wet Sunday I was with a French client in

Robin Hood's Bay on the Yorkshire coast and ran into Jackie Harmer – again there had been no contact since Bradford. Glad to say we are all staying in

contact now. Jackie now lives in California.

Looking forward to a more organised reunion on Saturday!

Life since Bradford.

The whole period saw me pursuing a career in banking in one form or another (you can switch off now if you like). I have spent most of the time abroad after initial spells in London and Birmingham up to 1979. Since then we have lived in Paris (twice), the Ivory Coast (four unusual years) and Munich (the last seven years). The spells abroad were punctuated by two three-year stays in London during the second of which I was able to see the world by being responsible for International Audit. Currently I am a partner in a German bank headquartered in Munich and part of a Belgian group.

I married Sue in 1977 and we have two children, a boy aged 17 and a girl aged 15. In spite of the odds, they don’t seem to have suffered from the mixture of being educated in the French school system, living in Germany and having British parents, and, though I hate to admit it, sometimes seem far more sensible than I was 30 years ago!

I have been in touch regularly (but not always frequently!) with Rod Leach, Phil Clark, Alan Gledhill and Helen Bonneau (née Longman) over the last few decades and we made contact with Ray Boreham via e-mail a few months ago.

Immediately after Bradford I moved down to Gloucestershire to work for "a Government Department based in Cheltenham" (see Phil Clark’s entry for dubious detail). There I remain after all these years. This is not quite as boring as it may seem. It’s a big place and you tend to move jobs every couple of years or so – so lots of variety. I haven’t used my languages in anger for about 20 or more years now. So there’s a paragraph saying nothing at all about what I do.

On the day that Phil and I started down here, so did Miriam, also a linguist (Russian/Spanish but from Durham). We married in 1980 (she seemed a better long term bet than Phil) and are still enjoying "wedded bliss" in the heart of the Cotswolds. No kids, but nephews, godchildren galore, and the children of close friends keep us busy.

Interests: well I’m still a sports fiend. Rugby League (St Helens) is my first love. I use to play squash – I thought to a reasonable standard until Phil once took Andy and me apart in successive sessions. And when Andy finally beat me I knew the time had come to pack up. Still hobble around the 5-a-side pitch and do quite a bit of cycling. My other main interest is music, both listening and playing. About 7 or 8 years ago I suddenly decided to take up the clarinet, and made my way through to Grade 8. Don’t practice enough though, so I’m gradually deteriorating from those dizzy heights.

Bradford contacts: I’ve been back about 3 or 4 times over the years, once for a CAMRA AGM which took place in the Great Hall and involved staying in Denis Bellamy Hall. Was last there in December to meet up with Ray Boreham and his wife who were over from the States, and of course for the reunion in May. Pam had done a fantastic job and it was great fun to meet up with everyone again (even though I couldn’t claim to remember all of you). Certainly one in the eye for those who claim that nostalgia isn’t what it was. Miriam and I are now close friends with Andy and family, and I have contact through e-mail with Ray Boreham, Phil and Alan (as they would testify I’m lousy at replying to e-mails).

After graduating from Bradford, I completed a one-year, post-grad secretarial course at a college in Colchester, Essex. During that year Imet up with my husband-to-be, Patrick Bonneau, a Frenchman I had met whilst on my six months stage in France, in 1974.

We married in 1976 and lived for almost 10 years in Paris. I had two jobs of no particular consequence and then had the good fortune to answer an innocuous ad for a tri-lingual executive secretary. I got the job and found I was working for a jet-setting multi-millionaire, Dr Mortimer Sackler, working out of beautiful offices in the heart of Paris. My life certainly began to resemble his - well, the jet-setting bit anyway; I'm still working on the multi-millionaire bit... - and I still work for him to-day but out of

his London house. He is 86 and still works daily but doesn't jet-set quite so much and neither do I.

My marriage with my first husband ended in 1995 and we finally divorced last year. I am re-marrying in August this year and am trying a different nationality - Scottish, from Glasgow - we're working hard on the language barrier. His name is Crombie (don't even go down that '?origin'road...) and he is a crack bridge player, desperately trying to teach me how to play properly. I still work for Dr Sackler, who is mostly known in the UK for his philanthropic activities, and who made his fortune in the

pharmaceuticals industry.

I kept in touch with Margaret Martin, née Knowlson, whom I met by chance in Paris at traffic lights, Rosalind Kessler, née Welch, Hazel Rice, née Furness, and Andrew Lawson née Lawson!

Ros, Hazel, Margaret and I managed a reunion in 1999, chez moi in Kent and the rest, as they say, is history.

Oh, last but not least, I managed somehow to create a son and heir in my own

On graduating, I went to Leeds Polytechnic to take a secretarial course and then spend a year in Seville with Kevin, where I picked up enough Spanish to serve me in good stead on holidays and, about six years ago, was sufficiently reasonable to assist us in buying a small house in a hill village in Andalucia. Nothing flash, but a very pleasant bolthole where we can sit on the roof and frazzle or, as recently when it poured down, sit in the living room and watch all sorts of weird foreign TV programmes – Polish are my favourite.

Kev and I went our separate ways and I returned to share a flat in Manchester with my friend from Leeds. However, the first night I was back, I was invited to a party in Aylesbury by Steve, which was great and he showed me how to make a really good omelette something which I can do very proficiently to this day. Steve also visited me in Manchester and I remember us gooning around in the city centre and getting very drunk. I also visited Barbara in Frankfurt, Pete and his wife Sue in Shipley and Pam in Liverpool, where we discussed the various merits of cheesecake. I also wrote to Alison for a while and Derek called in whilst I was in Leeds.

I’ve been married for 23 years an have two sons, the younger of whom has just gone off to university to study English, with the words ‘these will be the best three years of your life, make the most of them’ ringing in his ears. We’re self-employed which I can sort of recommend because at least you take ten minutes off to watch the Olympic 100 metres final or nip to Asda if absolutely necessary, but I sure do envy all of you with final salary company pensions. I dream of one of those. My 15 minutes of fame came when our elder son married one of Liz Dawn’s daughters and the wedding photos appeared in OK!. Great wedding, lovely girl but unfortunately the marriage didn’t last.

So thanks to everyone for the great time. I remember the 21^st birthday party well, Spiggy wore a long lime green, halter-neck dress if I remember and she was and probably still is, enviably thin. I remember the travelling during our year abroad, if it hadn’t been for the hospitality and porridge of Sally and Alison in Strasbourg, sausages with Barbara, Lou and Helen in Saarbrucken, floor and sleeping bag with Pete in Stuttgart, bed and board with Jan, Linda and Tim in Seville and hoards of others, I wouldn’t have seen so much of Europe as I have.

And just occasionally something pops up in my life to remind me of Bradford. Jim Riordan (Russian) appearing on TV to talk about Manchester’s first Olympic bid, Richard Pollock (again Russian) who apparently went on to translate brilliantly for Margaret Thatcher and , amazingly, a murder-mystery book written by Simon Brett, where the main character, a D list actor who spends most of his time ‘resting’ visits the Edinburgh Festival and bumps into a bunch of nutters from Bradford University wearing chainmail. I can always say I helped knit some of that chainmail and two of those nutters were my friends!

All the best to you all, do have a great evening and when I’m 50 in August I’ll drink plenty of plonk somewhere and spend a good deal of time remembering the good times.

Thanks for the invitation. Sorry I won't be able to be there, but I hope it all goes well.

Please give my best wishes to anyone who remembers me!

Carole

I run a company with my husband Clive and am also involved in a cluster company. We are in the computer industry, but also offer training, remote office services and management consultancy. This is my third marriage and I have three children aged 14, 10 and 5.

After school I studied modern languages then did an MBA in International Business. After that I worked for Ford for eleven years before changing career to lecturing and now again to running my own company! I am in Lincoln and am sorry not to have kept in touch with anyone before now.

So, the last 30 years ish! After the French and Russian degree, I did a post-graduate course in Bradford on Yugoslavia and then spent some time in Belgrade doing research on the family and social policy, which I finally wrote up, after returning to Bradford, and gained the MA.

Soon after that, I married John Howarth; we had been together through most of my years of study at Bradford. We have two lovely daughters – Grace who is 19 and studying medicine at UCL, and Colette who is 9 and into everything that 9year olds can be into. At least they keep us on our toes or something.

On the work front, I had a few clerical jobs whilst writing up the MA, then spent about 6 years selling ultrasonic industrial equipment in the UK and overseas. I also trained as a teacher of adults at that time and started to teach French in evening classes and in a centre for people from industry and commerce. I continued that for around 12 years.

From ultrasonic sales, I moved to the Open University, where I was Student Services Manager in Yorkshire for about 19 (phew!) years, changing jobs only 18 months ago. I now work as Business Manager for CAFCASS in Yorkshire – it’s a part of the court service, which supports families and children.

My main interest over the past 20 years has been various complementary therapies, particularly homeopathy. I completed a 5-year training course and qualified last year as a homeopath. Together with a colleague from that course, we have established a practice in Ilkley, near to where I live. This is my main interest and I am really enjoying working with people in this way and even helping some of them feel a bit better!

I have travelled for holidays, but have lived in Yorkshire since 1978.

1975 BA Hons Mod Lang Bradford

1977 Divorced from Graham Rock

Move to London

1978 P-G Diploma in Conference Interpretation Techniques, PCL

1978-85 Free-lance Conference Interpreter & Organiser

1980 6^th September, married to Robert Tiltscher, Stockbroker

1980 Stage at European Parliament Interpreting, training in Danish Section

1981 13^th September, son Josclyn born

1983 5^th February, youngest daughter Imogen born

1985 Move back to Yorkshire (Harrogate), assist husband managing nursing homes

1987-9 Qualify to teach in Further and Adult Education, teach 3 classes French/German for HCAT.

1989 28^th October granddaugher Jessie born to oldest daughter Maddie (and Jonathan)

1990 Move to Guildford, continue teaching in Adult Ed at Guildford Institute; also French to Infants in after-school club.

1991 April, separate from RT, September take up post teaching German in girls’ public school

1992 Divorced from RT

1993 Maddie gets 2/I Fine Art Oxo (Ruskin College of Sculpture & Fine Art, and St John’s College)

1995 30th September daughter Kathy marries Graeme Hemmings

I retire from teaching due to ill health and move to Cotswolds to live with Peter Grose-Hodge, retired divorce solcr (go on – work it out for yourselves!)

1997 Commence History degree with OU

1998 Peter studying hieroglyphs at British Museum

1999 Move to City 29^th May. Kathy (divorced 98) marries Andy Milburn

2001 Peter matriculates at UCL studying Egyptology

13^th November Graham Rock dies after long battle against cancer

2002 BA Hons History OU- a First, boast boast!!

18^th December married Peter (on his 73^rd birthday!)

2003 Commence PhD with Professor Richard Overy, King’s College, London

Maddie now an artist living happily in Wimborne, Dorset with daughter Jessie and partner Brent, a photographer.

Kathy and Andy have a Cullen’s shop in Hove.

Josclyn is living for the time being in Yorkshire working in his father’s business.

After Bradford I did my MSc in tourism at Surrey University and then went to work for the English Tourist Board in London. Stayed there for 3 years and

moved around as graduate trainee, including spells working in Lincoln (where I first met Rob my husband to be) , Exeter, New

York and Los Angeles. It was whilst I was working in LA that my boss asked me to go to Liverpool for 3 months to advise them on setting up a maritime

museum. I went, fell in love with the city and the love affair continues to this day. I have been involved from the start with all the tourism and

regeneration efforts and have had a challenging and interesting career through many organisational changes - for about 5 years I ran the tourism

bureau here with a staff of about 40 but now I am in a more strategic role with a small team of 5. Rob & I got married in 1982 and our twins, Vicky and Ellie were born in 1983 – life was never the same again – we had a very steep learning curve into parenthood but enjoyed every minute of those early days! I went back to work for a rest when they were 6 months! Undaunted, we went on to have a son, Nick in 1989.

I have worked throughout which has been difficult at times but has kept me sane. I still love my job and keep very busy - have never been very good at

Jan Vickers (now Robinson): After Leaving Bradford, I decided to become a "Caledonian Girl" for a gap year deferring my place at Goldsmiths for my post grad teaching qualification. I loved my time at British Caledonian Airways so much that I stayed 13 years. I saw the world and had a wonderful time. Spanish in particular, did me great favours and I flew to South America evey month. My French enabled me to go to the Seychelles on a shuttle from Nairobi. After meeting my husband Chris, I joined the Training department which put me firmly on the ground, where I stayed 3 years! My daughter Emily (now 16) eventually prompted me to leave. I then started up a Childrens Equipment Hire business from home which I still do called "Tinkers". Five years later, Oliver was born (11 now). I am now a Careers adviser in a Girls Indpendent school and know everything there is to know about UCAS forms! I still do lots of drama at our local theatre and Emily will applying for drama schools soon. I play tennis, golf, love entertaining and all in all have a wonderful life!

Resumé of my life since leaving Bradford in 1975.

After graduation I returned to my roots in London and took up a trainee job at Standard Chartered Bank in the city where I did a day release course and took the Institute of Bankers exams.

In 1977 I succumbed to the temptation to return to Germany and was transferred to the Düsseldorf branch of Standard Chartered bank where I worked until we moved to Stuttgart in 1979. At that time "we" only meant Werner and I. We had met in Brussels when we were both stagiaires at the then EEC Commission and got married in 1978.

HOW TO DO EVERTHING EXCEPT USE YOUR DEGREE

Hmm the last 25 years – or is it28?!

Well, many of you know the beginning of the story – after a year’s PGCE training at Rolle College, Exmouth – a wonderful year – the teaching job that came up for Tony and I was in Australia. (Supposed to be two years in our reckoning, time to save up for a Welsh small holding - we were there 9 years). Our teaching jobs could have been anywhere in the State of Victoria, and it wasn’t til we arrived, jetlagged after a 36 hour flight via San Francisco, that we were told we were going to Warnambool- as it turned out, prime beach resort. Lucky or what?!

Teaching and earning decent money, I got into scuba diving, and we both got into trail riding – Yamaha 250 each, and into 4 wheel driving. As for teaching, we loved the kids, can’t say the same for the school system, and 15 months later, after a brief taste of how the other half live, we were out – a political decision – but teachers no more. No sleep lost about that. Odd jobbing here and there, we saved up just enough to equip our long wheel base Landrover and set off travelling around and through Australia. A massive, amazing experience.

We came back after 18 months, and bought a piece of land with friends, in the beautiful Otway coastal ranges of SW Victoria. After our trip, we decided that we would set up as bootmakers – well why not? Not quite so straight forward, but 18 months later saw us set up in business as Elfin Boot and Shoes – soft, crepe soled, definitely hippy footwear, super comfy and hard wearing. Mail orders came in from all over Oz – trace around your foot and give us some measurements – Meanwhile, we were all working on our communal land. I became fiddle player in my first band – Bull’s Wool, real bushwhacker stuff. Great fun. After some time, Tony and I moved to the land, living in a tipi at first, then building a shack into which we moved - set up veggie garden, built a shoe making w/sh, and lived on our hilltop. 30 miles from the nearest town, horse back distance to nearest Post Office store.

Good life – work, play, friends, sea and stunning beach/coastal scenery just 30 mins drive away.

In 1983, I became pregnant and we were ecstatic. Plan – home birth on our land. But the flying doctor service to the Otways for home births terminated, a tiger snake (lethal) began sharing our shack with us, and I was missing my mum at this time. Last minute change of plan – sell the business, have a year in UK. Chance for grandparents to meet their grandchild, us to catch up with family and friends, then come back and do something different.

And so it was, we travelled back with me 7 months pregnant, and came to Wales to stay with friends and then find our own place, post birth. We had a wonderful home birth - Sian Elin was born and the sun shone for weeks. 19 years later and we are still here! So what happened? Well, we were sucked in by a hot spring and summer, and got side tracked into buying the long delayed Welsh small holding, when our year was up. It was beautiful – a Hansel and Gretel cottage on 3 gorgeous acres, river on two sides, down a long track. No mains water or power, but spring and rain water, windmill on the roof and back up generator. We then had to be able to pay off the mortgage, so thought we had better take up shoe making again - the saddle making (Tony) and toy and halter making (Heather) during our baby year, had not proved lucrative, and yet again new skills to learn. This time we would offer a fully bespoke service of city brogues and walking boots. Again, not quite so straight forward, and a lot of trial and error, but we got there, and began trading as Summers and Summers. We had Sian in the workshop with us when she was not asleep in her pram – worked work around her. Two years later and along came Meg (Megan Rose) – another memorable homebirth at which Sian was present. Did great things for bonding for the two of them. We got a name for ourselves as makers of fine boots and shoes by having a stall at prestigious shows around Britain – great fun for the girls too.

8 months later, I bought a lovely cottage with large garden overlooking the river valley (and we are still here), and then got a grant to set myself up in business as a sandal maker. Had a lovely workshop and veranda built with the grant, at the top of our terraced garden – great work space. Set myself up as L for hEATHER. (Think about it!) Markets, festivals, mail order, adding on hats and bags, and braces --- Meanwhile, I was playing fiddle with a world folk band Scrape the Grape, then set up in a rhythm ‘n roots duo On the Edge, playing around the Festivals, and member of a third band, Forest, at one time. Gigging up to three times a week, when the girls were alternate weeks with Tony. I was also working on a friend’s stall at Glastonbury, Womads in Spain and the Canaries where I could finally put my languages to good use(!), and also sell my leather goods.

Meanwhile, I had discovered that this stage of my life was about loving women and I had various lesbian relationships – another huge story – and in fact have not had another male partner since Tony, tho at the time of our break up. I could have gone either way – or so I had thought. Some years later, I met Miranda, and we have been in a very special relationship for nearly four years. She is a dancer/choreographer and singer song writer – and part time Marketing Officer for WIT. She moved from London to Wales some 18 months ago, which is great. We are working on our own set as a band - with a djembe player. We have done a fair bit of travelling together, often combining it with work; love to walk, and sail.

My music was calling more and more. I had been feeling acutely aware of the lack of women performers around all the Festivals, esp instrumentalists. I met another woman who felt the same, and we set up an all women band – Lunar Cycles. I trained as a Community Music Tutor, whilst still leather working. This was the beginning of the next stage of my life! I learned about funding, as well as the amazing ways into music making I could share in the community. For some time I had been fantasising about a women’s music festival --- I needed a project for my course, and a friend said – why not set up your women’s music festival?! Well talk about think something and it happens, this did - a dream that turned into a reality. Women In Tune is now in its sixth year, and a registered Charity, with 5 amazing annual festivals under our belt, and an accredited training programme of music tech courses throughout the year + other performance events. We receive Arts Council and European funding. I have been the Coordinator since the start – an amazing journey really, stressful at times, but highly rewarding work, touching the lives of women and girls of all ages and walks of life. We attract from all over UK + a growing number from Europe and beyond. We offer a programme at the Festival of diverse w/shops in many aspects of music and related arts, performances and open stages and a whole heap more. We are Britains only women’s Music Festival, run by women, for women --- I could go on but I won’t, save to say we are attracting more and more girls and young women and disabled women, broadening the cross section of participants.

Since 2000, I have stopped my leather business, (too much to keep it all going), tho I still have my workshop, and as well as giving music workshops to disadvantaged groups in the community, I also offer leatherwork sessions too. So my work is made up of working for WIT part time – varies according to funding – giving hands on workshops, teaching a bit of folk fiddle, and performance in varying amounts.

I was part of a 6 piece all women band – fireweb - exciting original sound – Celtic/African fusion, but sadly we lost two members to ill health, and two years on that ended, tho at the time we didn’t realise we would not restart.

My mum and dad are doing well despite mum having had MND since 1994. She is a real battler, and thanks to her fighting spirit, acceptance, sense of humour, and dad’s full time care, she still has quality of life. Until last year they were travelling all over, inc Europe in a motor caravan dad set up with various aids.

I have a Mirror dinghy – source of many adventures, sometimes a bit hairy, but a lot of fun. It is at the coast, only 20 minutes away, and two miles from where Miranda lives.

I love my yoga, music, friends.