Memories

So baby is here and I learn how to be a mother, very scary to hold that little bundle, so small had no one to help if  needed, but I did learn and managed to get along.

So I was a stay at home Mum looked after the house and baby while Hubby went out to work, one day needed to do washing and since we had no washing machine as yet had to go to the launderette next door to the house, baby was asleep so I thought all I had to do was put washing on and come home, imagine my shock when I arrived at my door and realized that I had left the key inside, panic or what, I run all the way to Hubby's work lucky for me was only down the road by the time I got there I was in tears, took me a while to explain to the security chap at the door why I was there.

After that scare the next item we buy is a washing machine.... no more lock outs thank goodness, I make friends with other Mums so we take our children to playgroup and sometimes go for coffee in each other houses it was really nice to have someone to talk since Hubby was always at work bless him.... sometimes I used to walk up to Maldon to visit Jennifer's Godmother lovely lady, and do a little shopping, not easy going up Market hill with a pram was to much of a performance to take the bus, big shopping was done on Hubby's day off.

Some days Baby Jennifer just wont settle so I put her in the pram and go for a walk, when she falls asleep I turn round and come home, as soon I come through the door she wakes up.
Still I did get through and she's growing into a lovely little girl.

Then I start thinking that another baby would be a good idea, so we start planning for another baby, or should I say I started, because  Hubby wasn't keen on the idea bless him.
And the it happened I was pregnant number two baby was on the was.....Feeling very blessed.

Memories

Here we are settled in Heywood Way in a house of our own, and a baby on its way so Hubby starts working at the factory as a trainee welder of course he was on a low wage to start with, so to make ends meet he still went to Halstead to work at his evening job.

Bless him he really  did work hard to pay the mortgage and everything else since I was not working, he started work on his day job at seven in the morning he cycled home for lunch, since he only worked down the road, finished at five if there was overtime he finished at six.

Then it was a marathon to get home change and go to his evening job, one day I was in the kitchen when I see this bike flying by my window (((lol))) hubby was rushing home to get to his other job and his bike had a puncture for the second time that day, when he came home at lunchtime he had to repair the tire and when it happened again he lost his head, it was really funny and for years after that I have told that story with great merriment... It always makes me smile hubby wasn't a very patient man.

So the day arrives for baby to make its appearance, of course Hubby was in Halstead at his evening job, I phone up and tell him in tears to come home that I thought the baby was coming, I was so nervous that I kept being sick, he arrives home at eleven or soon after and he tries to get me in the car but needed to be sick again so he was getting quite stressed on the way to the Hospital he had to stop a few times at last we arrive, and of I go to be checked in at the maternity ward, I was left on this side room with hubby by my side we had been told that it would be a while yet....

Hubby went out for something to eat and all hell broke loose at least that's how I thought of it.... the pains started coming and he wasn't there I was really scared so that's how I become a Mum at the age of twenty five, Mum to a beautiful little girl weighing 7pounds and 5onces. Then o (((fadista))) Hubby  turns up when all is over.

Memories

After leaving the homeland, hubby and I find ourselves another job this time we find ourselves in Surry, again living in.
The accommodation was a bungalow that we shared with another person, we start work and to start with, all is good but the owners expected their value for money, that was a shock to my system after working very hard in the restaurant which was very busy I was expected to do washing up as well, and imagine my face when the next morning she told me to go to their living quarters and clean their bathroom and do the ironing, least to say I was not a happy bunny.

So we decide to turn our life around and start looking for a house of our own, we thought Essex was a beautiful county and we were very happy there, so on our day off we go looking and found and bought our first home in Essex, where we had our first job as husband and wife working in the Blue
Boar hotel, it was there that we met and stayed friends with My first daughter's Godparents.

Anyway we had been married for four years and I was getting broody, but Hubby being sensible say's that we should wait and work a little longer so that we could earn enough to buy furniture...
We carry on working in this not so good job.

But one morning when I get up I felt quite ill, and after all this sickness I decide to go see the quack, so he says that I could be pregnant...... Tests are done..... (((He was a lovely Doctor))) and it was confirmed yes I was pregnant.... Least to say the decision to work a little longer wasn't going to happen, as soon the bosses found out that I was five months pregnant they told us that we were no longer needed.

And that's how our adventure started in our new house in Essex, with no job and not enough money to buy furniture, we had just enough money to buy a bed, linen, second hand fridge, rented television so for the next few months until hubby was able to find  work we sat on the floor, not easy when you are six months pregnant luckily we bought the house with carpets....

So Hubby still trying to find work and he wants to change jobs keep out of catering.
So he decides to ask at this factory for work, but gets told no because he did not have experience in welding so he comes home upset....Then he decides that his going to work mini cabbing in London, he does that for a while he was working all night and sometimes instead of coming home he stayed at my sisters for a few hours sleep..... One day after working all night for a couple of nights his driving home and he wakes up in a middle of a field, lucky for him it was not a bridge or a roundabout, least to say that was a wake up call....

So he finds a job working in a restaurant in Halstead. Lovely people they took us to their hearts am glad to say we are very good friends still.... But he needed a full time job, so he hears that the  factory that he had previously asked for work were employing again so he tries his luck and he had the same answer no experience, so he says I am not stupid I can learn, and learn he did, they did give him the job so now my Hubby is a welder.... As the wages started coming in we were able to buy the furniture... the first money earned we bought the sofas ah! to be able to seat in comfort bliss, one day we went to visit our Portuguese friends in Wanstead  they had a café and next door there was a charity shop, They had a drop-leaf table and a side board also a little corner unit, all we needed was the chairs, another time we were walking in London Portobello Road  and saw this four Edwardian chairs so we bought them and that's how we furnished our dining room.

Memories

1971 after the honeymoon. Its time for work and reality.
Hubby finds us a live in job in a Motel he would be working as a waiter and I as chambermaid, least to say hated every single moment of it.... So hubby bless him decided that we would find another job and e would train me as a waitress, I must say it was a lot easier those days to find work in those days.

So we end up in Maldon Essex, at the (((Blue Boar hotel))) and my training starts doing silver service and cooking at the table, like flambe's..... I must say liked that a lot better, so that's how my life was for the first five years of my married life, (((although we did not stay and worked at this hotel for the say five years)))

 We decide to go to our island for a holiday to visit the family, but instead of the normal 1 to 2weeks we go for three months of course we had to leave the hotel that we worked at... So Madeira was our home for the next three months and that consisted of going to the beach sunbaking and clubbing, how dark we did get, I must say this days I cannot cope with that kind of heat.
So after this rest we got bored and decided it was time to come home, and find another job. So off we go to the employment agency and another job was found

And would you believe it we find a job in Essex again this time in Feering at the old Anchor, hubby worked in the restaurant and I in the cocktail bar..... Must say liked that a lot better.
we worked there quite happily for a while, then we decide to go on holiday of course our holidays were a little bit over the top so we leave another job, and off we go to Madeira for another holiday for more sun and fun......
So we are back once again in English soil and would you believe we are back at the old Anchor in Feering!
We were very lucky to have our job back after all we were away for two months it was a good place to work, really liked there we got on quite well with the management and the customers were quite nice too. Our friend Victor thought hubby to play golf, so after lunch off they went to the golf club I think hubby really liked that.


Once again its time for another holiday and off we go, of course as usual we leave the job.
After three months we come back to another job this time in Hatfield Heath and still in Essex, Nice people the owners so we settled in and after only three months, we get news that ((Luis)) hubby's Dad has died of a hart attack. So with a heavy hart once again we are in Madeira this time with a lot of sadness.... Father in law had a bar so hubby decides that his going to work there on his Dads bar, but that doesn't last long after five months he decides that his not happy doing just that, and its time to come back home, So it gets handed over to hubby's uncle, so now we are free to leave knowing that the family's business was in good hands..

Memories

Once again going back...As I have mention on my last writings, my sister decided now that I am eighteen years old I could come to England so that I could help Mum with a little money, since Dad died Mum was finding hard to make ends meet.... Am so excited and I tell my friends that I probably would be meeting the beetles lol how ignorant was I.... Of course it would never happen.
I left Madeira at the end of October 1969 with my thin coat, the weather was already cold so had to buy a warmer one.... I came to this shores as an au pair, had to have a permit from the home office.
So here I was in Hampstead heath,((( Greenway gardens))) that's where I ended up with this lovely Jewish family they had 2 children Nicholas and Dorothy, and here I was to look after this children and also do some house work with not a word of English that wasn't easy....So little Dorothy used to make me repeat words and little by little I started to understand what was expected from me, they had a daily women Sandy was her name she also helped, explaining when I did not understand something, I remember being shocked when she opened their private doors and drawers to see what gossip she could find.
My sister and her husband  worked  in a private house as live in help so on my day off I used to walk there for a visit, and it was there that I met my Husband.... He was visiting my brother in law they were friends in the old homeland, he asked me out sometimes to the cinema, he worked and lived in Convent Garden in a pub restaurant near the opera house we could hear them practicing....Sometimes he took me to this cocktail bar where he made friends with the owners, loved going there the dancers and entertainers from Talk of the Town, used to come in for a drink after the show sometimes still in costume....And then he asks me to marry him.... Panic or what, how can I tell my sisters that I want to get married when I was suppose to be here to help Mum..... Brother in law wasn't happy about it either.....So word is sent to Mum, my sister tells my Mum where his from so of she goes to find out about his character and family.... Funny thing she discovers that my husband to be is related to my brother in law, Funny thing don't you think! how this things happen small world or what!!!
Of course brother in law still not convinced I suppose he felt responsible for my well being bless him.
So we go through the preparations a friend of husbands family makes the wedding cake, Catholic Church in Ogle Street booked.
The day of the wedding arrives and off we go to the Church,  no sine of the Priest and we wait and wait.... would you believe it he had forgotten that he had a wedding to perform, lucky for us he saw people at the church so he asked what was happening, the driver said a wedding and he puts his in his mouth and he utters Ohhhh.... So we did get married Hubby was getting worried we had a honeymoon booked to Austria.....So now we are Mr and Mrs and we get driven to my sisters basement where she lived for some food and drink guests in total twelve.
Next day of we go to Austria .

Memories

I am fourteen years old and no shortage of boyfriends, of course if my parents found out I would be in the dog house....I remember when my eldest sister came on one of her visits from England it was just before Christmas and we all went to the church in the early morning, its called(( missa do parto)) its like the advent calendar instead of eating chocolate we went to church... Anyway on way home we were followed by this man on his bike and my sister being the eldest we thought he was following her, but then we found out he was following me, and would you believe it! he was a widower and me only fourteen years old.... LOL.
Now I have three sisters in England and of course I couldn't wait to come to, but of course I was to young.... Then at the age of sixteen we loose our wonderful Dad to a stroke, what a nightmare that was, we were all lost, even  my Mum who was a strong women did not know how she was going to cope! Of course my sisters helped with money, but by now they had married and had their life expenses too. So after two years of begging them to send for me, it happened, and I am to go at long last to England so that I'd be able to help Mum.
So its a mad rush to get some new clothing together so off I go to the dressmaker to be measured for a coat and some other items of clothing, I was on cloud heaven.... So Mum bless her was left with my eldest brother Luis sister Dulce  and my two little brothers Silvio and Rui....