Monday 2 November 2015

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 .

1 comment:

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Ana - lovely story .. how lucky you were to meet your hubby that way. Congratulations to you both - cheers Hilary