I have had an interesting life to say the least! The first time I saw Mike was early in my career in the civil service in London. I took one look and was instantly attracted to him. There followed a rather volatile relationship, not helped by my parents’ concern about my being in a mixed-race relationship. In the sixties, this was still frowned upon. However, we weathered the storm and married in September 1966. It was a small wedding but we were surrounded by good friends and some family members and had a wonderful time.

Two years later, Robert was born. What a thrilling time that was for us…our first child, and he was gorgeous! After he was born, I could not bear to go back to work and leave him during the day, so I stayed home until we went to Guyana in February of 1969.

It took me some time to adjust to life in Guyana. However, my fifteen years there were rewarding in that, as well as having the joy of my children growing up in a multicultural society, I learnt to improvise when some basic items were difficult to obtain. This experience has taught me to appreciate aspects of life which we might normally take for granted.

I also made wonderful friends and was accepted by Mike’s loving family.In 1974, Tamsin was born and our family was now complete. We were so proud of both our children! Life was good as Mike’s law practice developed and we watched our children grow into healthy, smart individuals.

We attended the usual family weddings and cried at funerals. We partied on Old Years Night, going home a little earlier every year!!

When Mike was offered a post in The Bahamas at the end of 1983, we felt it was time to move on and did so, again adapting to a new environment and new friends. Robert left for England in 1985 and we realized that we had to prepare for the empty nest syndrome. Even though Tamsin was six years younger, we knew the time would pass quickly. It did, and she left in 1992.

After that, summer holidays were particularly precious as that was the time we had to spend with our children.

Towards the end of 1998, Mike retired and we decided, for several reasons, to return to England. That was a drastic move and I wondered if I would ever adapt! I should have known better….I had moved twice before and had always adapted! Our two years in England were a wonderful experience. I loved working there and, of course, we were able to spend quality time with Robert and Tamsin and her boyfriend, Robert (how confusing to have two Roberts in the family!). We got together for family dinners and operas. I was able to visit my sister and she would come up to London to spend time with me. It was so special to spend two Christmases there…something I had wanted for so long but thought would never happen.