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Christmas '85 Newsletter

My Mechanical Engineering degree ended in June 1981, a bad time for jobs contraction in manufacturing industry made me decide on trying for a programming job (having enjoyed a short course at university). It took 15 months to get a job I wanted, filling in with temporary ones - carpentry, apple picking, selling, building work, etc. It was working for Ferranti in Bracknell, near Reading (40 miles west of London) on a project maintaining programs which correlate and display information from ship's sensors and control weapons systems on Ferranti computers used by the navy in Frigates. I also got some valuable experience using a Digital VAX.

With a permanent job I felt happy to propose to Margaret, whom I had known since autumn 1980. We married in May 82, honeymooning for a week in Austria. Our one big problem was that we didn't have a home near my job! Margaret had a large council house in Northampton (60 miles North of London) where she lived with her children Kelly, Damion, Kirstine, and Sam (then aged 12, 11, 10, 4). Until we managed to buy a house I lived near Bracknell during the week and travelled to Northampton for weekends.

We moved to our home in Reading in July 83. It was built around 1900, and cost us £24,250, our 20 year mortgage for £21,800 resulted in payments of £190 a month - it's one of the UK's costliest areas because of people moving here for new jobs. The road is quite noisy, but the 50ft back garden ends at the river Kennet, which joins the Thames 2 miles downstream. It's very quite and peaceful, with no houses on the other side of the river, just garages and a transport yard. Further more, we are only 10 minutes walk from the town centre, the railway station is close and church 3 miles away. For a year I cycled the 11 miles to work every day in about 40 minutes, then I got lazy, taking my bike on the train for 2/3 of the way and cycling the rest. Living close to all we need makes a car unnecessary until our next move.

Our next big event was on 3 September 84 When Julian Jest was born, Margaret having a fairly easy birth. It was the most rewarding experience I have ever had to be there with her. People can bore you on how it so fulfilling to be a parent, and that there is nothing like it, however not until it actually happens to you can you really understand, and then feel sorry for those people who think a career is more important than a family. The joy that a child brings into your life is amazing. He is a very happy little boy who knows very much what he wants to do, giving you a big smile before doing something he shouldn't!

Meanwhile lots more has happened: Margaret has been the women's Ward Relief Society President for a year, being a big eye-opener for her in lots of ways. I am a Sunday School teacher, first I had the "problem age" teenagers, and now the young adults. Also I've been a counsellor on the area Stake Young Men's presidency for nine months. I ran the week long summer camp at the start of the holidays this year, all enjoying it (apart from some awkward ones). It was the first big organisational thing I have been involved in, I learned lots, some of it was the "how not to do again" variety!

I was enjoying my job, salary progress being quite good. Meanwhile however, our interest rates had rocketed, house repayments going up to £250 a month. We were relying on a good annual April pay rise to get us out of the hole of overdraft each middle of the month before the end of month pay packet. It was a low rise though, complaints got nowhere, and since it felt like I could end up stagnating in the job, I started hunting. I'm sure God pushes us into doing things that we wouldn't do otherwise. Praying for good pay was not enough, so an unwarranted bad increase spurred me (slowly) into action. It all happened so fast from then that it was like being in a dream. I went to an employment agency which got me an interview for a high paying job, 3 weeks later I was handing in my notice to start there in August with a 30% pay increase. The in 2 weeks I had a £440 pension payments refund cheque, with which we were able to go on holiday. We went at the end of September to Italy - by train to stay with a friend I have there. We enjoyed our holiday, and came back rested from it. Now with the extra wages we are going to be able to get a lot of things done that have been waiting on money; a new fridge, a Hoover and plastering the walls in our sitting room. Having a older home means that you have to be prepared to do more decorating than in a new one.