Memories fade as the years go by, but here’s a few from Mayfield that have stuck with me.

Mr. Frankland breaking my nose in football practice. I can still feel the pain as we collided, and see the worried look on Stan’s face as the blood flowed from my nose.

Mr. Bradley’s shocked look when I came top of the class in our final year. No one, however, was more surprised than me; but the glory was short lived. Geoff Gower’s exam results had been cocked up, and when corrected, he moved into first place.

Mr. Wade driving into the playground in a tiny Austin Swallow, his large form bent to see through the windscreen. Parking to the side of the main building, he always had extreme difficulty extricating himself from the vehicle.

Austin Swallow

Over the years I’ve had quite a few hobbies. Some continue, some have faded and others have disappeared completely. I was quite useful at art while at Mayfield and I started sketching and painting water colours again after a 45 year break. One year I produced a calendar using paintings of MG cars as the artwork, which I gave as an extra Christmas present to friends and relations.

Another year I did something similar using paintings of my wife’s cat, Sasha, in different poses. I now find it really gratifying to do something like that when I’m in the mood and, unlike when I was at school, I feel reasonably satisfied with my work.

Sasha