Little Shubunkin

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

I dunno. I can’t think of anything I want at the moment. We went to Alnwick in Northumberland last year for holiday, and I wouldn’t mind going back there. It’s a historical town and has lots of nice shops and cafes. Lovely place.

What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?

The name Howard is a masculine name of Old Norse and German origin, generally meaning “high guardian” or “brave heart“. It is derived from Hávarðr (high guardian) or the Germanic Hugihard (heart-brave).

What is the last thing you learned?

That I’m not impervious to the latest marketing from Apple. I just ordered a MacBook Neo.

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

In the early Eighties, I was happily working as a bricklayer, when along came a major recession, which was largely caused by the policies of Mrs Thatcher. I found myself unemployed along with 350,000 other construction workers.

Being out of work was no fun, not least because of the low income. So I decided to use my spare time to get some qualifications. Within a couple of years, I had enough to gain entry into university. I studied philosophy with the history of scientific thought. And I gained a class IIii BA and went on to become a college lecturer.

It was quite a career change.

You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?

Although I was born into relatively humble circumstances, I consider I was blessed to be born into a loving family, with loving parents and grandparents.

Now as I approach my sixty-eighth birthday, I’m an old man with a number of chronic illnesses, but I still try to count my blessings. I have two wonderful children and five grandchildren plus two step-grandchildren.

Life is good.

What are three objects you couldn’t live without?

A camera, a computer and my photo collection.

What experiences in life helped you grow the most?

If you look after a plant; nurture it, water it, feed it and give it light, it will likely grow and blossom. If you neglect it , it will likely wither and die. People are a bit like that. They need food and shelter, love and warmth, then they will blossom.

Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.

The first eight years of my life. It’s when my dad was alive, and he was a wonderful man. He treated me like I was one of the family. 😊

After he died, my mum took up with a fellow who was emotionally and physically abusive. So my life then was pretty miserable for about five years until I left home.

But what makes me what I am today is a combination of good and bad influences. I believe in having compassion for others, for strangers. That we can treat each other like brothers and sisters.

So, for God’s sake, treat your rellies like they’re members of your family, and strangers also.