My front door and family photograph

Well where to start? I’ve had chunks of successes in my life, and a load of dismal failures too. Through it all though I have lived at the same address in Kitts Green all of my life. For almost 83 years.

I’m the only one of 10 siblings who is not married. I live on my own and wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a very loving family I’ve lived in. The house used to be a council house and all the other siblings were married so I looked at the price of the house when you could buy your council house and it was £7,000 so I took it.

I have had many neighbours whilst I’ve lived here, some I’ve really enjoyed, some not so much. The ones that currently live next door, I really value.

Mirror and a photo from my front doorstep

When I think about what makes a good neighbour I don’t think you have to do anything, you just have to do nothing to annoy. Be ‘a friend’ yourself. Life is a mirror, whatever you put in you get out.

A young man across the road came over and helped me move bin bags to the bin, and his mother bought me a bag of pears. The neighbours next door are always offering to help, they just say “if there’s any way we can help yur, we will”

Another neighbour used to strim my front lawn for me without asking. People are lovely aren’t they?

Just smile to one another. Walk up to them, smile and part ways. If you’ve got good neighbours it is worth thousands in the value of your house.

An elevated prosthetic eye

In around about 1958 aged I lost my eye in a cricket related accident.

A friend I worked with was playing cricket with stones and an iron bar within 100 yards of the firm I worked in. It was a bombsite. I went and stood behind him and on one swing he followed the swing through and hit me in the eye.

Let’s just say “It was a smashing shot”. My eye was smashed. I never ‘seen’ it coming.

Members of my family hated him for this. For me though, I don’t think he needs hatred or forgiveness. If he’d done intentional wrong he’d need forgiveness from me, but it was just an accident.

There is nothing to forgive him for. Accidents do happen.

Front page of newspaper

I was born on 22 September 1939, about 20 days after we had declared war with Germany which would become known as World War II.

I missed out on serving in National Service. I was perfectly healthy but whilst I was waiting for my medical exam I smashed my eye. My father served in World War I and my three eldest brothers also served so it felt like something I should have done too. My younger brother also didn’t serve because fellas of my year group were the last to be enrolled in conscription.

If you were to ask me if I wanted to serve or not, well, I can’t make my mind up on that either. I missed out on travel and serving my country, but in the forces there is too much nonsense for me.

Prostate cancer literature

After realising I was going to the toilet more often in the night I went to the doctors. I got checked and then diagnosed with prostate cancer. Luckily and unsurprisingly by this… I survived.

I however lost a brother to prostate cancer 2 years later as well as two sisters from cancer more widely. If you think you have the slightest chance, all I can do is encourage you to get it checked out.

The tests are not pleasant, but get yourself checked out by ‘the Quack’ because it could save your life.

Through my own life, well, I’ve lost an eye and I’ve had prostate cancer. Nonetheless, after all of that, I’d honestly say that I have been blessed all of my life.

Bibles

Religion, well, it used to be important to me.

It was always a part of my life but it only came to me after my retirement, and after my two sisters died. Up until that point I thought it was about who I ‘should’ be. My sisters however left behind them a chest with bibles inside. Following their death I read the bible for the first time and joined St Edburgha’s Church the next day.

I have never painted what I think Jesus looks like as I’ve a feeling I’m not meant to.

Nowadays I don’t go to church, but the teachings of Jesus are important to me. I believe that Christianity is the way to be. It does fail or people fail it, but people around the church are lovely. I love people, don’t you?

An assortment of tools I experiment with to create my paintings.

I only really started painting when I retired. I retired early from the Post Office because of my knees, and I thought to myself “I need to do something”.

At Lea Village School there was a woman called Jean who was running an art class, so I signed up. At the start she was a teacher for me but later on I was finding my own way. I continue to experiment today.

Within this case are a mix of tools I use to help me paint. There are some brushes, some acrylic paints and a tool I use to help me scale things up or down.

A collection of my paintings

A lot of people don’t realise how important shadows are in a painting.

For me, shadows get applied as I go along. I never paint a tree without one side of it being in the shadow and always start a painting by thinking where the light is. I have seen at times people that have done nice paintings, but they didn’t give much thought to painting the shadows.

Shadows give life to the painting. They offer depth and realism. It’s a part of life, the shadows. They’re important.

My paintings were getting better and better as I went along… but I did make some rubbish. Unfortunately due to failing eyesight I’ve now had to pack it in.

Choir costume, lyric book and bookmark

Every Sunday, before Covid, for 2 hours a week I would rehearse with a choir at Digbeth Inner Fields. On several occasions I’ve made every member of the choir a bookmark with an animal and quote on each, as a gift.

The choir consists of people from many different churches.

One of the shows we did was 60s themed and I searched the charity shops but couldn’t find a 60s costume. So, I took my paint brushes and created this costume with some of my acrylic paints.

I think I might be an alright singer. Unless you get a solo, you don’t really get any feedback in the choir, you just blend in to the choral sound. I sing to myself around the house though, and I think I’m alright.

Postman uniform

I’ve had a number of careers in my time.

I’ve worked for Cannings and for Donovan Electrics. I’ve worked in a factory making controls for a factory making tyres for Russia or Romania, one of those important countries. I moved out of that company and worked in general assembly of the electrical equipment but it ended with a disagreement with the gaffer. Unfortunately, he wanted increased efficiency and I gave him increased deficiency. I was moved to another department, I was later made redundant.

My final career was working as a Postman Pat for 19½ years in Chelmsley Wood. I retired early at 57 because of my arthritic knees but I never look back on that job. My career till then was working in a factory and I think if I had continued in that world I would not have made it to this age today. Sometimes in winter as a factory worker I wouldn’t see daylight, but as the Postman Pat of Chelmsley Wood I was out in the fresh air all day.