Book 2 came about because my e-publisher deemed the original book (almost 800 pages) to be too big for an e-book. So I agreed to split it into two books.
Lynne Janine Braithwaite BEM LSGCM & Clasp RAF Retd.
1st July 1934
The author was born "Lawrence James Braithwaite on the 1st July 1934 in the village of Near Sawrey about halfway between Hawkshead and the Ferry across Windermere in the Lake District.
What more could one want than to be born into such idyllic surroundings. He attended Hawkshead school and left at the age of 15yrs to join the RAF as a "Boy Entrant" and signed the dotted line on 27th September 1949.
Demob day was the 1st July 1989 followed by divorce on the 4th July 1989.
I then ran my own business making silver model aircraft until 1992 when Mrs Thatcher's recession sank my business. (The first things people stop buying in a recession are "Executive Toys" and that is what I was making)
I remarried in December 1989 and divorced on the 13th September 1993.
June 22nd 1994 I moved to my new home. 30th June 94 divorce No2 absolute.
10th August 1994 saw my name changed to "Lynne Janine Braithwaite" forever and what follows is the saga in "Diary Format" of my determination to be my real self.
Excerpt
Friday 13th October 2000
It's that day again folks!(Black Friday) I got my lazy self out of bed in good time today as I'm taking young Ross to school for Lynda. She has a doctor's appointment, which is at the time she normally takes him. I would do anything for her; she is a really super friend and neighbour.
I then drove into Lancaster to drop a letter in to the RLI for Cathy, she has a surgery this morning so that is the best way to get it to her. On the way home I posted my old telephone back to BT. In the early evening I decided to phone a new found friend who lives in Kendal. We had a short chat and the upshot is, she is coming to visit tomorrow morning at about 10.00 for a couple of hours. I had better tidy up my flat or she will have nowhere to sit!
Saturday 14th October 2000
I didn't get up until 09.00. I then had to fly about like a demented fool to be ready for when my friend arrives. It was lucky for me that she got a little lost in town trying to find my place. It was really great to meet her in the flesh at last. We have so much in common so we had loads to talk about and the three hours simply flew past.
Oh yes we have also exchanged e-mail addresses as well so it will be easier to keep in touch from now on. So to test the system I sent a message to thank her for her visit, I also invited her and her friend to come sometime in the future. I checked for mail at 21.00 and found a reply from her to say they would love to visit, probably next week sometime. Watched some TV then went to bed.
Sunday 15th October 2000
Not a lot on the program today! During the morning I caught up with some washing and cleaning. In the afternoon I settled down to watch some of the motorcycling on TV. Phoned Noel and Janet to check that the bits that I have requested have materialised. The answer is yes; they will bring them down to Broughton on Monday when they go to John Dixon's funeral and I will get them after the service.
Monday 16th October 2000
Gave my upstairs neighbour a lift up to Heysham to attend a job interview. She had been waiting for a bus that never arrived and was a little upset that she was going to miss the appointment.
I left her to get on with it, as I had to get home quickly to get ready for my journey to Broughton-in-Furness for Cousin John's funeral at 13.45. I finally got away from No10 at 11.30. My first port of call was the "Halifax" in town to withdraw some cash. It gets right up my nose to have to pay for one hour of parking when I am only there for ten minutes! At 11.50 I am on the road, heading north to Carnforth where I decided to make use of the M6. I had a very pleasant journey until I ran into the rain at the bottom of Lindale Hill and at the same time caught up with quite a lot of traffic. I was able to pass quite a lot of it going up the hill, which is dual carriageway.
However it was all in vain as there was lots more traffic in front. The biggest hold up came as I travelled over Gawthwaite Common and Corney Fell and followed an ambulance which in turn was following a small car whose driver was either sight seeing or terrified of the gradient. I finally arrived at Broughton and found a parking place in the square, which was lucky. I then walked up to the church and arrived at 13.30 and got seated. I saw one or two relations in the church; it's going to be interesting to see the reactions when I get to talk to them after the service.
The fact is that I have never met any of John's children as far as I can remember. So in the interest of peace and harmony I decided not to introduce myself at this traumatic time for them. The coffin and immediate family then departed to the crematorium at Barrow -in -Furness for another service. I did however meet up with a cousin that I haven't seen since I was about fourteen years old. It was Janet's sister "Mary" who lives near Lockerbie in Scotland. So there was a lot of catching up to do. My cousin Norman and his wife Pat came to speak to Mary. Pat said hello to me but true to form Norman cut me dead when I said hello to him. So be it! If that is the way he feels then there is not a lot I can do about it. Having said that I shall not loose any sleep over him.
Noel, Janet, Mary and myself walked down into town. Noel then went to collect the Range Rover from where it was parked; we walked to the square where my Volvo was parked. We had a good natter whilst we waited for Noel. He must have found somebody to talk to, as he seemed to take a long time. When he arrived we transhipped my bits and pieces which were in two cardboard boxes. We all said cheerio and they departed to the Black Bull pub at Broughton Beck where everyone was to meet up.
I though drove back to Morecambe not wishing to impose myself on the family at this time. I will catch up with John's wife "Mary" at a later date and maybe get to meet some of the family. I had an uneventful journey home and arrived at No10 at 16.30 hrs. In the early evening Lynda and I sorted out the contents of one of the boxes, we managed to complete the task just in time for her to go off to college for her night class. I sat in with Ross for her. I finally got him to bed at 21.30. (Just before Lynda arrived home). We then had a bit of a natter before I returned home. It wasn't long before I was in bed. I was shattered.
Tuesday 17th October 2000
After breakfast I checked the e-mail and found a message from Megan to say that her and Sarah would like to visit this afternoon if that was ok. Replied in the affirmative so will hopefully have visitors about 16.00. I had better put the deep fat fryer on to make some chips! I also checked my diary and found that I have an afternoon tea date with Liz and Ruth in Lancaster tomorrow at 15.30.
Megan and Sarah arrived later than expected at 16.30 as I was preparing my dinner. They had a chip buttie each whilst I ate my dinner. We had a great time chatting and putting the world to rights. They finally took their leave at 19.30 as Sarah has to be up early tomorrow for work.
Wednesday 18th October 2000
The grey slacks that I ordered from Kay's arrived this morning, I'm well pleased with both the colour and fit, so I think I will keep them. There are another two pairs of black slacks still to come so the final decision will be taken then. After lunch I got myself ready to go into town and pay BT, Daxon and Empire bills. From there I drove to Lancaster to meet with Liz and Ruth for tea and a chat. In the modern parlance I suppose one would say "Networking"!
I arrived at the rendezvous "Sun Café" much too early and then had a minor panic as for some reason I had called the café "Aquarius" in my diary. I confided my fears with the lady behind the bar and we had a laugh at my expense. There appears not to be an Aquarius Café in Lancaster, however I went on a half-hour walk about to check! I made my way back to the Sun Café and enjoyed a pot of tea and was half way through it when I was relieved to see Liz arrive.
Not long after Ruth arrived and we had a good chat. I felt so at ease in their company and wished that we could have chatted longer. As it was we had to drink up and leave as the café was closing at 16.00.
So we walked to where my car was parked and I paid another 60p for parking and we then walked back into the St Nicholas Arcade and found another café and had another drink whilst we completed our discussions on life! Ruth had to leave at 16.45 to go home and make dinner, and then Liz had to leave to collect her children. What lovely people, I hope they can visit me at home sometime. I then returned to my trusty Volvo and drove back home, arriving at 17.45. I am feeling quite shattered so it is bed early tonight.
Thursday 19th October 2000
My neighbour from above gave me a load of mail for the previous tenant as he was leaving for work. I send it on to Tom in Scotland. I also sent Alan Smith of Radio Cumbria a lengthy e-mail about the poet "Richard Braithwait" plus a photo of said gentleman!
That will give him something to think about. I then found a large envelope to put Tom's mail in and got it ready to post. After lunch I drove into town to post it. It cost me £3.00 for 2nd class post! I then spent some time in the reference library and got myself some more copies of the old survey maps of our ancestral lands and homes; I use them to aid the family tree research. I then called in Tesco's for some bread and milk to tide me over until the weekend.
On arriving back home I made a brew then fired up the computer to check if there were any messages. There was but not what I wanted. I killed off the phone connection then worked off line for a while. I have sent a message of complaint to CH Products in the USA re Colin's yoke and rudder pedals that have still not arrived. They were ordered and paid for on the 7th September. I then sent it. Whether or not I get a reply will remain to be seen. I then got on with bringing my diary up to date.
Saturday 21st October 2000
Watched the Japanese Grand Prix practise on TV. Did some washing and got it dry! I also spent more time editing Chapters of Lynne's diaries and converting them into Life Story documents complete with pictures in readiness for saving onto CD. Sat in with Ross whilst Lynda and Roy had a night out. Didn't get to bed until 03.00!
Sunday 22nd October 2000
Lay in bed and watched the Grand Prix! How lazy can one get? I then got my lazy self up and started to get my things together for my trip up to Dorothy's at Sandford. I'm staying until Wednesday. Departed No10 at 14.00 and drove to ASDA for petrol and also bread and milk to take with me.
I then headed for the M6 North and joined it at 15.00. I then had a sensible journey to Sandford and arrived at 16.30. I had to go via Brough as they are carrying out bridge repairs on my usual route and the traffic is diverted. Dorothy had some friends visiting from Hest-Bank so we all chatted for about a half-hour before they set off home. Well there was lots of news to catch up on and consequently we didn't get to bed until 23.00!
Monday 23rd October 2000
The weather is atrocious so I guess we will have to find jobs indoors today. We did in fact change all the curtains over, so the winter curtains are now hung which should make the place a bit warmer for Dorothy. We also lit the coal fire for the first time since summer and enjoyed sitting in front of it during the evening. We looked at more family photos and chatted before retiring at 22.30. I am ready for bed; I still haven't caught up from looking after Ross.
Tuesday 24th October 2000
A busy day is scheduled! I am taking Dorothy to visit a Consultant at Kirby Stephen Health Centre for an appointment at 11.30. Before we set off though I measured up the fireplace to confirm the size of the new fire-grate that Dorothy wants to buy.
We had an uneventful journey to KS and found the health centre ok. We were about 30 minutes early but that is better than getting stuck in traffic on the A66 and being late. Her visit went off ok. We then drove back into town and parked on a back street adjacent to the shop "Littlefares" where she is going to buy her new fire-grate. We had a good look at all the options before deciding which one will blend with the existing fireplace.
The young man that served us was really helpful and courteous which makes shopping a pleasure. We asked if we could leave it behind the counter whilst we went for a cup of tea across the road, it would give Dorothy time to make her mind up that this was the one she really wanted. This was ok so we went through the front door and across the main street to a café' where we had tea and toasted crumpets. We then called at the butcher's shop next door where I bought some Cumberland sausage to take home tomorrow.
We then returned to "Littlefares" to collect the fire-grate, we also bought a new extension lead for the electric fire, a sharpening stone and light bulbs. Dorothy then settled up with the same young man who kindly placed everything into a cardboard box, which I was able to carry out to the car. We have also asked for some shower cabinet and shower fitting catalogues to be sent to Dorothy as and when they get some in the shop. I think they will be too expensive to install, as the bathroom will have to be completely re-designed to accommodate a shower cubicle.
From there we drove to the Co-op store for Dorothy to buy some supplies before returning to Sandford. We diverted at Warcop and visited the graveyard to check on the state of her parent's grave. Surprise, surprise the grass has been cut and the grave looks quite tidy. It was then off home to get the new fire-grate fitted and the fire lit. Dorothy's neighbour "Barbara" called in during the evening for a chat with Dorothy, which was good of her. We then tried to work out some more of the family tree connections. Braithwaite, Clifford, Horn, Bousfield, Holliday and Kilvington are all connected through Dorothy's mum. Finally got to bed at 23.59!
Wednesday 25th October 2000
First job after breakfast was to clean the fire and set it ready for lighting later. We then got ready to drive to New Biggin on Lune to visit a cousin of Dorothy's who is in a nursing home. We had a good visit with Mary and caught up with some family history. She is in quite good fettle for her age of 91. We only stayed with her for about an hour so as not to tire her out. From there we drove back to Brough to see if the medication was available at the health centre. We were in luck because the Doctor was at the reception desk as we walked in and we got to talk to the horse's mouth!
The upshot is Dorothy now has her new pills AND was able to get her Flu jab as well. She is still without some other pills though but these will have to come from the chemist at Appleby in the future! We then returned to Sandford and a welcome cup of tea. Dorothy set about making dinner whilst I got the fire lit, filled the coal bucket, and brought some logs in. I have also brought a huge bag of kindling sticks in to the house and put them in the back room at the end of the hall. These can stay unused until the bad weather closes in; it will be one journey less to the shed for Dorothy.
We ate dinner then washed up. I then went upstairs and packed up all my bits and pieces and brought them downstairs ready to put in the car. We then sat in front of the fire and had a final chat for a half-hour. The time has got to 14.45 so I loaded up my trusty little Volvo and finally said cheerio to Dorothy and left at 15.00. I had an uneventful journey south to Morecambe and arrived at No10 at 16.45. Not bad! I will be glad to get into my own bed tonight; in fact I think I will sleep for a couple of days to catch up.
Thursday 26th October 2000
No I didn't stay in bed! I was up and about by 09.00. The weather is turning out nice so I got all my washing done and hung on Lynda's line where it will catch what bit of sun there is. Yes I got it dry as well.
Surprise, surprise, the computer is still messing me about! Drew is calling at about 19.00 to see if he can sort it for me. He's a good lad. Drove to ASDA for a load of shopping and petrol. That's another £30.00 gone. Came home and made a sausage casserole. In fact I was still making it when Drew arrived early. Made him a coffee and he then sat down at the computer and proceeded to sort it out. One hour later and the system is working again! Well done that man.
After he had gone I tried once more to amend my web home page and again failed. What I am doing wrong I do not know, but I have got to be able to update my web page in readiness for my book being published in November. Went to bed in disgust with myself.
Sexuality is very misunderstood.What if the tornado dropped Dorothy not into Oz, but onto the shooting set of an X-rated film?
Eric Edwards makes sex films. Period... Sex-on-command. Sex-for-hire.... So begins the story of Eric Edwards, Mr.
This book is a collection of short stories that depict events in Author's life while she lived in Romania, then in Greece, and last in America. It's a beautiful and very sincere account of a young woman's life and comming to age.
Robert Burns' first daughter was Elizabeth. Her story and the five descendants Scottish lives are recorded here with the Bard's message today as ever in need. Al Quida listen: Then let us pray that come it may, As come it will for a' that. That Sense
