I was born in St Mary’s hospital in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The day I was born was the day of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. My mum apparently received lots of free baby food and goodies.
Portsmouth is a big naval city on the south coast of England, and although it’s not my favourite place in the world – it really is one of the ugliest cities – containing the world’s ugliest building “The Tricorn” – I love it anyway! The Tricorn has now been knocked down – I think it’s a shame – it should have stood as a testament to how not to design buildings!
My mum was a single mother. From what I can gather, she had a brief relationship with my biological father. She even went as far as going down to Somerset to meet his parents. They were engaged because of the baby. While she was there she thought she was having a miscarriage – she was five months pregnant. She was rushed into hospital in Taunton, where the doctor there told her not to worry – she was young and had lots of time to have “plenty more babies”. Luckily for me, it turned out that she had a bad kidney infection, and I stayed put until about a week past her due date. Her due date was 26th May and I was born on 2nd June. When I had Isla my due date was 26th May, and she was born on 2nd June too. Isla’s father, Colin, was due to be born on 2nd June, but was in fact born on 18th May – 2nd June is obviously a pretty auspicious date.
Not long after this suspected miscarriage my father did a bunk. I never have quite found out why. I know he had a daughter from a previous relationship, so somewhere I have at least one half sibling.
My mum had a hard time telling her parents that she was pregnant – this was 1976 when she got pregnant remember, and being a single mother was still frowned upon. Her mother took it quite hard at first, wondering what she had done to deserve this. Why is it that the older generation always think everything reflects back on them? My grandfather was a tower of strength, and very quickly, so was my grandmother. In fact, as it turned out, I was a godsend for her. My grandfather died from a stroke two months before I was born, so as soon as I was born my mum had to go out and work to feed all three of us, as my grandmother didn’t work. She became my daytime carer, and my mum took over when she got home. I think the responsibility saved my grandmother from sinking into depression.
I was born after a fairly long labour (I think) during which my mother discovered that the gas mask she had been handed was, in fact, not connected to anything at all! She threw it across the room! My grandmother did not want her to “let herself down” by screaming and shouting during labour. I think she did anyway!
2nd June 1977
N°1 Single - I Don’t Want To Talk About It/First Cut Is The Deepest – Rod Stewart
N°1 Album – Arrival – ABBA
Portsmouth is a big naval city on the south coast of England, and although it’s not my favourite place in the world – it really is one of the ugliest cities – containing the world’s ugliest building “The Tricorn” – I love it anyway! The Tricorn has now been knocked down – I think it’s a shame – it should have stood as a testament to how not to design buildings!
My mum was a single mother. From what I can gather, she had a brief relationship with my biological father. She even went as far as going down to Somerset to meet his parents. They were engaged because of the baby. While she was there she thought she was having a miscarriage – she was five months pregnant. She was rushed into hospital in Taunton, where the doctor there told her not to worry – she was young and had lots of time to have “plenty more babies”. Luckily for me, it turned out that she had a bad kidney infection, and I stayed put until about a week past her due date. Her due date was 26th May and I was born on 2nd June. When I had Isla my due date was 26th May, and she was born on 2nd June too. Isla’s father, Colin, was due to be born on 2nd June, but was in fact born on 18th May – 2nd June is obviously a pretty auspicious date.Not long after this suspected miscarriage my father did a bunk. I never have quite found out why. I know he had a daughter from a previous relationship, so somewhere I have at least one half sibling.
My mum had a hard time telling her parents that she was pregnant – this was 1976 when she got pregnant remember, and being a single mother was still frowned upon. Her mother took it quite hard at first, wondering what she had done to deserve this. Why is it that the older generation always think everything reflects back on them? My grandfather was a tower of strength, and very quickly, so was my grandmother. In fact, as it turned out, I was a godsend for her. My grandfather died from a stroke two months before I was born, so as soon as I was born my mum had to go out and work to feed all three of us, as my grandmother didn’t work. She became my daytime carer, and my mum took over when she got home. I think the responsibility saved my grandmother from sinking into depression.
I was born after a fairly long labour (I think) during which my mother discovered that the gas mask she had been handed was, in fact, not connected to anything at all! She threw it across the room! My grandmother did not want her to “let herself down” by screaming and shouting during labour. I think she did anyway!
2nd June 1977
N°1 Single - I Don’t Want To Talk About It/First Cut Is The Deepest – Rod Stewart
N°1 Album – Arrival – ABBA
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