Some of our UK goings-on 
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Under construction! 
1956
To Nottingham University for the first time! Send luggage by rail in advance in a big case. Told to take a tea servise to entertain others in my (shared with David Claxton) room. Week 1 to folk dance society with accordion, and I found a girl friend! Week 2 to Maths "staff meet freshers" evening, I was invited to attend the electronics degree and build gadgets for Dr Rose.
1957
Inter-Varsity Folk Festival was at Bristol, we danced Ukrainian Cossak for our show. Own died, I went back home for the funeral, driven there by family friend Charles Davis of Acton Tech later Brunel University. Holiday in Helensburgh, Scotland, with sad mum & dad, I popped over to see Joy in Edinburgh. Before Christmas I worked in Arthur's model shop uinder London Bridge railway approach.
1958
My first ever professional accordion engagement was at Pyrford Village Hall, Joy and I stayed at Peter Dashwood and Denis Salt's house, we were ushered to bed with crash helmets on. Morris holiday with Thames Valley on the Isle of Arran, for the Order of Woodcraft Chilvalry. I was musician, so didn't have to help dig latrines, everyone had camp duties. Summer spent in Nottingham. I stayed at Kitty Kemp's (Joy's piano teacher) house on Hamilton Road. All summer vacation I attended an apprentice course at Ericssons Telephones, Beeston. First of all I learnt uniselectors and Strowger telephone exchange design. Then I played with a magnetic drum system. I used araldite to hold the ferrite on, catastrophe, it ruined the read heads when you screwed them in too far. Specialised in Logic for my third year at university.
1959
Got engaged!! He: "Will you marry me?" She: "I'll think about it." Graduation at the Albert Hall, upper second class degree. Summer holiday camping in Scotland with Clare and Alan, on two motor bikes.One tent got eaten by cows while we were away visiting friends of Alan. I started on a PhD to build a computer to do logic, funded by British Rail on the assumption I'd sort out signals/points logic. I didn't. .
196
Freds Folks first broadcast. The band was Kevin Briggs (fiddle, leader), me, Kath (drums), Stuart Woodhouse (bass) and Sam Brown (guitar). Joy and I were married by Rev George Sails at the Albert Hall, reception at Joy's place Fairbourne. The honeymoon was by air in a Dakota from Derby Airport (they had to move the cows off, the plane was delayed because it didn't work, the place is now a Toyota factory) to Jersey, where we stayed at a hotel run by friends of Don & Mary, the Leonards. We rented a scooter for a week, and bathed nude in secluded bays. We had a day trip over to Guernsey. Freds Folks first BBC broadcast from Nottingham YMCA.
1961
Summer camping in Glen Coe with Thames Valley Morris. Then an EFDSS course at Barford with A L Lloyd etc, and Chris McDouall's parents "Our son is coming to Nottingham, can you look after him". We found that Joy was pregnant! We bought our first car from Auntie Gwen, that was the end of our motor biking! And we bought hose 136 Julian Road, West Bridgford (found and recommended by viola maker Wilgred Saunders who lived nearby), it cost us £40 to knock the 2 downstairs room sinto one.
1962
Joy started driving lessons! My PhD thesis was handed in early, on 1st May, viva on 13th June, When I paused at one difficult question from the external "How would your machine handle undecidable truth-values?" Rodney leapt in and said "If I was you I'd have a nervous breakdown, what's the next question?"; I am eternally grateful to him for that intervention! Angus arrived late, on 7th May in hospital, I was there!. OPur summer holiday was in Devon visiting relatives, and showing Angus off! We went to Joe & Yona's wedding at Oxford University, we weren't allowed to sleep together!
1963
Joy started woodwork evening class, taught by Wilfred Saunders. We went on a sailing holiday on the Norfolk Broads with Don & Mary leaving Angus with my parents. Summer holiday was in Scotland, taking Joy's mum with us
1964
Rory born at home with midwife nurse Otterson , Eric gave computer curse at Ericssonson's with John Fyfe. Eric with lorry to collect unwanted computer from Boots - but it wasn't theirs! Holiday at Dorothy's farm near Scarborough. David Wheeler started at the Albert Hall, the university chaplaincy moved from Derby Road.
1965
Eric to London weekly for Atlas computer programming course. Willersley Castle methodist weekend. Eric to English Electric at Kidsgrove to see new computer KDF9. BBC recording at Clifton with Nadia Catthouse, David Renouf. We bougth another vehile, bye bye Stardard 8 TTT427, enter Ford Thames DTO322, with seats turned round. Hamish born. Summer to Dundee and Ganton and Burnley (John & Maureen, lived by the swimming pool).
1966
We ran a WEA course on Folk Music, a different topic every week for a term. Holiday on the Isle of Wight with Clare & Alan and family in a leaking house.
1967
Appointed to job of Cripps Computing boss. We all went with Marion to Vienna, see elsewhere. Joy attended a German language course. We moved to 31 Greenfield Street on 30th June, students helped ius unpack and wash dishes, Methssoc party two days after! Angus started at Dunkirk School when we got back from Vienna, Eric took him and lunched him each day. Eric to a conference in Copenhagen.
1968
Eric attended meetings for the QMC planning committee, discussing computing facilities required. The new Dunkirk Primary School opened in February, including Angus. Amngus's birthday party in May was, as usual, in Clumber Park by our big tree (no longer standing). In August Eric and Peter King gave a joint paper to the IFIP conference in Edinburgh, entitled "Syntax & Semantics". We had matching waistcoats and ties made by Joy. The Russian suppression of the Prague Czech revolution caused protests. August holiday was at Bookham. It included visits to the Natural History Museum, and to Addison Wesley to discuss book publishing.
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Corrections and additions welcome, email Eric
Page updated 03-Apr-2023