Farewell Pt 1 (Humble Beginnings)

This one and the subsequent postings (I was going to post it as one, but it got too big too quickly...) are going to be a bit of a departure from the previous postings, I'll update about this weekend down the week at some point. I was just thinking today that it would be interesting to see all the places I've lived. For the better part of the past ten years I've been moving from one location to the next following jobs. I started looking for the places I lived in on Google Earth, but because it wouldn't work on this computer (Thanks for nothing, Ace!) I did it with Google maps instead. All the images belong to Google, I just thought I'd put that out there before people start bleating about lawsuits and such. I had a bit of trouble with finding some of the places, memories get fuddled, especially when viewed from above. I also decided only to include places I stayed for an extended period, not on holiday but for work purposes, otherwise these entries would be blocked up with pictures of Ranoake, Tennessee or Fort Stockton, Texas. I haven't included places that I work in France or Belgium as they were only for short periods at a time, neither did I add the place we stayed in in Japan, because it was such a small place I couldn't find it. Enough explaining. I'll get on with it, as I can see some of you at the back getting restless.

I'll start at the beginning, this is the family home in Whiston, Rotherham, I spent about twenty years here. Some of you will know it, some of you won't. Not my problem.

There's a whole lifetime of stories here, but I won't bore you with them, I'll just move onto the first place I moved out to 'The Flat'

The Flat was still in Whiston and was a hotbed for all kinds of illicit goings on. I think the Police raid kind of put a cap on it all though... I moved back home for a short period after the Flat but soon moved out again and off the York to University to get my smarts. The first place was a big shared student accommodation building on Fulford Road;

You'll notice the school at the top of the picture, I remember there being a Summer Fete there one weekend and it pissing it down and I was looking out of the window at it. The PA was blaring 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' and everyone had left the playground to seek shelter inside. I was filled with an immense feeling of sadness. Just like at the end of 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Aahh, The fun we had in this place, Tony setting the Fire Extinguisher off all over me, Rob going at Russell with the bread knife, Bible John smashing the front room up. Great days...

For a period in the summer I spent some time in this field in a tent;

It's Foremark Hall in Derbyshire, where I did my first proper Excavation. Viking Burial mounds, I'd never see their like again... Then it was back to York and into the Stables on Ambrose street;

I don't know about fitting a horse in the so-called 'Stables', but it was a very difficult job fitting humans in there. Student accommodation, you'll settle for anything when it means saving money for BOOZE. That summer was spent back in the field you've already seen and another move in York to Brunswick Street, Brunsvick Strasse as we affectionately called it;

Good house, great location for the horse racing tracks, especially for Jaime as she was addicted to gambling. The following summer I was again recumbent in a tent in Wales, at Castell Henllys.

I'm not sure if this is the exact field we stayed in, but it was close to the Iron Age Hill Fort you can see the entrance to on the left of the picture. Who cares? It's a field in Wales. Actually this probably where my intense hatred for Wales began. More on this later... Then it was back to what turned out to be my final house in York for a while, five years to be exact... Bishopthorpe Road.

This was a great house, but we really took the piss out of the super nice landlords. Mind you, they never insulated the bathroom or kitchen for the winter so I suppose that's Karma. I was only there a few months until I left for Ireland for what was supposed to be three months but ended up being nearly four years. More to come in Part Two...