Thread by @fascinatorfun

This is very touching for me as I had 2 parents who had to leave school by (or before in my mother’s case) 14 years old.

Yet look at what a witty, sharp-as-a-rapier, shining star ⁦⁦@gabyhinsliff⁩ ‘s parents produced

I need to go back to school theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

2/ Both my parents were very bright. Keen to educate themselves in different ways
My mother was always listening to the radio. Radio 3.

My Dad would sit and read out poetry (Something I dreaded when it was in recitation voice) but also wrote truly funny clever life based poems

3/. I remember him sitting teaching himself chemistry, physics, biology (no HE...all self taught with books from the library) so he could stop being a cooper (making barrels) to being a brewer.

He succeeded.

4/. In fact one of his beers is Old Speckled Hen (But the original made for one of my sisters’ engagement was MUCH stronger).

The beer was so called because it was brewed to celebrate MG Cars anniversary in Abingdon.
The first car off the line was used to test all paint colours

5/. Hence the “Speckled” Hen.

It was supposed to be sold for only a year but was such a commercial success it is sold world wide.

The brewery never paid him a bonus.

But I made sure they uplifted my mother’s pension after he died.

He would have been 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍

6/. My mother was so talented in so many ways. So resourceful.

Don’t get me wrong. They both drove me nuts sometimes (as I did them). But I admire them both and often wonder what they might have achieved had they had the opportunities that @gabyhinsliff describes.

7/. But they were so proud (even if it took them years to say so) that their 5 children went on to Uni, degrees, PhDs, professional qualifications.

I would have loved them to have had the opportunities Gaby suggests.

8/ A small extra anecdote for Old Speckled Head drinkers.

I cannot quite remember the sequence but we lived in a rented house tied to the job. The usual pebble dashed sort. Very clean. Very well kept.

My parents.

9/ Anyway, my Dad brewed this beer in the shed end of our garden

I think it was supposed to be a play house but he repurposed it

Whenhe was happy with the beer he called over to the neighbours to come over and try it

Both men (either side) went up the garden path

10/. They were up there not so long.

They returned down the garden path markedly less steadily than they walked up it.

Moments passed.
Door bad next door.

Yelling “YOU’VE BEEN AROUND TO DAN O’LEARY’S, HAVEN’T YOU?!!”

(Much stifled giggles in our house).

11/. My Dad was not a big drinker at all.

But liked the occasional “blow out”

My mother rarely drank but got a red nose when she did!