Son, Brother, Friend, Uncle, Husband, Father...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rossington
originally a farm on the hill was a pit village and perfect first home for me from July 1975 until July 1978. The pilons carried the electrical power from the coal fired power stations of South Yorkshire to the power hungry grid centred on London in the South East. The trains passed through this flat and productive agricultural land at high speed. The people were friendly and generally speaking, life was good.

I was born in Doncaster Royal Infirmary on the 16th of July 1975 and named Andrew Geoffrey Derek Turner. With my father, Ian, mother, Jane, and brother, Jim, I began living and residing mainly in Rossington - a pit village near Doncaster.

In those days, I was a big baby and despite my elder brother Jim easing my passage, my Mum nearly died in the aftermath of childbirth. Belligerently she kept me with her through quarantine and second time lucky we stayed home and I got acquainted with my family. Brother Jim, my father, Ian and my Mum were my closest companions. I met all my grandparents, Alf and Jean on my Ian's side, and Fed and Barbara on Jane's along with my only blood aunt, Susan, my Mum's younger sister, her husband (and my only real uncle), Colin, and their eldest son, Gary, and his younger sister, Anna. Ours was a happy family, but the only ones that lived close were my parents and brother.

We went for walks with a big blue pram, watched trains pass beneath our feet. I learned to walk and swim, fall in ponds and wear out shoes. Most of all, I learned from brother Jim and my Mum and Dad. We had friends, in particular, the Humby's who had two girls by this time, Megan who was a bit older than Jim, and Francis who was about the same age and at some point, they adopted Martin who was about my age. I had as perfect a start to life as anyone could hope for, although there were some ups and downs and childhood health issues along the way.

I talked funny to start with, but more often than not my parents understood me, and when they didn't, they could turn to Jim for a translation. Once he famously translated that "I would like a biscuit and quite like me to have one too". Getting a biscuit was a great result, whether or not that was what I was on about. An inquisitive worm is easily deflected by food! I was a hungry boy, hungry for food and happy being fed, but also thirsty for knowledge and questioning the world about me. Oh how I delighted in asking questions: "why?" was a favorite!

My little sister Caroline was born in February 1977 when I was about 18 months old. It was very exciting and is one of my earliest memories. The only one not so pleased about the arrival of a new bundle was Dinsdale our clever tabby cat who I am told sat at the top of the stairs and cried when Caroline arrived home and wailed.

We went for walks with Caroline who took over from me in the pram. Brother Jim started school along with a girl called Kate, one of our Mather friends. The Mather's shortly had not only a younger boys, Ben, who was my age, but also Matthew who was just a bit younger than Caroline. Their mother Lesley and my mother had met at evening school and we all became great friends as Ian also got on well with Alan, their Dad.

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Beware the fragility of life and death upon the road.

Not very long after we got it, my Dad crashed our car, Henry the Hillman, in icy conditions when we were on the way to swimming. We had just gone through the "go fast as you like" signs when we skidded and hit a rock. We were unscathed and Henry survived and only needed minor repairs. Saturday morning swimming, usually at Armthorpe baths were a fairly regular thing and often we would return to a cooked breakfast.

My Mothers great friend Ulli's husband died of a heart attack. His name was Horst. It was very sad and my mother learned the news on the telephone and was distraught and inconsolable. Horst was on holiday with the family when he had a heart attack. My "auntie" Ulli was left with three boys, Matheus (who is about Anna's age), Alexander (a.k.a. Sasha, who is a little bit older than brother Jim) and Christian (a.k.a. Maus, who is a bit older than me). Ulli had been my mother's penfriend from school and lived and still lives in Hamburg, Germany. Beyond penfriends they were close friends, though in those days they did not get to spend much time together.

We moved to Axholme Road in Wheatley, Doncaster when I was 3 years old. I was puzzled by the concept of moving house and it took me a while to understand what would stay and what would go. Once the process was over though, it near enough all made sense. Our house on Axholme Road had a relatively large amount of garden and we delighted in working it into a thing of beauty and production from which we could grow food and play and host parties, including famously bonfire parties and summer birthdays.

My name sake, Geoff, (the only other person I called uncle) returned from Philadelphia with his wife, my "auntie" Judith. Their eldest son Tom is about my age and their youngest Joe is bit younger than Caroline. The Edward's settled just off the Holloway Road in Islington, London.

Around this time, I made a wish on two lovely sunny warm day. My Dad's dad, Alf and my Mum's dad, Fred had given me coins, probably on separate occasions and I was informed that I could throw them into wishing wells to make a wish. This was very exciting, and I spent some time thinking about what to wish for. The first time, I asked all my confident's and learned about wished then eventually cast my wish without telling anyone what it was. To this day nobody else knows and that can be the best way with wishes as I was wisely taught.

Joe my cousin was born.

We settled well in Wheatley, Doncaster and made lots of friends. Some stand out to get a mention here, the Milns', the Pinder's, the Picking's, the Macguire's and the Knowles'. The Milns' and Pinder's are still good friends that we see often, but the others are really only Mum's correspondents.

I went to Park First School.

Mandy my cousin was born.

Turner's won the Superfamilies Sports Day at Park First School.

I joined the cub scouts.

I started Judo.

Dinsdale died.

I went to Wheatley Middle School.

I passed the 11+ selective schooling test. This was because of our next move. It was on the cards for a while and passing the test meant that I would still go to the same school as my brother the following year.

From Doncaster we moved to Aylesbury when I was nearly 12. This was a big move. The change was dramatic. Before long though we were settled and there was a lot to this new place and the people we made friends with.

I briefly attended Oak Green School. Compared with Wheatley middle the difference was stark. Oak Green School had a field and the classrooms had low ceilings and a modern feel. The children were rebelling though, they neither wanted to learn, play be the rules and hated the selective schooling system. Many of them had taken pacts to fail the test so that their friendships could endure at the Secondary Modern schools in the estates. I made friends, but out of a year of something like 100, only 2 others followed me to grammar school.

I delivered newspapers. It was hard to get a paper round in Donny as everyone was looking for work, but in Aylesbury, it was relatively easy to get them, so I started to work. First off I helped brother Jim as I was too young to get one myself, then I started to do both mornings and evenings although the two weekly local papers were only delivered on certain evenings. It was whilst delivering these that I met Elio the greengrocer.

I started Shotokan Karate.

I started at Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School.

I got a Saturday job at Covent Garden II.

I packed in the paper rounds and worked more at Covent Garden II.

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Never mind the flying sofa as a window to the future, this was inspired in part by Dali.

I discovered art, philosophy, rock and roll, raving and festivals.

I started work at McDonald's Drive Through.

My father, Ian, was diagnosed with cancer, a slow growing skin cancer or melanoma. Ian took himself off to France for a holiday and lived under the stars and wrote a diary to come to terms with life.

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A junction of life.

Brother Jim flew the nest and went to Norwich to party at the University of East Anglia.

I applied to universities and was offered a place at Leeds University to study Mathematics and Geography for Joint Honors. To get there I needed a B in Mathematics, a B in Geography and a C in Physics at A level, which is exactly what I got.

I went to Leeds University aged 18 and as a first year and fresher I was based in Woodsley House at Boddington Hall where I met my future wife, Kate.

I returned to Aylesbury during the holidays to try to earn some money and meet up with friends. I worked for Elio and also at McDonald's. Tragedy hit Elio as his second son Chiro was nearly killed in a road accident. Before long he gave up the business.

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A painting that I came up with at University.

In my second and third years of university I rented a house with friends nearby the university campus in Archery Terrace.

I quit McDonnald's. Bad management needed to be told for the good of all!

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This is a picture of a scene in Brum where Jim and I visited Caroline who was at university there. The party was Orange and it was a great bonding time especially for my sister and me.

I returned some holidays to see Jim and the family, who had returned to Aylesbury having dropped out of University. But more and more I stayed in Leeds and started to work there finding jobs in factories and with waste disposal and such like.

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Decisions in the paths of life.

I decided to study for a masters degree and live for a year with my brother Jim in Providence Avenue whilst he again looked to do a degree after splitting up with his girlfriend Maxine.

Jim dropped out again, but on his own terms. He returned to Aylesbury.

After graduating I started work at the University based in the Geography department and moved in with Kate. We lived 'in sin' in a grotty little back to back down on Harold Terrace in Burley, Leeds. Kate was working in the travel industry at a telesales organisation in Leeds, but soon transferred to work for STA in the telesales department in Manchester. Kate commuted and we both worked hard.

I started developing Web pages at work, mostly for the project I was working on, but soon I got my own home page and started populating it with content and links.

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Legend links.

My friend John Pinder (who I had met at playgroup in Doncaster aged 3) was working just down the road and commuting from Donny. John started to stop over and soon we all moved to a better flat in Headingley on Woodland Park Road.

John had a girlfriend that sort of moved in, then when that relationship ended he started another and moved out.

Kate and I got a mortgage and moved to Miles Hill Crescent where we have lived happily to this day.

Alfie was born. I became an uncle - an amazing thing. Alfie does not have an easy start, but thanks to the NHS and some brilliant medics, his life is saved.

Amber was born.

Jim and Max got married.

My Dad's cancer returned with a vengance.

Kate and I got engaged.

Ian wrote "Grandfather, Father and Son" in 2004. It is a family story primarily about his eldest son Jim and Jim's eldest son Alfie.

Kate and I got married.

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Caroline and John become an item.

Alf died.

Ian died.

Geoff died.

Arthur was born. I became a father. Arthur Ian Turner, was well cooked and Kate was brilliant in childbirth and as a new Mum.

Bea was born.

I set up a personal website.

Billy was born.

Imy was born.

Poppy was born. Poppy Jean Turner. Jean after both Kate's Mum and my grandmother.

Bertie was born.

Lily was born. Lily Jane Turner did not have an easy start to life and nearly died. Thanks to the NHS and some skillful surgery at LGI, she survived.

Elsie was born.

Jean, my Dad's mum died.

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The greenhouse was purchased with my inheritance from Fred :-)

Fred, my Mum's dad died.

Barbara, my Mum's mum died.

Yarn beta instance at yarncommunity.com was made available to the public and this yarn was created.