The Isle of Wight

This was to become one if our favourite places to go on holiday. Every summer with my parents and young girls we would explore different towns all around the island. The best thing about going on holiday here was that it did not take too long to get there. We would travel by train from Brighton to Portmouth Harbour. Then we would wait for the ferry to arrive from Ryde. The children were always excited about the trip!

Family of Five

So now we are a family of five. Lots going on all the time. From holidays, outings, children's parties and shopping trips. We experienced it all. I embraced motherhood amazingly well. I say this because both parents on both sides often told me so. They were busy times but also exciting and fun!

Family Complete

After the birth of our 3rd daughter, we are proud to say that our family of five was now complete. Having 3 children of all different ages was challenging at times but very rewarding. The exciting thing about it was they all had different personalities. Our eldest child loved dressing up, our middle daughter loved animals and our youngest child loved all things tech. Today these parts of their lives still continue. Some great skills to have growing up into teenagers and then maturing into adults.

Our Third Pregnancy

The last 4 years had gone by very quickly. That is what being a Mum of two and having a busy life was like. So moving on we were pleased to find out that we would be having another daughter. The pregnancy didn't go well like the previous ones. I was unable to eat or drink for months and disn't seek any help. I just thought the extreme sickness would go away on its own. It took my Mum to see that things were not going well who sent me to hospital. On reflection we possibly would not have made it because I was so dehydrated and lost 2 or more stones in weight! I was told that the birth would be easy because of the pregnancy being so difficult. This actually was the case! When labour started I knew it would be quicker than the 1st and 2nd ones but didn't realise it would only take 1 hour. The delivery was incredibly quick, taking only 8 minutes! And there was no time to have pain relief. Just gas and air, but I was okay with that, I can do pain! We had to rush to Worthing Hospital, by car and only just made it in time to give birth. So our third baby girl was born safe and well. And weighing in at 7lb 14oz. Our family was now complete. Mum, Dad and three children. LOVE IT ❤

Hangleton Infant School

At the age of 2 1/2 years our first daughter started going to St Peters Church play school beginning in the mornings. As our first born I had already taught her how to count, say the ABC and write her name. From here is was their time to teach sand playing and other suitable toddler games. Looking back I know she enjoyed it! Fun! While there she made some good friendships which would continue throughout her child hood and at Hangleton Infant School.

Shoreham-by-Sea

This was to be my second pregnancy which went very well without any complications. Our second daughter was born at the local hospital in Shoreham-By-Sea in the middle of summer in August. It was quite a quick labour just 3 hours. I was proud of myself because I only needed gas and air this time to get through the contractions, labour and birth. We spent one night in hospital and then went home the next day. So now we were a family of four, Mum, Dad and 2 girls. This brought about some new changes to motherhood which I came accustomed to very easily. I have many fun memories of them growing up in our new house in Hove East Sussex.

Barclays Bank PLC - Part Time

After spending twelve months off work looking after our baby daughter I decided to go back to Bank work for three full days a week. It was great to be able to work again after spending a lot of time at home. The Bank were really generous about this because I was offered a place as a cashier, but with my grade three salery which I didnt expect to happen. This meant that I would continue to earn a desent wage , even working less hours per week. I continued with employment for another three years before changing direction in life again by falling pregnant with our second daughter. With this happening I would have to think about how my mother would manage looking after two young children, during the day time.

Maternity Leave 1990 - 1991

The birth of our first daughter was always going to be exciting! I was lucky enough to have an easy and uplifting pregnancy. After experiencing morning sickness for a couple of weeks things settled down very well. To the point where I felt amazing and on top of the world. An experience I can never forget. Another pleasant surprise was having a rather big appetite! Eating for two as they say. I did not worry about the birth because it was something that was inevitably going to happen at some point. This was to start during the late part of the 39th week. After being in labour for most of Sunday we decided to then go to the hospital in the evening. With gas and air and pethadin our daughter was born around 5am on the following Monday. So now we were three and the way of life was going to change.

Pregnancy Our 1st Daughter

The next thing that happened was rather unexpected. I had managed to get pregnant. At the time I was unsure as to whether I wanted to have a baby at this time. I happened to be on the mini pill which I found out later does not always stop this happening. There was some deliberating to do because a career was really my goal in life. But of course life sometimes takes you down another path. My then boyfriend and patents urged me to carry on with the pregnancy. After a lot of discussion and thought we decided to go ahead and start a family. This also meant that we would need to move out of the flat we were living in.So we decided to look at some houses to buy in the Hove area. And finally ended up purchasing one. Where amazingly after 32 years we still live. A great area with easy and quick routes to the downs, the sea and the town centre.

Barclays Bank PLC Clerical Grade 4

After spending a month learning how to work as a Clerical Grade 4 clerk it was time to put these new skills into practise. This was to become my new role for quite some time. Both enjoyable and rewarding. I really did enjoy working with the accountant, loans manager, assistant manager and manager of my local branch. Great life skills that have helped me throughout my adult life.

Grade 4 Security Clerk

This was the final stage in Bank Clerical grade jobs, including 1 to 4. A grade 4 was the highest position you can get to before taking on accounts manager, loans manager, assistant manager and then manager positions. These where to become some more great life skills that I would pick up during my career in banking. Here I learnt about accounting, investments and property, skills that I am proud to have which have helped me move into life as a mature adult.

Barclays Bank PLC Year 10

After being employed for 10 years it was time to move onwards and upwards again. My new position was to become another favourite, Security Clerk. There were lots of things to learn, which was so exciting! These included, Accounting, Investments, Buying and Selling Shares, Loans, Savings Accounts, Safe Deposit Boxes, Dictating letters and so much more. For this role I was given a desk and telephone in the banking hall. It was my job to help customers with any financial queries on a 1 to 1 level in a private room. Any phone calls would be answered by me or transfered from other members of staff. It was an icredible privalege to be on this new journey!

Barclays Bank PLC - Year 6 to 9

This year was to become another great year as I had successfully learnt and practised all the clerical grade 3 jobs that were possible. These would include 1st Cashier, Machine Room Supervisor, DDR and STO clerk and Foreign Till Cashier. At this point I was very fersatile as I could take on any of these roles depending on the requirements. If someone was in holiday or off sick I was quite capable of taking their place for a few days or a week. This meant that on Monday mornings I never new until I arrived at the bank which role it would be.

Barclays Bank PLC - 5th Year

After successfully mastering the position of DDR and STO clerk for 6 months it was time for me to move on and up in the banking world. My new job title was Foreign Till Cashier, a job that was to become one of my favourite positions. This role would involve buying and selling foreign currency, issuing and cashing in travellers cheques and transfering funds to and from worldwide Banks in many different countries. This of course does not exist today because of the use of Euros.