...Growing Up, It Was In This Area:
Hmm, not much to report here. As my dad was away a lot it was great to see him, and he was always pleased to see us. The only real problem I can see looking back (and it still is to a degree, even at age 77) is his obsession with coal. He spent his entire career working open cast coal mines (that's strip mines for the Yanks). In England, open cast mining is actually a pretty good deal, because typically, the land that's mined is derelict farmland, and the laws of the land require extensive restoration, so farmers can actually benefit quite well, even though they lose the use of their land for a few years (making money off the coal, though, and hey, it's still better than being paid by the government to grow nothing.)
Early in his career my dad worked for big companies, but by the time he was about 50, he started to branch out, trying to put projects together with local investors. This is where things started to go wrong. These guys were always out for a quick buck, whereas my dad plans meticulously.
It's these plans that are at the heart of the problem. If we even dared to mention coal in the house, the briefcase would come out and all of a sudden my brothers and I were looking at the wrong end of a two hour dissertation on coal seams - how thick they were, where they were, how much earth would have to be moved to get at them, how many bulldozers, draglines and Drotts and trucks would be needed (open cast coal mining is a veritable Thunderbirds playground of big toys).
The funniest incident was probably the first time I brought Sue home to meet the family. We were all sitting in the living room, and the topic turned to coal. Sue asked what she thought was an innocent question, but we boys knew what was coming. One by one we made an excuse and left, leaving Sue listening to the extended dance remix of opencast coal mining 101. We even got to peek in through the living room door and smirk at her, as my dad was sitting in the chair behind it and couldn't see us.
Ah, good times, good times.
And Dad, you know we love you :)
