1980 saw the return of a normally infant disease. I had had "Mumps" as a child, but there is a flavour of this disease that affects adults in a more serious way. "Shingles"; not the surf driven kind, or the weather proofing on a building, but itchy spots that can cover a body in all sorts of places. In my case it started on the chest, face and then graduated into the lungs & stomach. Simultaneously confined to bed also with a back injury, (a product of years of lifting heavy televisions), I was going nowhere fast.
During this long imposed bed rest period, the good folks at Granada Regional office took this opportunity to try and post me to an out of the way backwater in deepest Midsomer Norton. My specialised skill set replaced with a new national training program for new technology. This new sedentary backward career movement was not for me, I handed in my resignation to the District Manager as I started my first day in this out of the way placement. I was treading water for a while waiting for the next new tide to appear on the horizon.
I said a fond farewell to the Company Chevette car, my toolkit and company pension scheme. November heralded in a change of scenery, off now to sample another branch of Electronics with Kirby Lester in Oldham. A sub-contracted mobile trouble shooter / sales person for E.C.G machines, Tablet Counters, Prestel Terminals in the Travel, Pharmecutical and Medical industries. Should open a few doors of opportunity I thought. (The doors this time were attached to yet another green Vauxhall Chevette brand of transport.)
1981 C.B Radio was at last legalised in the U.K. and I could chat to all and sundry with impunity. Aerial systems were regulated to low efficency short length affairs. I soon designed a more efficent "legal looking" aerial which sold in quantity, another venture to the early business portfolio. I wasn`t going to become a millionare from this venture, but it payed the bills, Just !
An opportunity to earn tax-free cash came to my aid at this time. One of the people I was in contact with on the C.B. had suggested I might want to get myself over to Westerleigh village where a warehouse held a number of TV engineers hostage. It was over-seen by a guy who felt he was the indesputable king of electronics. I was confident of my own ability and varied experience, and I soon enlightened the "King" that he had no clothes on. He abdicated, his departure was not missed by Dave Coleman.
!982 Introduced me to Radio servicing again, my modifications to improve performance for the restricted Transceivers of the time added yet more cash to my income. My circle of contacts had grown to about 300 or more by now. I was also keeping busy part-time at Hurngate TV near Yate. A steady financial growth was being sustained here.
Dave Coleman ran this business, he had come from the busy lifestyle in London to the relative peace of Frampton Cottrell, just north of Bristol. He had chosen to be specialised in the refurbishment of ex- Rental TVs for the retail trade, one of the many pies he had his cheque book in. My knowledge of the more complicated continental models from Philips meant I was in demand again. Before my arrival most of these expensive sets were just cannabalised for parts by "board swapping" so called engineers. Dave had cornered the market with Granada TV Rentals` disposal of these quality slimline products. Nobody else in the trade wanted them as they were way ahead of their time when it came to design and construction. Pretty soon a lucrative market was opening up in electronic goods, with much easy money to be made in the recession of the early 80s with lower cost luxuries like TV.
Graham Garret was a Bathonian, he worked there as well, we all seemed to be on the same wavelength, and it didn`t take long for ideas to be bandied about to make opportunity for potential sales in the 26" model Philips TV we had generated a surfeit of. The South of England was split up into three areas, I would have the South below the M4 upto Swindon. Dave Coleman would have all east of Swindon. Graham would have Wales and Gloustershire etc. to wander around and test his new selling skills.
Three "Salvage" companies were formed and we took the sales of VCR ready refurbished slimline TVs to a new level. Each of us would take turns to be the "Engineer", whilst the other was the owner of the "Salvage" Company.
It didn`t take too many months to run out of the very expensive Philips model TV. My weekly stock level of 20 plus TVs soon dwindled away, (so did the regular tax free cash income). Time to look for other opportunities then.
1983 Saw the decline in Dave Colemans relationship with his wife. His best friend had had an affair with her, this was the final straw that broke Dave. He commited suicide by gassing himself in his car on a unfinished M4 slip road in the latter part of this year. He had always said to me "I shan`t make old bones", I hadn`t realised the significance of his regular statement.
I had by now re-established a new business venture with an old work colleague from my Granada days. He also was about to part from his wife, she had discovered "mid life crisis", and the disease had taken hold with a vengance. She became quickly "infected" with an 18 years old friend of her daughters. My role was to prop up a fledgeling Video Library and Brown goods retail business while this fragmentation of their marriage took place.
!984 Heralded in a partnership agreement and yet another business venture which involved re-using some old skills. This time exploiting an infant home technology Video Cassete Recorder market. Computer programming skills came into play in this venture. A need to simplify stock movemnets records and financial control, and record staff interactions with customers, warranty records etc. Thousands of transactions per year needed to be recorded easily, V.A.T. computations and sales projections were essential tools now.
I "nibbled" on an "Acorn" 4 Bit Computer, later to "byte" into a BBC "B" 8 bit 6502 CPU based beast. The "Input" computer magazine became my bed time reading, much to the despair of my wife Carole. The light still on at gone 2.00 a.m. would drive her to distraction. The many hours spent banging on the keyboard in a language not familiar made me a social outcast too.
!985 Vehicles were now an annual purchase item, both business and private useage. Deals were done to maximise tax breaks. Sales of electronic goods were buoyant, the ecomomy was forging ahead under the stwardship of a new Conservative Government. Shares were on offer to the public, for the first time, it was a chance to make a "fast buck". The "bull market" stock exchange could do no wrong, the brokers had their fill, the left-overs were offered to the public. We took opportunity to get involved with this "free forall", some people hung onto their shares too long and "missed the boat" on making a profit. I watched the market carefully and got out just in time.
1986 Became a decline in the relationship with my new partner. His wandering eye made contact with a new woman in his life. This was an opportunity to cast aside and forget old friendly favours done. A new manager in the shop, the new woman in sales meant the servicing part of the venture was taking a back seat role. The load was increasing on me, my assistant Giles was learning fast and quickly became an asset t the business. Lots of opportunity to get involved with the "dodgy dealers" in Bedminster casued a few close encounters with the boys in blue. Some a little too close. It certainly was all about excess this year.
1987 Was the year that the decline in the economy started, the bubble on the housing market was due to burst. Negative equity was around every corner in the high street. The fear of un-employment during the inevitable cotraction in the economy was a real threat at this time. Interest rates were high, and personal debt level was at its highest for a long time. We were lucky to have a profitable business (for some), and most of my expenditure was now being generated by my partner. His need for advertising cost to be paid, rent for the workshop, (yet we received none of the profit from renting out the flats above the shop). Our costs to the local council and wages kept rising faster than our income. This could not go on.
1988 Skulduggery, greed and deceit by my old work colleague was the excuse I needed to end our agreement. It had cost me dear in loss of business contacts and much investment in my time. I was free to maximise the return on my endeavours again. I sold my own car,after an non blameworthy accident reduced it's value. I purchased an old 1969 bay windowed V.W. 4 berth camper van as an alternative from Felicity Haze whom I had met in the 1970's. She was living with Bryan Chalker at the time in Limpley Stoke.. So, a chance to explore with my new found spare time. Part-time was all I need to get by. My wife Carole had similar arragements with her work. We took time out to make this vehicle our "home from home", many happy days spent near (sometimes in) the sea. The V.W was a versatile vehicle.
1989 Saw a development at Maggs Hill, a demolition of the Old Bakery complex, new homes for over 55s to be built. My opportunity to develop my own building, revert it to two dwellings, give one to my son was the original idea. The local council thought otherwise. I could have two dwellings, as long as they remained in one ownership. A compromise that would result in much thought about what future this propety would have in our lives. The need to live somwhere while this development took place meant purchasing a bungalow in the village as opposed to renting.
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