2000 January 1st. With a bang and a big bonfire on the hill opposite Somerset Folly, Timsbury the new Millenium is upon us. I'm off to work at "Camp Hobson" store in Newbury to oversee the 28 tills and 32 computers and the bank servers just in case. All the software patches work, thank God. ! A job from Pete Boren's contact Col. Ted Retd. The seed of a new company started here. More and more contacts in South West England, "Hancock" Quarry at Upper Lawn Combe Down was a computer upgrade and a Fax sortware solution (they thought we were gods). It led to sales of computers plotters fro CAD stone layout siftware , again solutions they had not thought possible. "Spectra Heat" client in darkest Dorset, yet again simple solutions for a "laterally thinking" technical brain. This journey was on the "9/11" day for America , we heard the news on hte car radio, and it sounded like WW3 had broken out in New York that day. We had the pictures of the Twin Towers destruction on the news that night. Next day was spent in Bath with "D.A. Global design" an import company who had lost all their data due to P.C. World advising a reinstall to get the system up and running. Luckily we had told them to do no more damage until we got there. Successful data recovery job led to even more sales and recommendations. We were on a roll now !.
2001 Sadness this year as Harold (Carole's Dad.) died suddenly at home in Bathford, just collapsed by the bed without a sound. As is common in life as one door closes another opens. Rach and Andrew are settling in the new home at "Underknoll" in Peasedwon. A new house built by Westbury homes, 4 bed , detached with garage. Lee Veranch (Andrews friend) has bought the house next door and they soon erect a shed between them to make use of an "akward" bit of land. We help by laying floors, Ian is doing the "Taccos" on the kitchen floor tiles. .Later in the year new life joins the family. Rach has given birth to our first grandchild Chloe and there is a lot to celebrate at Paulton Hospital. Lots of cooing and baby noises everywhere. We now have a "Wendy House" for Chloe and more toys than you can shake a stick at at her first Christmas.. Grand parents, who would have thought eh?. More work in the wilds of England took us to various computer problems looking for solutions.
2002 This year saw the official formation of a new enterprise for Computer Suppot, David Oakensen at "Munro Accountants in Trowbridge had a large number of clients in his buisness that required reliable IT support, so a 20%. 40% - 40% split company was formed with Peter Boren and myself as directors and David as company secretary. A good arrangement (so I thought at thetime). We spent too much time boosting egos with Peter and not enough time really fixing anything, so I was quickly becoming a "nurse" for Peter Boren who, as a government I.T. cotractor was completely out of touch with real businesses and their needs. Still, it was a living and in a wierd sort of way quite enjoyable and challenging. I was at this time being needed by Ian Grinstead at Smart Computers in Whitchurch, Bristol to streamline the workshop facilities and improve productivity.. This also was to provide useful employment for Peter Boren, and we became saleried staff, filling an important role in the business, for which we both got paid well to assist with Income from Munro I.T. Support Ltd.
2003 Wanderng over the South West of England with Peter soon became a nightmare of trying to provide what Peter said we could provide. It quickly became apparent his so called "IT skills" were crap and I was doing 95% of the work for 40% of the pay. I got a another call from Ian Grinstead who I had built up a good business relationship to come and help him sort out his service department & builds facility. An easy job for Peter at last, he was quick to impress, but not to work. He soon ordered Nancy, Rob , Dave and anybody he could to do all for him (just how he treated his wife as well, a dogsbody.) This was obviously not going to last the course, but Samrt Computers were desperate for the help. For me the supervision of the builds and repairs departments kept my brain busy. The characters met in this shop in Bristol certainly kept me on my toes, and the legs were suffering with being on my feet so much. A compromise with hours eased the problems a bit and allowed more time to pursue other hobbies. I had eventually taken my City & Guilds this year and was now a licenced Radio Station called M0FEW. Robin Barnfather who worked with Ian in Bath, came with him to Bristol and it was he who got me to take the test. Much to his surprise I passed it.
September 13th .. The arrival of twins Bethany and Caitin at Swindon Hospital meant a lot of travelling was done this month. Special care was needed with them, but they soon progressed well and Rach came home to Valley View Road, Paulton and was now Mum to three. Angela and other family members lived close by, so plenty of Baby Sitters and Nurses on standby 24/7to assist . Ian & I shared in the joy of yet more off-spring to further the family line, but no heir yet for the Williams name. Will Andrew be the last in line? ...
2004 Smart Computers needed more support, my co-director at Munro IT (Pete Boren), started being his usual "ass-hole" self, and managed to get himself made redundant in what was an easy money job for him. Funny how the computer that he was using was the only one stolen when there was a break-in at the Whitchurch Shop one night, they cut through the single storey roof of the office where he was working. What was all that aboutt? Eventually the business was paying it's way again and was just making a profit. New work in the form of "recycling" old equipment meant another new warehouse in Whitchurch was needed and Dean, (friend of Ians) was now working part time on saturdays. I was busying myself at Somerset Folly with my new radio hobby, impressing all the neighbours with 35ft pole and rotating aerials, wires around the trees etc. I tried not to cause too much interference but sometimes on indoor aerialsit can't be helped. My neighbour Gwen Picket was trying very hard to watch the tennis one day, and I was in the garden shed, I could hear her saying " I can't watch it Paul" to her husband. It was little old me chating to "Poldhu" in Cornwall, Marconi's old Rasio station who had a group of school children who wanted to talk with Amatuers on theri visit to the station. "Ooopps !".
2005 This March was the time of havibg the Bathroom updated, £3000.00 was the budget and Dave Reeces was undertaking the work. New tiles, low level suite, move stench pipe and fit bath sideway with a "P" shape shower.
All going well part from yours truly not feeling well and bed ridden. All openings in the body are oozing fluid and breathing getting difficult , felt abolutely frozen. Friday Carole forced me to doctors. Doctor took one look, rand RUH fr admission, both lungs filling with fluid. Double pneumonia, hell!!.
A few days on drips and drugs saw a complete recover apart from seeing "Zebra" in one eye, and a "Tulip" (Blue and Yellow) in the other. Time to buy a new Camper, 5 berth, Swift model with all the bits. Lovely, just missed the "big send off" by a few hours so why not? A bit different, was the phrase I used when I got behind the wheel, tanks full of fuel and water I was off through Bath to get home as there was a width restriction at Combe Down of 6ft 6". Smooth drive , if a bit slow after the BMW,
2006 Time to buy a Motor scooter and hydraulic lift to go on camper, new chassis members to carry new tow bar etc. We are now ready, new helmets, gloves and two piece matching suits. Still only a small modified Yamaha Why 50 (80) gives us 50mph with 2 up, good enough to get up the hils of Cornwall. Also sold the BMW 5 Series as gearkox starting to make noises and it is now 18 years old. Hust about covered the cost of the last set of tyes and wheels with what we managed to squeeze out of Ebay for it, Lee Veranche nearly ptu his foot in it by upping the bidding too much. I've also gone and raised a load of money by remortgaging 8 Somerset Folly to raise income so Carole can give up work as they have now made her redundant. Paid off the mortgage with some, invested in premium bonds with what was left after paying off the camper. Tax office called it a "consolidation loan", the interest was allowable aginst income from property so I was not going to argue with them !..Next year I'll be 55 , then I can have equity release on my main home, that'll avoid the inheritence problem and the need for a job to support Carole.
2007 Smart Computers did not need my help anymore as a new Technical Director (Dean) came on board with a large RAC contract for disposals etc. He brought his own staf in with him and Ian Grinstead was soon voted off the board, his business swiftly taken away by his dad and new colleagues. , So no more real work then, just days off in the Camper as and when we could. Carole was collecting "Job seeker allowance" as her income for 6 months, we had calculated that my new DLA disability allowance and the rental incomes would keep us going until i could cash my pension with Pearl Insurance when I'm 60 next year. Plans are taking shape now for retirement.
Meanwhile, i shall keep up with the Amatuer Radio kit, add some more Solar panels to the roof and see if i can reuce my "Carbon Footprint" and my Electricity bill at the same time... We spent a lot of our free time Camping at Burton Bradstock in Dorset, (one of our favourite parts of England), we also used up or Diesel Allowance touring as much as the weather would let us over the Southern Counties.
2008 I come out of retirement to help Andrew's boss, Terry Crockett at "Carshop Mendip" to rewire a new extension to the workshop, showrooms ,spray room and new MOT bay with all the neccessary 3 phase lifts etc. We used miles of 10mm, 4mm conduit cable an metal trunking , a major job indeed. Dave Reeves was employed at one stage to help but found it too complicated and time consuming. Andrew left Carshop soon after this as Terry had acheived all that he wanted from him. Andrew went on his own with a industrial unit at Radstock as a mobile mechanic initially, then became workshop based and built up a decent business for himself. Fair play to him for getting stuck in at the deep end. I was now a bystander in life looking for places to go on the little motorbike with Roger Heywood.
2009 Latest "Wish" list ….Health … better please .. would like new right knee… right ankle … more balance …a spare pair of eyes ( for best of course! ) …..and a P.A. to remind me what I have already done, what I should be doing, and why I need to do it and how often .. a short cut to the bathroom .. a bigger T.V. screen .. dogs that don`t Bark …a new shed …. A supply of cheap heating oil … somebody to wind my clocks in the workroom .....
What I did get was a new Vespa 125 Scooter and a pass on my CBT test, (legal at last.) Mike Bryce bought the Yamaha and the hydraulic lift etc as Carole was no longer keen to ride on the bike after a "fall off" in Devon the year earlier. I then "invested" in a Vespa 125, which had a bit more "street cred" than the Yamaha and as a bonus it was a lot faster (and looked so much better). Herec we are then 62 years old and a proper licence for the two wheeled transport. My CBT certifcate has arrived, not too late was it ? More time spent riding the roads of Somerset in pursuit of Beef Burger vans and take aways. Sometims I would actually go somwhere, other time it was over to Roger Heywood's house in Bath to while away a few hours. Too big to put on the Swift Camper lifting gear, so the Yamaha will still have to do us foe holidays with the Camperweighing in at only 75 kg.
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