The biggest job was creating our kitchen and dining area, as not only was the kitchen in an awful state, but that side of the ground floor consisted of the hall extending into that area with a door to the small kitchen and another door opposite into what was a study. Between the study and the kitchen (both rooms had large chimney breasts), behind the hall, was a walk-in larder. The dining room was across the main hall at the front of the house, quite a long way from the kitchen, which was on the other side of the hall, at the back of the house.

Our scheme was to open all the kitchen side of the house up and remove the chimneys and fireplaces (required very large steel girders). The hall would then no longer extend into this area, instead just one door would lead into this open plan space that would consist only of the kitchen and a dining room. The original dining room became our television living room, and the larger lounge would remain for entertaining.

This was not all, because we built in part of what was an outside yard with brick outhouses to form a laundry beyond the kitchen. We also decided the master bedroom was far too large and so we took some of the space away to form a second bathroom.

Lastly, we moved the boiler out of the kitchen and installed a new one, in our new laundry area, as well as installing central heating throughout the house. So, for several months our house looked horrendous, but we never regretted any of our alterations and lived very happily there for some 30 years.


Our Children

We have two delightful children Michelle and Jason and we brought them up in a Jewish environment, we kept the festivals and they had a Bar Mitzvah and a Bat Mitzvah, but we were not orthodox, although they both went to the Jewish King David School for their earliest years.

They have married and made us Grandparents but neither found Jewish partners. Unfortunately, Michelle married far too soon and there was nothing we could do to stop her. We gained a Grand-daughter Melissa, however Michelle's marriage eventually ended with a nasty divorce. Since then, she has found a partner (also with the name Jason) and now seems to be happier.

Our son Jason married Philippa much later and so we now have two Grandsons too, Zach and Jacob. I do wonder what sort of lives all our grandchildren are going to have. But this is not going to be about our family, this is mainly about our own experiences, our friends, and my business ventures.


Trudy Worked as a Model

Trudy worked at various times as a fashion model. Through agencies she did some fashion shows, appeared on various packaging for Boots baby products, M.E.B. sales literature and was featured in a TV commercial for the Bullring Shopping Centre that was frequently repeated over a two-year period.

Trudy also did some in-store promotions work for cosmetics and perfumes at Boots in New Street, Birmingham. In addition, Trudy was selected to do translating at the N.E.C. for Gullick Dobson.


Publishing 'In Search of Netsuke & Inro'

I helped plan the publishing of Dad's book 'In Search of Netsuke & Inro' in 1974, especially the photography. In those days colour printing was expensive and there were 370 items to include.