School bound

End of extended summer holiday and fly back to school in the UK. The observant ones may spot that schools in the UK never started in October but September.

I happened to get tonsillitis and spent a few days in the hospital in Port of Spain. The renowned surgeon Sir Henry (Joe) Pierre carried out the operation or so I like to think. He was at least the guy who visited me in the hospital bed pre-op and gazed down my throat briefly. And I remember very well him coming into the room at some time after the tonsils and adenoids operation to declare I could slowly start to eat - ice cream. He was a man of great stature and by all accounts had a wonderfully talented pair of surgical hands. He had been the responsible doctor at my birth almost exactly 10 years earlier. On my birthday Blip, I have some more on Sir Joe.

I then had to convalesce at home and I remember being at a bit of a loss as all my friends had flown back to the UK. Should add we lived in a very remote company-owned village where there were no outside contacts or friends except in the island's capital about 3 hours drive away. So I was alone at the social & sports club - aaagh you all say.

Photo taken at Piarco Airport, Trinidad. I had a good tan but don't seem to be too happy. However this year my parents were due in the UK in December and so we would have Christmas together for the first time in since 1961.