Summer 1997
The difficulties mounted throughout April and May 2007 to the point where some of the financial commitments I had were becoming overbearing. Also during May the car, a reliable Mazda 323, needed some work doing that I simply did not have the means to pay for. This conundrum was solved by entering into a suspended payment credit deal on another car that allowed an old car to be used as a trade in to the value of £1,500 whatever it’s condition. The Mazda was cleaned up and presented and I walked away with a Mondeo. The initial payment would be a double hit the following January but I surmised that by that date I would have had a pay rise plus an annual bonus. Getting rid of the Mazda was a relief not only because it cost me zero cash flow but also because Jemima had a rare accident in it while going along the M25. The car never really lost the smell of pee after that.
In addition to the car problem I found that I could not keep up with payments to Catherine that I had agreed to make to her to cover the cost of the new bed and sofas that we had bought on credit. In the end I gave the sofas back to Catherine and on one Saturday her Dad Tony and her sisters boyfriend came and took them away. I replaced two new sofas with a cheap Futon. Jemima discovered with the Futon, to her great delight, that if the kitchen patio doors were open that she could run to the end the garden, spin round and come full speed through the kitchen into the living room and jump at the Futon from many yards away. She would then catapult herself in the opposite direction, through the house down to the bottom of the garden again. This she would repeat over and over again much to my amusement.
Having a newer car now meant I felt comfortable doing longer journeys. So walks were had wherever I had a desire to visit. Jemima and I took in Richmond Park, Studland Bay and Dartmoor along with the many trips to Redhouse Woods and Epsom Downs. Alongside the lonely evenings at home we spent hours together on these walks taking in the surroundings and each others company.
Dartmoor was the longest trip. Oasis had recently released their new album Be Here Now and this was the soundtrack to the journey. The tape was played on constant loop as I learnt the words and started to sing them. As a direct result of that journey the song “Stand By Me” from that album became a favourite and reflective mood of the moment. Dartmoor can be such a desolate feeling place to an outsider and getting in touch with the mood of Dartmoor on a cloudy and slightly drizzly day was refreshing. Jemima found a few small ponds to her delight and pictures were taken.
Richmond Park was visited one sunny Saturday in May. It was a perfectly fresh spring day and parking up at Kingston Gate car park we walked in the direction of Stag Lodge. Jemima cut her usual path between the trees and to every person coming the other direction. Coming back the other way on the return leg Jemima ran together as we did on many occasions. Running alongside her that day is an idyllic and particularly fond memory. As we ran Jemima had perfected the art of, without breaking stride, swooping her head down and like a swimmer breathing, would cast her head to the side having picked up a small mouthful of Deer droppings to eat while she ran. Not quite so idyllic after all but it makes me smile thinking about it.
