Dads Garage

Many years ago my Dad was having big trouble in his business. It was the year 1958 in Manchester.UK.

He was a garage proprietor. He sold petrol and he fixed cars. There were two mechanics,two lubricating bay attendants,two welders ,one sprayer,two petrol attendants and one manager.

I was one of the petrol attendants and my sister-in-law was the other one. 'The Busby Babes',

(Man United Players) were often at the garage and my brother would chat with them for ages,he was a well known referee.

Tumbling Down

Even though it was a small business there were peoples jobs to consider and a hefty wage bill every week.

Well eventually it all came tumbling down. My brother had been the manager and luckily for him he already had a taxi licence. My dad became a taxi owner with my brother driving one of his two taxis.

One day my brother had a fare to take a young couple, and their Boxer Dog to, the Southampton ferry. Quite a journey from Manchester.!

As they got to Southampton luck would have it that they missed the boat,don't know how. maybe they got the time wrong! Once I booked a boat and they gave me the wrong time so I think I know how it happened.

Well the outcome was that my brother had to drive them to Poole for another boat. The only problem was that they had run out of money and my brother was getting worried. he wondered how they would cope with the Boxer Bitch in this complicated journey of theirs............

Patsy

Well that is a shortened version of how we came to own Patsy rhe Boxer Girl.

Patsy was a very beautiful Boxer Bitch. She was golden brindle with the most trusting eyes ever. Luckily Bengo, our boxer boy, liked her and accepted her into the family easily.

Well before a year had gone by we had seven Boxers and many visitors as my mother had become a dab hand at Showing and breeding Boxers. We had lots of dogs in our huge gardens where we now borded them for business people.

But isn't it strange how things happen if my dads business hadn't failed we wouldn't have had all the glorious fun we've had with our Boxer Babes over the years.

Eclectic

Our house was littered with possessions we never desired, but once we had them, they fitted into the big house and it became atmospherically eclectic. We had things like huge leather pilots coats, piano -accordians, banjo guitars,chromatic harmonicas,a variety of watches,binoculars,movie cameras,paintings,sewing machines and even a motor scooter.

All this from people, including G.I.s ,who bartered their taxi fares ! The possession of Patsy the Boxer was the first and definitely the most prized possession ever...