Moving on...

Hi Holly,

It's October now and things have changed a lot since I last wrote.

After 16 years working at Imperial House (you used to come in to work there with me sometimes...), I have moved out to a new office. I am still running my own business, which is going well, but I have moved into the North Laine area of Brighton and we have just about settled in now.

It has been a good thing to do, as it has made the business more independent and we don't have to rely on anyone else to make a living... hopefully one day you will find out that it is always best to be steering your own ship...

I saw a program on TV last night, which was about Bob Geldof pointing out how unfair the law of this country is to fathers when parents split up. He pointed out how the Courts nearly always give custody to the parent with whom the child is living immediately after the separation (usually the mother), and how easy it then is for that parent to stop the other seeing their child by making false accusations of domestic violence or sexual abuse... It all sounded horribly familiar and it made me very, very sad indeed watching it, because that was our story... He pointed out how much fairer it would be to all concerned if the law was changed so that the basic starting point whenever parents separated, was that each parent should look after their child for 50% of the time. How I wish that had been the law in 1996 - and indeed, that it was now.

I'm sure you have a busy life anyway and I hope you are happy. I heard some years ago that you had started riding - I wonder if you are still doing that? I remember your Mum being a good rider (she did try and teach me once, but I'm afraid I was better suited to rugby than riding...), so hopefully she's passed her skills on to you. I wonder what else you do? I am still learning the saxophone, and I can now play some tunes on it, but I wish I had learned to read music when I was young - the most difficult bit is not playing the notes, it's working out what the hell they are from that strange language of minims and quavers in which music is written! If you get the chance while you are young, learn it - even if you don't want to play an instrument now, it'll make it so much easier when you have your mid-life crisis and decide that you want to take up the French Horn...

Jasper the bionic one is almost back to full health now. His fur has grown back and he is allowed outside again - he's really quite happy about that... He can't jump very high as his back legs will always be weaker than they were, but at least he's still alive and he comes and sits on my lap every night and purrs a lot!

Katie has started her first proper job - and already hates it - so she's looking round for something better. Ian is back at Warwick doing his degree, and Mikey is doing his 'AS' levels in French, Geography, Classical Civilisation and Latin. He's going to Ghent in Belgium next week for 4 days with his whole class, so he's looking forward to that.

Well I'd better get back to work - I still think of you every day, still wish I at least had a decent photo of you and still wish I could see you... Bob's right you know..

All my love,

Dad
xxx