Having a baby at the college was a mixed experience. On the one hand, there were plenty of single students who would help look after Luke. However, Donna did feel the pressure to attend the regular college prayer meetings etc. Our bedroom windows faced looked out over the quadrangle and Donna was convinced that Bob, the principle, would see whether the bedroom curtains were open or not, indicating wether she was still in bed or whether she was up. To this end, she used to open the curtains in the morning, to show she was awake and then crawl on her knees under the window to avoid being seen!
Even Freckle the cat was feeling the pressure. One day she found her way into Bob Gordon’s study! Bob was not known for his fondness of cats! A small flat on the first floor was not the ideal place for a cat. Eventually the parents of a student took a shine to her and asked her if they could take her home. She was very happy in her new home, and we were relieved!
It was becoming apparent to both of us that we would need to move out of the college flat before long, for our own sanity. Along with this, I had been feeling that since we owned a flat in Reigate, we should alleviate the pressure on the college accommodation by buying a house in the area.
Before then, we had Luke dedicated at a service at Roffey to which both sets of parents and David and Georgie were invited. This early piece of home video is shot in our flat prior to the dedication. Poor Baby Luke! If you said “Praise the Lord to him, he would put his hands in the air!”
In the summer we went to Wales for a holiday on what was to become a regular event for the next few years. We had no money at all, but it was our first holiday as a little family and we were very happy playing on the beach together.
Christmas that year was special being Luke’s first birthday, and we went to Horsforth for ten days. Lawrence was such a fabulous and patient Grandad. This is Lawrence sharing a special birthday breakfast with Luke on Christmas morning.
Later on we had Christmas lunch with Chris and Mark who had just bought a house in Otley. Mark’s parents Eric and Anthea were staying and Eileen’s mother (Nana Ennis) was also in the country.