1970s OUR MOTHER NAHEM & SIMON

 "Soon after our beloved father died in 1961 mum sold the house in Stanley Road and bought two shops one a sweet and tobacconist shop which she ran with our help and the other shop she bought was rented out to an Opticians. Later on only Sandra worked alongside mum in the sweet shop. (The Chocolate Box). We all lived above the property in a large flat. Mum was still drinking heavily and would often be drunk serving customers. I was nearly 18 and about to start on the final year of an art course at Manchester College of Art and Design in 1960. Sandra was nearly 17 years old had also started on the course. We were both talented at art. I remember going on the bus with Dad, he to his business in Mary Street and me to the art college. After dad died Sandra never continued but I did. Sandra felt she didn't deserve to continue such was the emotion she felt but couldn’t speak about, also she had had to redo the Foundation year as she was too young to continue onto the next year. 

Then in 1964 I gained a place at the Royal College of Art London an  MA three year course and left for London. 

Sandra & Myrna talk about Mum and her alcohol problem

Mum sold the properties in 1966? and had a house built in Menorca Spain Edna who used to work in the shop for mum also had a house built there. Sandra found it unbearable living with mum as mum was permanently drunk. 

Mum reported Sandra to the Spanish police and had Sandra thrown off  the island as she was having a sexual relationship with Dennis Barnard who later became her husband. Denis Barnard was originally from the UK he had grown up on the island.   They divorced in the 1990s.  Sandra and Denis came to live in London with Aury, Nahem and I in 1968 leaving mum on her own on the island. In 1970 Sandra, Simon, Myrna, Nahem and Aury went to visit mum and that's when those photographs were taken. Simon was just a few months old. Nahem, two years old and had just recovered from pneumonia. 

By coincidence, In 1945 when I was about 2 years old I contracted pneumonia and nearly died," Myrna