(no music) HOMES - Monday's Boring Objects | Let me bore you to sleep #1305 | 17th March 2025

Hello, hello, hello and welcome to jasonnewland.com. My name is Jason Newland. Please only listen when you can safely close your eyes. So this is Let Me Bore You To Sleep and it's Monday.

So I'm going to do Monday's boring objects. Yeah, yeah. Oh, yes, I am.

Oh, yes. And then he's in the background somewhere back there. Oh, it's nice of you just noticed I had to add a trim.

Oh, thanks. Yeah, little trim to shade that little bit down there as well. I've never really done that before, like the little bit.

Just a little strip a little landing strip to my mouth, or to my chin. I don't know. But yeah, it's a little trim, bit of a tidy up.

Yeah. What was I gonna talk about? I don't know. I've got no idea what I was going to talk about.

I mean, there's been a few little dramatic episodes around here. Police were called on Friday night. A neighbor was screaming, get off me, get off me.

So police were called. And then when the police arrived, the two people involved were saying everything's fine. Everything's fine.

Come in offices. Look, everything's fine. And after the police were gone, a conversation.

Why didn't you lie? Why didn't you do this? Like, basically, why didn't we lie? So yeah, it's a bit weird. I've got the audio. I don't have the video.

So I've got the it was, I heard something. So I'm listening, because you can listen through the phone, can't you? Through the door camera. I was listening, it's going live, I can listen to it.

I thought what's going on? And then there's all this weird kerfuffle. So blimey. And there was an incident or just over a week ago, the same person and a break in about a month ago.

In a diff to flats next to there. So yes, bit strange. I don't not really 100% sure what's occurring.

But outside of that, it's fairly calm. But it's a weird one, because us upstairs are quiet. And we've got one person downstairs, it's very quiet.

And you got a little bit of chaoticness with the other two. And it's like, I just want everyone to be safe, really not interested in their business, just want them to be safe. And I need this.

This building needs to be a safe place because for no other reason, other than it's our home. You know, there's a there's a kid living up here in one of the flats. They've got you know, it's a couple with a child, school kid.

So there's an elderly both both the men elderly, like nearly 80. I'm getting on in age, I suppose. And the woman downstairs, the other one, she's like 20.

So we, you know, it's vulnerable situation. I don't know what I'm talking about. I just wanted to talk about it.

I didn't talk about it on Saturday. Oh, yeah, I just but I'm not going to talk about that. I'm just gonna I could talk about should I talk about some of the different houses I've lived in.

Different accommodation. I mean, this is going to be a very, very long recording. I won't be talking about anything bad things that happened.

By the way, I'm not going to do that. But I just mentioned a few dodgies. But I could mention, because we're nearly there.

We're nearly at the 10 year anniversary of me living here. I could talk about me living here. But there will be a few weird incidences if I did that.

So maybe I'll leave that to another day. But you know, there'll be not everything's been great, to be honest. So I mean, I suppose I could could miss out that stuff.

But it's, it's kind of like, it's like a sandwich without any butter. You know, it's even if you don't like butter, kind of kind of need it just to make the sandwich makes sense. That made no sense, does it? So I'll talk about different places I've lived.

Now I know that I've talked about the chip shop a little bit. But I won't focus on the chip shop flat. I'll go through all the different places.

If I can remember them in order, I might not be able to remember all of them in order. And I might miss some out. So here we go.

Are you ready? Right. Or should I go through all the different places I've lived in since I was born? Yeah, let's do that. All the ones I can remember.

Actually, I'll include ones I don't remember. But I know I live there. Because I don't remember where I was, you know, when I was actually born.

But I know that I lived in a house. So Enfield, North London, kind of Middlesex now. This North London, Enfield, EN something.

I think I was born in Edmonton Hospital, 1970. Which makes me over 33. And when I was born, I had two brothers and they were both older than me.

And then I lived there in this house with my biological parents for about between three and six months, not 100% sure. My name told me a lot of that stuff, but no one else did. So I think I was under the age of six months when I moved with my first older brother into foster care where we were fostered for a year and a half or something with foster parents.

And my oldest brother lived with my nanny granddad. So that's where we live. So I don't remember either of those places.

But I know that I was, you know, I was safe in the second place I lived. And I don't know whether or not anyone visited us. I just don't know.

Really don't know. I'm pretty certain my nan would have visited us. And maybe the whole family did.

There's no way, I don't know. So I then moved to some of my information I get from my nan, some of my information I've got from my brother, who's a lot older than me, so he remembered stuff. Some of the information I got from my dad, which is very little, but he's just told me a little bit.

40 years ago, when I was about 17, 18, when we were drinking whiskey, he opened up and told me lots of stuff. And I think we did that twice. And that was the only time he ever really talked about anything.

And got a little bit of information from my auntie. And the rest of it is my own memory. Okay, so the first two places was what my nan told me.

The second place, the next few places, or the next couple of places, was what my brother told me. So he said that we lived in London, somewhere in London for a while. Then apparently, we lived in Scotland for a while.

We moved around a lot. That's what my brother told me, because he was four years older than me. So he was, at this point, he was six years old.

When six, six, six and a half, when we left London. So he could remember from that, you know, roughly, he might not remember everything that happened. But he remembered certain things.

So we moved around a fair bit. I remember some of that. And then we ended up, there's only two addresses that I remember.

In, I'm not going to say they were both in Newcastle, one was definitely in Newcastle. It was in a tower block, house, council, lived in lots of council accommodation over the years. And this was a big tower block.

Mind you, there's no small tower blocks when they're called tower blocks for a reason. And also, I was tiny. So it might have only been like six floors.

But I'm pretty sure it was a super tall one. I don't know how many floors that would have what 12. I don't know how many there were.

I don't don't know how many floors there was. I don't remember a lift. I remember stairs.

And I remember daddy long legs on the stairs. And I got a few memories of that place that were okay. And yeah.

But before that, we lived in a house. And it was on this road, it was like a terrace, like, is it terrace and I got house after house after house after house, all connected, like hundreds, well, maybe not hundreds, but lots of houses, as far as I could see. I lived in one of them.

And I know that when we came out the door, I think I think it was left, walk up, and there was a corner shop or a news agents. So this might have been in London, or this might have been in Newcastle. I'm not 100% sure.

But I remember, I've only really got two, two vivid memories of that time. One was when I went to my mom sent me to the shop to buy stuff for her. I don't know if it was cigarettes and whiskey.

I don't know. It could have been anything. But I was allowed to get some chocolate.

So I got some chocolate. And when I came back, both my mom and the other person were basically, I thought they were asleep. They were wide awake when I left when they got back, they were just like, and I didn't kind of understand what was going on.

But I thought I must have just fallen asleep. This is in the afternoon. And I also go to sleep.

And yeah, there's more to that story. But anyway, that's that's something I remember. And then there was one time there was a party going on.

In that house, I'm pretty sure it's the same house. Could have been a different house. Definitely wasn't the flat.

And it was and I was in a room with my brother. I think I had done dunk beds, bunk beds. And there was this big party going on out like in the living room, lots of adults and stuff.

And so I could hear the music and hear people and everything. But I could, the wallpaper was moving. I was seeing things and like the wallpapers were moving all around.

And I was absolutely petrified. I wasn't dreaming. I was awake, like literally watching this stuff.

So I go outside crying and everyone's laughing and I get brought back inside and I'd like to put back into the room and that was it. So that was weird. That's just something that is hard to forget because it's just very strange, strange thing.

And then so I remember that house, the flat, the only memories I've got of that flat that weren't that were okay. The one in Newcastle was eating the daddy long legs. Weird memory, but it was a kind of a neutral memory as far as and all and also I think the the invasion of leeches.

Now that I'm thinking about yesterday's video, leeches was the word I was thinking of leeches. No, so it wasn't an invasion of leeches. That would have been horrific, wouldn't it? Invasion of ladybirds.

Now either it was there or it was somewhere else. It was definitely around that time. And I remember we I used to run down the stairs never got the lift.

We were very high up. I think we're near the top of the we might not be at the top, we're near the top of the building. And so I had a step dad at that time as well.

I even remember the layout of not my bedroom. Don't remember my bedroom. But I remember the layout of the flat.

As far as there was the living room area, there was a television. There was a seating area for eating. And then there was a kitchen.

And there was a toilet, bathroom and stuff. I think there might have been a toilet and a bathroom, but not 100%. Yeah, I just remember those bits.

And I guess it was settee and stuff. I don't know if it was a black and white TV or color TV. Probably in them days black and white.

Because it was still like, what 1973. So it would have been still early days. A lot of people didn't have color TVs by then.

There was another one where a memory where I think I'm like halfway down just looking out the window. And my big brother, my book, my oldest brother calls me down and said, Come on. So get down.

I'll go down the stairs. I'm not sure if that's how he wanted me to get down there. But I use the stairs.

And there was a bee on the floor. And he said, What touched the bee? I said, No, sting me. He said, That's just wasps.

Bees don't sting. I said, It'll sting me. He said, It won't.

It's dead. It can't sting you. So I touched it and it stung me.

Ha ha ha. Well done, brother. And I remember that.

Another time. I mean, these might sound like not good stories, but these were like, the nice memories. And then there was another one where my other brother, the one that was just a bit older than me, two years older than me.

He because we lived on a rough estate. He was shouting abuse or horrible words, naughty words. Bear in mind, he was only like five or six years old.

So it's not like he was. So these kids were probably the same kind of age, maybe eight, nine. He was shouting at them.

Come on, then you whatever. And we might have been. We might have been the odd ones out because of where we were from.

We weren't from that area. I don't know. Anyway, there's a group of lads.

I chased him. And he's doing it just as he's passing me. So I had no choice but to run because everyone knew that we were brothers.

I run one towards one, we run towards the fence. He climbs through the fence hole, there's a hole in the fence. And as I'm about to try and do that, I'm surrounded by all these kids.

And I do escape, I run through one of the legs and run. And they can't catch me. But I was pretty nimble back then.

And also tiny. I mean, I think they just thought I'd done a magic trick and disappeared. Probably because I was wearing a black cape, and big hat and a wand that might have been my threw them off.

It's like, where did the dove come from? Anyway, that's the other thing. I remember that wasn't there. No.

So that that's kind of it. As far as the there's other memories, but nothing that I can really talk about. So yes, it is that.

And then when we moved to Newcastle Children's Home South, which was, it was called Nazareth House. And we moved to another place also called Nazareth House, but in Southend after that. So we're in Newcastle to start with.

I remember some of the things that when I was living there. One was I was someone was trying to explain to me that thunder was not thunder. Because we had this really big storm.

And we're inside and it was like a courtyard. So partly shaved, shaved, partly shaded around the edges, but you know, so it was and you could walk between buildings. Instead of I guess around maybe.

I think you probably get around like, you know, internally. And I was saying, it's thunder. And they said, No, it's thunder.

But it's thunder. I mean, unless I had a speech thing going on, but they kept trying to explain to me it's thunder. No, it's thunder.

And I kept saying it's thunder. And they gave up. I don't remember where I slept in that building.

But I remember the breakfast room, or the place where we used to eat. And I'm pretty certain it was a situation where you just get some breakfast cereal, orange juice, it was in my memory, it was a nice place. Actually, I might be wrong.

I don't remember enough about it. And I don't remember nuns, which is weird. Because it was a children's home run by nuns.

Unless it was priests, there might be priests instead of nuns. I don't know. But I don't remember the nuns in that place.

Unless I'm just getting muddled up between the two. There's a chance of that. But I remember once I come down.

I've told this story before, I came down one morning during the summer. And I was there was no school. So I was just getting up whatever time everybody else had been up, everyone else had already had their breakfast.

And I was just just getting up. So I got some breakfast, went to the table and just, you know, had some breakfast. And one of the people, whoever they were, people at work there said, Oh, it's your birthday.

Happy birthday. I said, What? So happy birthday. So I was probably six, maybe at this time.

Maybe five and a half, six. I said birthday. So I didn't know anything about birthdays.

I didn't know. If I did, I didn't know when it was. I had no idea.

Like I didn't even know how old I was, to be honest. So I happy birthday. Okay.

And they said, Oh, your mom came around. I said, Okay. Why are you telling me? She said, Oh, she left you this gift.

So it was, I'm not sure she wrapped it. But it was a box of Maltesers. Like a nice size one.

Okay. I think I did question why didn't she come and say hello? You know, so they're just dropping it off. But yeah, so that was it.

I don't know how we ended up in the children's home. I still don't know to this day. So it was that was a weird moment because I didn't know about birthdays.

I don't even think when I moved in with my dad. They had to try and find out when our birthdays were because I don't think my dad could remember. It's weird, isn't it? But it's like, how old are you? I said, I'm nine.

No, you're not. You're seven. Am I? Okay.

It wasn't it wasn't a thing. It wasn't a big thing. Like being an age, a certain age.

And it seems to be kids seem to know what age they are these days. But sounds such a weird thing to say, doesn't it? But yeah, that's the first time I really ever I didn't know anything about birthdays. I mean, I'm not saying I never had a birthday celebration.

But none that none that I remembered at that time. And then there was one time when we was in Newcastle Newcastle children's place. And me and my two brothers were running in the field.

We just because it was like everywhere in this country. It's surrounded by fields. You know, I mean, you've got the cities where you have to travel a little bit further to get to the fields.

But every town, every village surrounded by fields, pretty much. I mean, you just got to fly over this country and see that it's mainly fields with a little little few bits of things, people living. It's amazing they can fit so many people on this land.

Really, you know, considering how many fields we've got. Yeah, we're not we're still not self sustainable. So amazing.

You'd think that all those fields, we would never have to actually buy any food in. We could just grow our own food, but in this country, because we have so many fields. Anyway, that's enough of the politics.

And I yeah, we were running up and down and this this farmer got a bit upset that we were on his on his land. And he had a big gun and he was pointing at us. And like, that was weird.

I've had a gun point at me twice in my life. And it's just really strange experiences like, okay. Because my only experience at that time with guns was what I'd seen on TV, you know, cowboys and Indians on TV, movies and TV shows.

And that was an actually that's a thing, wasn't it back then. And I, it was weird. But then what happened, because I don't think we were far from the children's home place.

One of the people that worked there, came up and had a chat with the the farmer, because he was like threatening to shoot us. Like, really? Bearing in mind, we were little kids. Like little.

I mean, even my oldest brother was what nine can be more than nine. It's like ridiculous. I think of nine has been quite old, but it's not really is it? Well, I don't think nine is old.

But back then, I suppose to my brother was quite tall. So I think he looked older. I looked younger, he looked older.

When he was older than me, and I was younger than him. Pretty much all the time, really. And this bloke came along, he said, I'll leave him alone.

And the the farmer left us alone. The weird thing about it is we're all being copied to this farmer. Go on and shoot us, shoot us.

Go on then. Do we want? Weird, weren't scared. But I think it's the reality, we didn't really understand the concept of what was going on.

But at the same time, things like that wasn't scary to us. At that time, at that age, we just like, it's just a gun. Weird, weird.

But I remember that. And I remember getting saved by this man. And I'm sure the farmer wasn't going to do anything.

But you don't know, do you? There's some weirdos out there with guns. And I think that was a time when the ladybirds were everywhere. I loved that.

Loved it. Oh, there was one time, blimey, I've got a memory back. This is a memory I used to have, but I forgot about it.

Wow, I wonder, is this how the memories unfold by talking about it? And then, like, wow, I was gone. No, no, it's coming back. Yeah, three memories.

One, we had this, this was in Newcastle. And it was definitely when I lived with my mum. It might not have even been in the same place.

But it was in a big block of flats, it might be in a different block of flats to work because we moved around quite a lot. And there was this grassy, little grassy hill. And we'd and there was this playground that we'd play on.

And there was swings, you know, ladders and stuff like that. And a thing called a witch's hat, which I think were banned, because they were very dangerous. And there was no there was concrete.

It wasn't. I mean, I don't it's just very not ideal for kids falling over, you know, it's concrete. Anyway, this witch's hat, it spun around, like a roundabout thing, but also went up and down at the same time.

So it was brilliant fun. Until you fall off, then not so much fun. And I, I smashed, you know, smash myself up on it.

And I remember I, I kind of just smashed my face and my mum gave me, I think she gave me a fish finger to put on it or something like that. I might be making it up. But I got a vague memory.

It was like, gave me something frozen out of the freezer to put on it. Like a yeah, a fish finger or something like that. So yeah, so I don't I don't remember if I had a, I was definitely bashed up by the by the concrete.

I was a little bit accident prone back then. I mean, once I fell down the stairs. But this was in this was not in a flat.

This was not in a council flat. This was in a place where there was stairs, like in a either a house or something that we were staying in. And I had a, I think I had a box of toys or not toys box of, I don't know what was in it, cars, little cars or something.

It was something I was carrying. And I fell down this again, concrete steps. I fell down all the way down the steps and landed on my head like I normally seem to remember that I was weird.

I don't know why I remember that one. And this time, I think she gave me a fish cake to put on frozen fish cake. Or was it a popsicle? Maybe a popsicle.

But there was Yeah, when we was in this place, wherever it was, there was this hill, grassy hill. And I remember coming out one day and shouting names. And go up and she gave us a sandwich sugar sandwich.

Which explains why I probably got no teeth. But no, that's all the sugar I've had. But I guess maybe that's why I got a sugar tooth.

I don't know. sugar sandwich. So basically, if you don't want sugar sandwiches, it's just a sandwich with sugar.

It's like you got margarine, we wouldn't there wouldn't be butter that was expensive. So bread, margarine, and just sugar. And that's what we'd have maybe a drink as well.

I don't know. And the thing is, when you're a little kid, sugar sandwiches, like the best thing in the world. It wasn't I wasn't moaning all I wanted.

I wanted something substantial mother. If I was expecting a three course meal, some steak at least and some potatoes, potatoes, but no sugar sandwich. I was happy I was made up gave me energy.

I mean, not that I needed it. I was a kid. So I had energy anyway.

And then so remember that there's the witches hat. There was one time when I don't I think I was just playing. And I got really bad sunburn, like really bad sunburn.

And she put me in a bath. And yeah, that wasn't nice. So I don't know.

I was just really proper. I had my top off, I guess and I was blistered. And that's why I never go out without a top on partly out of kindness and consideration towards other people's eyes.

But generally, I haven't I've not gone topless since I was a little kid. Because I burn so easily. I don't I don't go brown.

I've got pale skin. If you look you can see I've got quite pale skin. And that's the bit that does get the most like brownish is my arms.

But I got pinky skin, you know, I just kind of just go up. So it is. And I remember that.

I've been sunburned lots of times when I was younger, but that was the worst. Because I literally had blisters all over me. Hot bath probably didn't help.

And what else? Now I can't remember much else from there. And then we moved to the South End Children's Home. And we I mean, I mean, again, I'm free to everything I'm telling you now is probably I've probably mentioned it in the past.

I remember traveling there with my social worker, Mr. Right. It's weird. I've met loads of people in my life that I don't remember their names.

Even people I've worked with, literally sat next to for years, don't remember their names. Mr. Right, I remember his name. Forever.

It's weird, isn't it? Couldn't tell you what he looks like. So he traveled with me, or I traveled with him really, from Newcastle to South End on a train. And there might be a few different trains.

And I had a coloring book. He got me a book to play with. And probably some drinks and food, you know, chocolate, probably stuff like that.

And I liked him, I think, I think he was a nice bloke. I don't remember my other brothers being with me. Unless they will travel down separately.

Which doesn't. Maybe that does make sense. I mean, probably quite a handful together.

Yeah, but anyway, they were both there. So either they came with me, or they came separate, but we all were in the South End Nazareth house together. So my memory of going in there was for like, wow, huge building.

Like part of it is listed, so they can't knock it down. But a big part of it has been knocked down now. But it's a huge building.

It's one of those places that you kind of when I revisited it in 1991. I didn't expect it to be as big as it was. However strange that might sound, I just thought, figured, well, I was a little kid.

Everything's big back then. It's it was big, it was huge, even as an adult. I visited again in 96 went with my girlfriend.

What was weird? Okay, this is kind of strange. I went in 1991, probably the summer. And I knocked on the door.

Bearing in mind, I left in 1977. It's not that long, is it really 77 to 91. But you know, a seven year old, 20 year old, there's a lot of difference in, you know, but I knocked on the door and the lady knew who I was, the nun knew who I was.

And you might think, yeah, yeah, yeah. I said to her, I live here. And I was wondering if you got any pictures, and she went and got a picture.

Admittedly, it didn't look like me. And I did. Yeah, I did look a bit Asian.

Come to think of it. I was never that big. I had a beard.

Maybe it wasn't me. Maybe she didn't remember me. No, she remembered she had pictures of me and my three brothers.

So wow. So that was strange. And it's weird that she'd remember.

Maybe we were the only three brothers there. In her memory. Maybe we were memorable for some reason.

I don't know what reason that would be. Or maybe if you just had a good memory, or possibly, like myself. And seven, it's only 14 years.

Isn't it 77 to 91. 14 years is nothing. It's like, I remember what happened 14 years ago.

I could see someone in the street that I know 14 years ago. And they might not even remember me. But it's like I saw them, you know, a few weeks ago.

Yeah, so maybe that's what it's like for her. Also, she was old. I mean, most of those nuns live to be in their 90s.

If not nearly 100, if not more than 100. So just shows you that repressed anger really does help you with your health. She's healthy.

She was nice that one. They weren't all though. So I when I went there for the first day, I had a can of coke that my social worker bought me Mr. Right.

And a bag of some clothes. And that was it. Pretty much I didn't have anything else.

And I'm a coloring book. I have my coloring book as well. So I remember the bed kind of, and there was a wardrobe, a bed, maybe a little set of drawers.

And there was a window, I'm pretty sure. And I put my the one of the ladies said because there was a nun and there was a lady. And the nun said, Sharon or whatever her name was, she'll show you around.

So I put my can of coke on the the windowsill. Must be quite a low windowsill. Unless it was on top of the set of drawers.

But I think it was a windowsill in my memory. And unless I was sitting on the Yeah, maybe I was sitting on Mr. Right's shoulders. We were playing horsey.

No, I don't think he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't. No, he didn't want to play horsey.

So I, he said, I'm trying to work here. This is a professional, you know, career. I had to go to college to learn to do this.

Kind of people are playing horsey and carrying around like you're my kid. I said, but will you be my daddy? We've been my father. And my dad used to do that actually.

Later on, my dad used to sit on his shoulders. Brilliant. For the first year.

And bearing in mind, I was seven, sevens quite even I was a little seven. It's still quite a lot when you considered he'd had a broken neck. Not laughing, I'm just saying like he's had problems with his neck his whole life, since it was broken when he was in his 20s.

But he's still tough through it. If you know I mean, I'll be on his I'll be like, grabbing his hair and like everything like that and giddy up giddy up. And it'd be wincing like, oh, because he was putting a lot of pressure on his neck.

And so yeah, I didn't realize at the time I found out later on that that's why he kept dropping me. No, he didn't drop me. And I'll tell you what.

For that first year, I defy any man on this entire planet in history to be a better dad than he was. Seriously, he's the best father that you can that I could have ever had. For that first year.

Absolutely. So lovely. A big beard.

He was a big strong man, the big beard and he was kind and friendly face and just beautiful, beautiful man. And I say I might sound a bit weird. And he's got a beard again.

And he's a beautiful man again. He suits a beard. It just suits him.

I don't know. I mean, people say my beard, I look older with my beard. But when I don't have a beard, it softens my face with a beard.

It does it might look a bit shabby and a bit dirty and I am dirty. Ask any of my girlfriends. No, don't.

I am. You know, I'm not dirty, but I am. Smelly, but not dirty.

And I feel I'm smelly. It's a smelly beard. But I think it's okay.

But I think I look better with a beard than without a beard. But I know that not everybody likes beards. And I've had girlfriends that don't like beards.

Which makes you wonder what you knew I had a beard. Why did you? Why are you dating me if you don't like beards because I've got a beard. That kind of really got my head around that.

Because, you know, even my dad doesn't like beards. We didn't for years. Any picture that he ever saves of me is me without a beard.

Okay, clean shaven or maybe a little bit of stubble. I've had a beard since I was able to. Mainly because I look too young.

So as soon as I could get a bit of a stubble, a bit of a beard going, I had it. And all the way through my 20s. I'm not all right for my 20s.

Okay, I started shaving probably in my late and start shaving. I started going clean shaven in my probably late 90s. And then early 2000s.

And then, yeah, I started then I started growing a beard again, probably. Yeah, I started growing a beard. 2002 again.

But I was shaving my head by the beard. I think. And then 2007 pretty much had a beard from then on till now.

So most of my adult life I've had a beard. Sometimes it's been huge. And there's videos on YouTube of me with the biggest, most massive beard.

And I'm not even kidding when I said I'd have to have the microphone further away, because a beard would be scraping up against this microphone right now. It's true. And you know me, I always lie.

I never lie. I mean, so sorry, I put this can of coke on the shelf and then the lady says, and I thought, Oh, no, no, no. Another not another Mona.

She doesn't do that all the time. She thinks she's a ghost. She said, No, I don't like I said out loud.

Damn it. And she said I wouldn't leave that there if I were you she might not spoke like that and She probably had an Essex accent issue because she was in the South End so she probably had a bit of a London II Essex accent only that follows you, you know, I mean we apples and pears and We leave it there for I'm trying to do a A caricature of my own accent is quite different quite difficult to do because that is how I talk I've got a southern accent and I Used to have a Geordie accent.

I did I did I did I did I did I did I did He used to talk really fast, which is almost incomprehensible I Think to a lot of people that listen to me now the eye Dear that I once used to talk even even at human speed seems a bit strange Yeah, when we moved to South End no one understood us So we had a very mixed vocabulary So we lived in Newcastle long enough to pick up the accent Maybe me my younger brother more so than my oldest brother

because he was He'd already kind of I suppose learned to talk and developed his accent like London because he was in London till he was Was four when I was born So it had been six eat more than six before he left London.

So they don't have a London accent He'd like being you know speaking and that and I Thought the lady was like joking when she said oh, you shouldn't leave your coke there If you leave it there, so I might take care. So I might take your coke. Don't leave it there.

So no steely. Yeah, I Thought she was joking cuz she's one that she did one of those things where she laughed after she said it So I just assumed she was Goking you know, I was like just Who don't leave it there? She might not have said it quite like that she might not have actually gone But it was like it might be one of those loud boosts laughs like wouldn't leave it there But that kind of thing like a muppet a Strangulated muppet So I thought she was joking.

She shooed me around the building probably took an hour or so to do that and Then We got back and the coke was gone I'm still looking for the person that took that coke.

I Never let anything go So, yeah, that was weird so someone stole my drink a Coke I Remember a few things about living in there We used to there's some nice parts.

I mean it was not some nice parts, but there was I Mean I Don't remember what it's like really much about living in the Newcastle children's home But in the South End children's home, I remember a fair bit one of the things And I I don't know if other children that lived in children's homes would agree with this or not because we lived in dormitories and There's a lot of this in one room one big massive room and it was connected to it was toilets and Basins and stuff where we'd brush our teeth and wash or whatever and And To me it's a little bit like a hospital ward in some ways But although it was it wasn't pleasant On the same side.

It was also very funny Because we were all we'd be naughty.

It would be giggling and laughing and just you know, so We get in trouble but it was I suppose a little bit like It I Don't know being a because it's very authoritarian and everyone was like a Little bit. Well, probably more than a little bit scared of the older penguins, so I'm the nun. Sorry and We were just like oh But we'd be Joking and playing around and yes, it was it wasn't all horrible.

It was quite funny sometimes and I went from having three brothers to having Lots of brothers and sisters Because that's what they were. They were family. They weren't friends.

They were family You live in a you live in the children's home they are your family, that's it There's no there's no two ways about it.

Even the ones you don't get on with they're still your family Unless you don't see them, you know, if it's segregation and it's different but we had contact with the girls and the boys The older ones I think was separate And I think they had a little bit more freedom once they got to a certain age but Because I had kids from like really young to I think 18 and you get kicked out That was the the rules back then And Yeah, it was weird so when something happened when Something not so great happened to another kid it it was Difficult because that was that was my brother that was my sister, you know in it it does that make sense?

so And also I was a little bit in love with a little black girl And it's like why you mentioned the color because it's valid because her sister thought I was a racist Because I think she had to shed. Yeah, I think there's three of them three three sisters and She was I don't think she was the youngest she might be the youngest but then she had an older one who was probably about 11 12 and then another one and I Kept asking her because I liked her.

Oh, you know, I loved it probably in my own way and I kept asking if I could touch her hair and if I could comb my hair because she had this wooden thing in her hair and So she list used to let me comb my hair I Was fascinated with her hair but her sister thought I was Like making fun of them or something like that because I guess they probably experienced that in the past, but I wasn't I was in love So that that was a weird one that was a weird experience and then their mum turned up Wow,

I Thought I had a crazy one their mum I've never seen anything like it like this woman was swearing like she came along and she was having to go all the nuns now I Don't know if you may not know this you cannot intimidate a nun a Catholic nun is Impossible to intimidate them They can't be scared you can't scare them It's like they're hard as nails They if they got into a cage to like fight one of the top UFC fighters The UFC fire would just give up and run out scared crying honestly,

it just don't don't mess with a nun Always we said don't mess with the Penguins, but of course, I wouldn't call them penguins now And I wouldn't call them penguins to their face either blimey so it was just because they used to shuffle along and because they're dressed like a penguin and And This woman she was having a go and she wanted to take them all on and they just stood there and looked at Nothing and It's the only time That I lived there that I was happy that the nurses

were there not the nurses to the nuns The only time that I was glad they were there because that woman was scary It's just a stuff she was saying and do you know and The nuns didn't budge they just stood there they weren't gonna let her past because she was to try and go in there and see her kids or who knows what and I think she was the mother of the girl that I liked I loved I Wonder how she is because she'd be like probably the same age as me now Wonder she's still in Southend.

Did she move somewhere else? You know So if you again the mother might not have been their mother I don't know. I don't want to just assume but I think it was in my memory, but my memory is not gonna be perfect So if you was in that children's home in 1970 blimey 1976 let's say 1976 1977 and you had some sisters, I think at least one or two sisters and you knew a little kid called Jason and he had two older brothers and They moved they moved out in summer 1977 if you remember you might not remember.

It's me. I Want my engagement ring back I'll be waiting too long There's a couple of things it's weird this is going in it's gone a little bit a different direction to what I was expecting Which normally happens? But here's a weird one. Okay, I didn't know who my nan was my nanny Newland Until I was seven.

Well just before I was seven. So when I started going to basically what happened is We were just living there In this place a huge house We used to slide down the skirt the skirting boards not skirting boards. That's the You know on the stairs the stairwell thing we used to slide down there because it was wooden and I Remember I visited there 96 with one of my girlfriends.

Well my girlfriend at the time Wasn't like which girlfriend should I take today? I'll have Tuesday to come on Tuesday. No, it wasn't like that. I'll have February it was Number 69.

I know it wasn't it was I went there with her because I just it was a day out as to Southend which I should do every now and then it's a nice day out if you live in London go on the pier and Seaside ish as a stair C, but the beaches It's it's not yeah, it's a beach technically and if you're in Southend you don't moan, you know what I mean, it's not Yeah, it might be a bit better than it used to be but it's very it's very popular we're back in the 60s 50s 40s 70s 80s or whatever.

It was super popular Southend was one of the most popular Seaside Holiday destinations for probably a hundred years, you know and had longest pier in Maybe not in the world, but in Europe maybe in the world and And The pier two things happened to the pier one time it got hit by a boat like a ship Another time and that which like got rid of some of it another time There was a fire which burned down a lot of it But it's still really long and you need you actually need a train.

There's a train that goes up and down it And it takes about three days.

I Made that a little bit up but you can walk it as well But it does take quite a long time because it's it's a long long pier So I Didn't know My Grandmother and I didn't know my dad didn't know those people those people. I didn't know them I had met them before, you know, but when I was a baby So My dad turns up and we get told oh your dad's here We think is our stepdad.

So we're all prepared to go on the defensive I'm gonna use that word defensive and So we're all kind of under the we all hide under the bed and Decide what we're gonna do and my oldest brother said this is what we're gonna do and We were basically I sounds weird we're gonna attack him That's what my brother said.

So we'll go in there with our little attacking instruments And we go in and this bloke turns a big bloke turns around this big massive beard and a smile and Like I don't know who the hell it is My other brother don't know who the hell it is, but my oldest brother Remembered him because it was a six years old when I saw him, but he remembered him like and at this point, I think my oldest brother would be what 11 and My brother my my oldest brother said everyone disarm Put your truncheons down it's all fine.

It's our real dad Like what? Do you know I had a dad? so I mean, I might have even thought that other bloke was of my real dad.

I don't know couldn't tell you It was really weird and I think his wife his new wife who became my mum My first stepmum was in the car was outside And we went out for the day and It kind of we just used to go out and eventually after a couple of weeks two or three weeks We would spend the weekend We go and spend the weekend with them where they lived and then after I don't know two months Maybe it was three months.

I don't know but we moved we moved with them like full-time and It was weird because we'd go and pick us up on a Friday evening Would get home fairly late because it'd come after work. So He'd get there probably 7 Maybe 6 7 or whatever because he was working full-time. I think she might have been as well actually at the time as well Bring us back bring us to where they lived and then Sunday evening They'd bring us back to Southend And it wasn't a huge journey.

It seemed like a long journey But that's because I'd you know, it's like I've done the journey since as an adult and I realize it's not that far really it's about it's no more than two hours and Which is quite a long time when you're a little kid, I think I Remember doing the thing that I've always done when I've been in a passenger seat of a car I've just linked the the lights Just go like link almost like a monkey Swinging between the the lights or maybe spider-man or something and I've done that ever since I was a kid I still do it now just or just imagine them linking together That's weird.

I don't know why I do that and There was a time when I was sit on my new mom's lap in the car I know you can't do that anymore. But this was the 70s.

I didn't really have many rules Didn't care about kids back then. So it Safety health and safety wasn't really a big issue Wasn't a big thing back then. It's just didn't know any better So I would be but it's brilliant because I was For the first time I was being cuddled and whatever.

So it was like wow So that was nice. I like that. I literally was like a little monkey.

I wouldn't let go of her I clung on to her. I Really wouldn't I mean it must have been annoying for my other two brothers because I was I was kind of Probably trying to manipulate her a bit time but But she made sure that everyone got equal time and stuff and we all adored her. I Can say I know you can't reach.

It's not good to speak for other people but I know I know 1 million percent that we all absolutely loved her to bits and So, yeah cool Then We live so we moved into this house. It was a white house and it was my step mom's so I think she adopted us like officially adopted us and My dad was already our Father, but I don't know if he had to legally adopt us because we'd gone somewhere.

I don't know how it all works Anyway, she told us she told me that she adopted us so she was now our mom and we called her mom while I called her mommy and I remember she said she sat me down once it You know, you can call him mom if you like You get a bit too old to be calling me mommy, so I'm only 45 I didn't happen, but it's mildly humorous and She Yes, so she adopted us.

We lived in this house, which was my step. It was her mom's house and It was falling apart. It had like woodworm and all kinds of stuff.

It was It was near the docks But I think it's just old and I'm guessing it was a council house Where and I think she was she was raised there. She'd lived there her whole life and with her brother and parents in that So We're only there for a few months and then we had to get out She got has her mom got a council flat which was in a big This was what about six floors, but it's a really very wide lot of girth and It was really nice flat.

She had And that was just near the beach so you could actually see the sea from her flat There's a veranda.

Yeah, she's some baby as well and We moved into a new build a council house, which was Two bedrooms and a box room, but I had the bedroom I had a box room as a bedroom and it was fine for me big enough for a bed and You wouldn't be able to I don't think you'd be a legally allowed to rent it out wouldn't be big enough to rent it But if you can fit a bed in it and everything then it's a bedroom, isn't it?

If you it's got a window not like it was like just a room with no ventilation I Said another memory then well Hmm It's strange how talking about stuff is bringing back a few a few no memories that I have not had before But just some things that I like. Oh, yeah That Was a really good time though brilliant time moving into this new house there was As I said, I had my own bedroom for the first time in my life at Seven years old.

Oh It was wonderful Had a Bruce Lee poster on the wall.

Don't know why I think my oldest brother probably put that on there and we Had our own toys Because in the children's home, we did have some toys to play with but they were shared But I actually had my own toys for the first time I mean, I might have had toys when I was very young.

I don't remember but this is the first time that I remember actually having Something that was mine died, you know, I Mean I got my I had my first book Now to that with me my very first book I ever owned was a Southend children's home and it was I'll actually got the book up there somewhere. It's not the same one, but it's just like it's It's not the actual original copy of that book But it's a Jackanory Should I see if I can find it?

Right, I couldn't find it.

I just had a quick look. I gave Vinnie a nice bone to chew on so It might be a bit noisier I Don't know where it is.

I mean I could maybe I chucked it out, but I don't think I would have done Maybe it's in the storage room I'm gonna do a recording about my books that have had a an impact on my life That had a big impact because it was my first ever book That I owned got off the court armed the jumble sale at in Southend They were having a jumble sale, I guess raising money for the for the home or I don't know So We're living in this new council house, there was still houses being built In this little so it's a little town little seaside town.

We were living so I went from a seaside town to another seaside town and We lived there Until 1978 and then my little brother was born Which meant we had to move because there was not enough room it was fine for a little while because it was a baby So probably 1979 we moved out so I thought we probably moved in in 1978 1979 we moved out and We moved into another house,

which was a lot bigger I Talked about that house the other day so I won't going to do to to like too many details about that house because I did talk about it and There's even a picture of it on the podcast episode or the recording or video or whatever I did I Don't know if I did it as a video or as a podcast I definitely did as a podcast,

but don't know if I did it as a video as well So moved in there 1979 until 1986 so we were there for what seven years and then I went and lived with my step grandmother and my Stepmother and my little brother, so we moved into that flat I Lived in there I lived in there on the living room on a like a camping bed thing my stepmom had the spare room with my little brother and my because he was only what seven or something and my My stepman had her bedroom So I lived there until The March March April time 19 about March time end of March 1987 And then so I just turned 16 and a half,

I guess I moved into the flat above the chip shop I was there for a year And that was weird living there very strange Never lived on my own before Didn't know really what to do didn't know how to take care of myself. I didn't you know very very weird very Unsettling to be fair didn't enjoy that But I mean I liked it on some level, but other other ways.

It's like I just don't know I just didn't know what to do and then In 1988 I Left that job, so I had to get out of the flat gave me like a couple of weeks to get out or something I moved in with my dad temporarily Because yeah, I've got a job I moved in with him and then I got a job in the co-op Supermarket, so I lived with him until probably The summer maybe Probably Maybe made May June time April yes only I for two or three months

Then I moved out and I lived above the co-op with the manager s the manager She she was a manager of the shop so she had the flat upstairs She rented me out a room spare room So I lived there Until we got evicted Which would be I'm not even sure because I started a job in September in a factory when I turned 18 And I was still Living there for the least a month if not two months probably a month because I had to go for the whole eviction process to get her out and

I just stayed put because I did nowhere else to live either and So I think maybe I was there a month While I was working, but I was there living there for a while.

I wasn't signing on or anything I was just living on nothing really get a little part-time jobs here and there and Then I moved so I had to get out I've been evicted a few times over the years. Then I moved to a room on the seafront.

I Don't remember much about that room, but I know it's closer to where I worked and Also, there is all females living there and I Liked one of the females I quite Liked her but and I think I saw in a supermarket a couple years later and she just I Said hello to I said, I don't know who you are Admittedly, she might I might have got the wrong person Don't always remember what people look like to be honest Do you ever sometimes I look at people like is that you is it You know mummy mummy.

No so I Lived there for a little while. I remember Hale and Pace used to be on TV and Also, I remember I used to listen to Who's that singer? I miss you like crazy. I miss you like crazy Nat King Cole's daughter Natalie King Cole.

Yeah, Natalie King Cole Used to be really be into her for a little while her songs I Live for your love Every minute and I was in love with someone at that time. I can't remember who I was in and out. I love a lot when I was young I remember once I was using too much talcum powder in that room and I got a cough and It just stuck with me a bit so I didn't realize what it was and it was because I was just Using talcum powder because I wanted to smell nice and you know Whatever so I lived in that room.

I probably had a television. I must have had a television Maybe I didn't I Must have the television surely And then I Moved out of there. I don't know why I moved out there to be honest with you Something annoyed me and I moved and I moved into a different place, which is like two streets up.

I Don't remember why I really don't Really don't remember so I moved into another place.

It's the same kind of setup just a room in a building things got a bit weird there, so That's an understatement, but yeah, I moved out of there at the beginning of 1989 And I moved in with my dad for a few months and I moved out of there and went and lived in my friends mom's house And then I Decided to go to Spain and live but that I was only there for the afternoon came back so I was homeless and She basically didn't want me to live there anymore some reason And apparently I was just having baths too early in the morning Like well,

I'm supposed to have to be clean for work ease But I didn't have a job at that time anyway, so I kind of gave everything up to move away And then I came back the same day and Although Spain was nice from what I saw of it. I was yeah, I was in Spain for at least three hours Before I left again and She was The lady was that I was living with She had it in her mind that I was some kind of Doing some dodgy.

I went out there and was traveling like for a package or something like I Kept saying to the only packages here darling the only packet and I didn't say that because I was weird and she was very old But I mean respectfully I wouldn't have said that I might say it now as a joke But you know, I was point down that that small package war because that'd be weird.

It's like going back to 1970s sitcoms anyway, I Didn't know what to do I Found somewhere to stay Which was weird It wasn't lucky really, but anyways, it worked out the couple of people that I worked with had They wanted me to Babysit their kid at night while they worked at night can do night shifts and for that I would have free board and then they'd give me food And they give me some money Didn't quite work out I was sleeping on this on On the floor basically on like you

get in the sofa bits and sleeping on the floor On top of the sofa cushions and they were coming home in the middle of the night So instead they go to work 10 Leave it, you know said leave it like quarter to 10 get home about quarter past 6 in the morning Which is fine, but then also come home at 2 in the morning and Watch TV and be like I wasn't getting any sleep.

I was like interrupted sleep.

It's ridiculous and They thought I was fine So in the end There was a period when they didn't need me anymore I Think it's during a summer holidays like when a summer holiday started and at the weekends, I would just when they weren't working I would stay at other places and They were getting the ump like well, you just keep disappearing. It's like I don't want to be here You know, you're not giving me any money I'm eating breakfast cereal And I want no money.

You gotta have some cash.

You can have some money Yeah, even if you're living you got somewhere to stay. You still need a little something, you know And I Think at that point I've got a job in Opposite in a supermarket doing cleaning so I was able to start earning a little bit of my own money So that was 630 till 830.

I'd go home and I'd take the little girl to school because her mom would get her all ready for school and She got a bed you know, so like And Quarter to a or 20 to 8 because only literally 2 minutes or 1 minute to the flat from where I was working I'd pick her up.

Well, I'd walk her to school which was just around the corner. So 5-minute walk She would go to bed Because she'd been up since you know Whatever time she's done night shift And Then I'd have the whole day to myself To do something and I Didn't know what to do Because I hadn't got enough sleep and it was just yeah It was weird. So I'd go I'd basically They'd get home and I'll go to work.

I Think they got a bit of the arm because I had to be home for me to go to work And I said, yeah, but I Have to I have to be home for you to go to work So you have to be home for me to go to work difference is It's only for two hours and you're here anyway So, you know, but you might want to do over time, but you can't sorry That wasn't the agreement It wasn't the agreement be a camp.

I'm gonna stop now stop moaning about something that happened 100 years ago and then That all ended and The I'm not quite sure what happened. Don't even remember exactly how it came to an end, but I I Went traveling.

Oh, yeah, I'd so I I Think I don't know if they moved away or something like that. So I had to find somewhere else to live. I Don't remember Exactly where I went next But I Roughly do know So I know I ended up I might have just stayed with a few friends couches or whatever until I found somewhere and then I found a room and I moved into this room, which was just another another room in a house and we That was okay, it's one of the better places that I've lived actually didn't end.

Well, but Story my life. It didn't end. Well But before that it was yeah, it was okay.

I had a little bit more freedom than some of the other places and Then I moved out of there I had a bit of a issue.

We had some problems with one of the people living there moved out I Stayed with a friend Lived with him and then we moved to another place lived with him there So we kind of lived together not live together, but we just I did stay in a room with him for a few months but he had two different beds two different beds two beds and I Got a sense that he wanted to push the beds together But well, I think he did in fact he told me he did but you know, I wasn't Particularly interested in that.

Thank you and then We moved into a different place where I had my own bedroom and he had his bedroom So it's basically we were in and out a living room and a bedroom.

So he had the living room. I had the bedroom and Yeah, that that was fine for a while then I moved to London And I stayed with Stayed with a family member for a little while Then I moved into a room This is 1989 sort of September October time So I moved into another room, which is a house, which is that in a building?

So that's 89 then I Moved out of there to live with a friend who I was working with in his council flat But that that didn't end well so I moved back to the room that I was already renting because I hadn't given my notice or anything and They just didn't know where I was. I just hadn't they hadn't seen me for a few weeks So I said I was sorry about that I just had business to take care of and just pay the money and that was fine.

No one No, I said anything I mean if they'd have gone in the room they said it was empty because I've moved all my stuff out When I say all my stuff there wasn't much like a few bags of clothes or whatever. That's about it. And Then I Two books probably and then I lived there till March time April 1990 then I moved away again moved back to a little town.

I used to live in stayed with my dad from April to September or August So I was there he was hardly ever there because he was with Matt spent most of his time with My new stepmum used to live stay at her house a lot of the time So I didn't see much of him it worked quite well And then he moved again, so I was staying in this house we moved to a different house So I was living in that house for a while probably a Month maybe two months

we were living in that house and then I moved out about September time as I said Moved into a studio apartment and I was working in the factory at the time And Then they I was doing night shift and then I changed it to daytime shifts, you know split shifts nine to Six to two and two to ten six in the morning to two in the afternoon two in the afternoon to ten o'clock at night two to ten I was fine with six to two No Was ironic because now I get up very early and it's fine, but back then no Couldn't do it.

Well, I could do it, but just really really struggled So in the end, I just gave the job up so I couldn't get out of bed So I had to move out of there And I found another room which I could live in And Ironically in the same road is my childhood home. So I lived there for a little while until So that was probably October Maybe November November to It's hard to keep track of it.

It seemed like longer than that, but I lived there. I Knew that my neighbors next the neighbors who lived in the room next to me. I already knew them I've gone very well with them.

They were lovely and So Yeah, I was in the room. It wasn't a bad place to live to be fair.

It's quite a nice building as warm If anything it was too warm so you could open the window and it was you know in the winter I don't think there's anything such fingers too warm in the winter If the heating's on too but too too too hot just open the window, let's this the cold air in and And I had no control over the heating there was the landlord I've never known a landlord to actually be that generous with heating before or since and Then I Moved out of there to

go and live in London in 1991 January So I moved to London in Stratford found a room and It was a Yes room in a house in a cul-de-sac behind a graveyard So quite quiet It's a lived there for a while.

Well, I lived there from 91 to 94 and in 94 I moved out. Hmm And I moved into a friend's house who I was working with stayed lived there for a little while probably a couple of months and then he was evicted because it was a sublet Which wasn't good so it's his hit him his girlfriend me and Andre the other Andre was living there So all living together Or had Andre already live Andre might have moved out actually Yeah, I think Andre might know Andre was moving living somewhere else But he was living there to start with and then he moved out and

he lived in a different different place So We literally had to go home from work and move out that day there was no notice at all and One another person lived with or worked with rather he decided he could solve the problem by Because he had his own flat and there was another house and he he let us all stay in those places so I lived with Andre for a bit and then So I lived in Forest Gate Until Another yeah another council place.

I think yeah, I lived there In 94 went to Ireland in I think it was September 1994 It came back just before Christmas Maybe it was October.

I think was it August I went but I came back for Christmas. Maybe it was November time and Lived in that house with my friend and Then he got evicted. Well, we both got evicted.

I wasn't officially living there. I suppose but he got evicted and I Didn't know what to do. It was a nice house.

It was his childhood house, I think And So I went and worked I was didn't know what to do. I was looking like I didn't have a job but didn't have anything Went to the job center and They were advertising for staff for butlings for the Christmas season and I just applied and I got it there and then I've had bar staff but bar work Experience and that's what they were looking for.

They were looking for cleaners different jobs and I just I know I wish I've gone for the cleaning job now, but that's the one I got and I Moved to Bogner Aegis to work there probably two days before the eviction notice was done and My friend who I was living with he actually phoned me up After about a week and me being there just to tell me that he'd moved that he was living up north somewhere or whatever I don't know never spoke to him again.

Never heard from him again And then I come back from Bogner So I'm living in this sharing a room Chalet thing not chalet like a workplace room with This smaller room than this probably with was two different people at different times and I Was it I was there for probably Five weeks Maybe four or five weeks six weeks. So it's hard to keep track I'll really do struggle with the the timage sometimes so I was there for a while then I came back Stayed with my girlfriend at the time For when in stay with her, but I kind of had nowhere to live.

So I spent Because I didn't I didn't get to Christmas or did I get to Christmas Now I thought I got to Christmas and I left I left so I didn't stay for the new year So I went spent the new year with my girlfriend and then She said that I wasn't gonna stay there.

She let me know That I wasn't I think it was a conversation what you're gonna do and I was hoping to stay with her and It wasn't an option So then I Did not know what to do. I went up to the housing department in Stratford. What was it Forest Gate?

Yeah, and I just sat in there for hours and hours and hours waiting to be seen and no one came I Just didn't know what to do because literally had nowhere it was like I had a bag of stuff and that was it my clothes in that and In the end I gave up I just walked out of I just don't know I guess this is This is gonna be a new experience and I Went around just to see my neighbor not my neighbor and my cousin who lived in Stratford I just just went around to see her to see if she had any ideas.

She knew anyone I just didn't know what to do really and She said she had a room I could rent Because her son had moved out.

He was living with his dad So it was a little box room again and it's actually Yeah, it was Bunk beds, although they she got rid of the bunk beds just to put a new bed in for me, but I yeah, I Lived there in 96 Moved out in the summer 96, so I was there at the beginning of the year moved out in about summer time And I went and lived with my friend the same one that sublet and lost that place This was another sublet.

He loved his sublets and Lived with him for a while.

I had a job at this point as a security guard and Then that went a bit pear-shaped and I had no money coming in Couldn't get any benefits because or get housing benefit because it was a sublet And it turned out it was a council flat, which I might not known at the time. I might have done. I don't know So I moved out of there Luckily my cousin let me move back in She saved my bacon twice to be honest Probably never really showed appreciation and I Lived there.

This was a bit more consistent. I lived there from 97 probably July July time probably June July 97 maybe August and I moved in there and I moved out in The summertime 2001 I Was evicted from there as well. She she had enough of me.

So she evicted me a proper eviction notice like letter and everything So and not the last not the first or last time either that was going to happen So I moved out of there lived in this this room which was It was a big room, but it was connected to another room Like it just had these wooden Shutter door things that were locked So it's obviously it was an originally by my very originally being two separate rooms whoever lived there before knocked through to make it one big room and Then

she bought it and put two doors in but you could still it's like living in the same room as a person could I could hear them Really clearly wasn't always bad sometimes got to interesting things, but That wasn't for long though, so luckily I wasn't there for long I was living in a very limbo lifestyle at that point because everything was kind of coming to an end and The kind of lifestyle I'd had for a few years and Then I moved from there To be closer to my nan in September 2001 Initially I stayed in a bed-and-breakfast and It was I started work, I think it was September the 10th night of 2001 and I went after being in a bed-and-breakfast for about two weeks.

I Went and I found somewhere at the YMCA like a studio flat So I lived there moved in there My dad came and helped me move my stuff because at this point. I actually had some belongings.

I had some books and I've been collecting for years and yeah, so I had a few bits and bobs Moved into this studio apartment It was just a room kitchen bathroom And it was fine, but it was noisy. There's a lot of people there.

It was like It was at the time a bit of an asylum hotel, so there's a lot of people that were Temporarily staying there and There's a bit chaotic at times But you know I get on with everyone so it didn't bother me, but it was very noisy there was Because I was working it was a little bit a little bit hard So I moved within the building.

I moved to another flat to try and find somewhere quieter and then that was noisy and Eventually I moved and I had some problems then And Luckily because it was a YMCA the people on the reception were quite Used to dealing with problems People with problems, and they came and saw if I was okay, and they started I started getting some counseling them actually and Then later on they found me a room.

That was right at the top of the building with no neighbors Well one neighbor the neighbor that was like a during the day Open center where people go in and learn to cook and stuff But that was fine. There was no at nighttime no neighbors apart from downstairs and then So that was good for a while and then in that downstairs neighbors started to be really noisy And I had a few weird things happen, so I moved out moved into a room around the corner Had no heating Couldn't believe it Nearly everywhere.

I've ever lived most of the places about heating this had no heating in there So I moved in there. There's a fairly big room. I Like the house the house is nice.

I got on with everyone in there, so I lived there for a Year, then I moved out of there, and I moved into the Buddhist community And which was just it's not how share, but with Buddhists, so I lived there moved there in 2005 so I moved out of the YMCA in About April 2004 and I moved into the into that room then I moved into the Buddhist community about March time 2005 when my years contract was up where I was living and then I stayed there until November 2007 and then I moved To a different town town I'm in now into technically student accommodation,

but it wasn't It was but it wasn't you know wasn't sharing with other students it was just a family that had some spare color spare rooms in a I think it was like a Conservatory thing they'd built onto the house one to the college No, it wasn't. I think it's just where their kids used to live.

That's it so they They rented those rooms out to students Generally rather than anyone else because they Because it didn't stay too long and I think they liked it because students would then go away That they'd stay there, but then they'd leave during the holidays But I didn't leave during holidays because I was one adult that was my home that was my only place to live and But they were used to students who were like 17 18 only being there Like during the you know during term time So I think it was a little bit of a shock to them to have me be in there I think the shock for anyone to live with me.

I think it's a bit of a weird Press a strange person to live with So I lived there for from 2007 November and They evicted me So I was there all the way through college pretty much finished University 2010 Summertime and Then in January may be February.

I think it was January actually 2011 I had my eviction letter from my landlady And I think she gave me two months or three months whatever the whatever the legal requirement was So I had to find somewhere else I didn't have a job I was counseling but as voluntary and Yeah, so things it was you know, so it was definitely a challenge Luckily my dad gave me money to put a deposit on a room Which was in town?

And it was at the top of the building En-suite it was a nice room. It was a nice room But it was a flimsy room and It was quite a new build The the en-suites didn't work properly The showers were leaking the toilets were breaking it was weird And then it was there was weird stuff going on between the people who lived there And it was costing me a hundred and twenty five pound a week Which had never paid that much for a room in my life.

I Was paying for 85 pound a week before With a previous place and then suddenly it's a big jump Bearing in mind. I was Wasn't earning much because at this point I managed to get a job I was counseling I had a job on a reception in a counseling place for a little while And I moved out of there I Only stayed there a year.

I had to wait until my contract was up the year contract and I moved into a Place Which was like a bit of a dungeon really it's underground and And It was quite long but thin not much girth, but sort of long and a little kitchenette and A shared bathroom with two other rooms That was the basement and then upstairs where the mail was so I'd have a key to go in there but there was probably another three floors and Possibly three rooms on each floor so we were I Had access to that building.

They didn't have access to our building our part of building So luckily our bathroom is only used by two by three different people Funny enough there was a bloke there and He Mean, you know This is kind of how I've looked not how I look physically but like this is about the level I had a bit of longer hair back then I had white hair and this was 2012 By March 2012 April 2000 something like that March time.

Yeah And This bloke was starting telling me that He lived there That I was my hairs were blocking up the the shower He had long hair and a massive beard And I just like looked at him like are you serious? Have you not seen yourself? It's always his hair like their long hair I haven't had long hair since 1994 You know my hair gets long, but it's never long.

It just looks messy He had like the hair down to his Like middle of his you know, like proper long big hair That was funny.

He moved out. That was good and So I lived there until From March 2012 to April 2015 When I moved in here So I moved in here 2015 I remember I came here and I just I Was on the list to go and actually live Where my Dadlifts where I used to live when I was a little kid. Well, you know sort of 7 to 15 or 16 or whatever it is and I was on the list and I was at the front of the list thankfully the council list for a council flat and They phoned me up said oh, I've got council flat for you.

I said good except We can't can't you can't view it yet because we've got some issues going on. I said, okay Never got back to me Get another call about three weeks later or two weeks three weeks. Oh, can you want to view a flat? I said, yeah, okay And it was a different place which here this one.

I Figured the other one must have just gone. You know, they didn't get back to me. I Thought they wouldn't be having me view this flat if the other flat was still available because I was right at the top of the list Especially as my family lived there and I was quite happy to get out of this town.

I didn't really want to be here anymore Anyway, I looked at this place I liked it Before I came here because I knew the address I was coming on Tuesday because a bank holiday weekend Probably the Easter weekend actually So it's either beginning of April end of March I came here twice During that period so I came here on the Friday the Good Friday in the evening.

I Wanted to see what it's like I want before I even got before I even looked at the property Inside I wanted to see what it's like outside. I want to see if it was noisy what I was dealing with Nothing going on I Came back on Sunday.

I had to walk home. There's no buses. So that was about an hour and a half Two hours or whatever, but I came back again on The Saturday rather not the Sunday came back the next day During the day, I thought I'll come in the afternoon now give me an all an idea as well at least that way I can walk back if I have to you know, I can get a bus back to Saturday and Again, nothing happened.

I knocked on all the doors. No one answered. So I wanted to ask What's it like around here? Is it a nice place, you know? Nothing.

No one answered the door So on the Tuesday after bank holiday Monday because it's Easter then bank holiday Monday on the Tuesday, I Think it was 930.

I had an appointment came in I was first and there was two other people gonna be viewing after me So I came up here had a look there was no lights on but it was April was fairly bright Big windows no curtains or anything I Had a look around and it was it was empty so it's you know, the echoing and all that but Okay, it's nice So she took me in the kitchen I was gonna add some weird stuff there, but I stopped so she took me in the kitchen She didn't take me and she led me into the kitchen Take me take me and Do you want it?

She said I said, I don't know I Said we really want me to tell you now She had the paperwork with her She said well, there's two other people waiting to view it there's someone downstairs now waiting to view it and there's someone else after her waiting to view it and We need to know as soon as possible I Said yeah, but so honey literally just looked at it She said well would need okay Well,

you can tell us now or you can tell us before lunchtime or by two o'clock or something Let's use like gave me three or four hours to choose And then she gets a phone call from the person downstairs Wondering because we'd been probably talking too long wondering where she was and I Just so you know what? I thought I'm gonna take it.

So I might as well just say yes now because For that lady or man, whoever it was downstairs to go through the process of looking looking in there and not getting it Would I was thinking of them really like it's not fair Because neither of them because the second person couldn't say yes Is that she still have to show it to the third person because no one could say yes unless I said no So that's two people it would be disappointed and So I just said okay,

I just find signed the forms and Had to go and click the keys and sign some more forms color days later I Went downstairs and I said I apologized to the people that they were both waiting there Because I just supposed to take like 10 minutes to show people around and I said, sorry.

I've took it and You know, I just wanted to Even the disappointment they were obviously gonna be disappointed But isn't it better to have that disappoint rather than I will have a look around and then maybe planning in their head what they're gonna do and gonna have this and have that and Can you get a little get a little ferret then we'll get a little Jack Russell that shedding his hairs everywhere the likes of sunbathing the He finds a tiniest little crack of In the curtains rather that sounds weird tiny little bit of crack with the sun shining in and he just sits in it He loves the Sun don't you?

Yeah He loves the Sun and he doesn't he's not bothered about the cold either. He'll go out in the snow in the ice doesn't care He loves the Sun So I moved in here and I've been here ever since Now I probably missed some of the places I've lived out by accident and you probably not even listened anymore but It's this is yeah, so that's Most of the places that I can remember off the top of my head And now I'm gonna go And here I am Here I am Walking down the street and I'm gonna Get something to eat.

I think it's probably time for food food So thank you for listening Remember to be kind to yourself because you do deserve to be happy Lots of love Bye