Married life

The Diaries of Russell James Sparrow 1908 to 1991

Manse garden at a rather late or very early hour, I had great difficulty in getting the tent pole central in my line of vision in order to hang up my clothes. When I eventually subsided on to my bed the darn thing wouldn’t keep still! We provided our own suppers, mostly tinned loganberries and condensed milk and most mornings were asleep until awakened by the stertorous voice of Grandad Sparrow calling ‘Come on Russell’.

1930

Dad was reaping the reward of his determination and the building business was now becoming firmly established with a number of local firms and farmers becoming regular customers. At the time we married, despite the general depression, he was holding his own.

November 15th, 1930 was the day of the great wedding at the Congregational Church with Rev. Eric White, a great B.B. man, and Rev. George White, our Minister, officiating. Mum’s bridesmaids should have been Kath and Viv but they were both down with chicken pox so their cousin Margaret Rivers and my cousin Babs Smith deputised. Jack Bloom was best man, the reception was held in the Church school room in Causeway, and a good time was had by all. We hired a car from Kerridges to take us to Ipswich station to catch a train to Torquay where we had a week’s honeymoon staying at the Bay Court Hotel overlooking the bay, room No. 22! I had travelled in my wedding suit, i.e. black jacket and striped trousers and when I dressed on Sunday morning I found that in my excitement I’d left most of my clothes behind (can’t remember if I’d packed my pyjamas!) and only had the clothes I’d arrived in. Fortunately Mother had noticed the omission and packed them off to me immediately. We had a grand week visiting the beauty spots by day (hence Berryhead) and theatres and dances by night. On our return to ‘earth’ we took up residence at ‘Berryhead’, 62, Westbourne Road,

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