Martin Fuggle Downunder

We finally got away on Monday afternoon after a hectic weekend of final preparations and packing. Judy Halpin arrived at 2.00pm and took Lily for a walk whilst Jenny and I escaped in a taxi to the airport.. The plane left for Singapore on time and was absolutely packed - there was not a spare seat to be seen anywhere.
Seven hours later, two meals and no in flight entertainment, we were in Singapore. I bought a new watch to replace the old Seiko (and the fake Rolex which Catherine bought in Thailand) which had both given up the ghost a few weeks ago.
We then got back on the plane and arrived in London fourteen hours later at 5:15 in the morning of 6th March.

The weather is much better today - cloudy but no rain. We took Joan for a drive and saw various places in the New Forest (Lyndhurst, Burley, Minstead and Frithem) before heading off to Stockbridge and Lechford. We lunched at the Mayfly which was right on the River Test, one of the most beautiful trout streams in the south of England.We sat outside on a deck with the river flowing by us. There were lots of ducks who pecked at our legs begging for bread.

It was a beautiful setting and a lovely day.

Frantic packing. Sam arrived at 11.30 am and we drove to Carlton where we had lunch at the University Cafe. Then Sam, Catherine, Martin and I drove to the airport. The plane left at 3.45 pm and it was a very long flight (28 hours in total to Ringwood, Hampshire).
We got the bus from Haethrow to Ringwood and about an houtr and a half later we arrived in Ringwood at 10.50 am on Staurday morning. We stayed awake for as long as wee could but Jenny had three hours sleep from 3.00 to 6.00 pm.
The weather is not very good - a cold 8 degrees and raining on and off.

I have been involved in the computer industry for many years now. My first job was with a company called LEO Computers in Queensway, London. LEO Computers used to provide me and others with Luncheon Vouchers which we were able to redeem at a small restaurant across the road where I was always on the lookout for Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies who used to lunch there periodically.

For my first project I was a participant in a team which was developing a system to automate the 1958 British census. I joined the team sometime in 1964 so you can tell the project was a little behind when I joined it. In fact it was so far behind that the 1963 census results were completed manually before the results for the 1958 census had been completed using the new system. I have this information on hearsay from some of the other team members since I left for Australia in 1965 before the project was completed so I am not able to vouch for its accuracy.