Greetings to all steemers

My name is Peter Phillips I am 56 years young , only child and live in Birmingham UK. This is the first time I have posted about myself, so here is a quick potted history.

Born in Marston Green Hospital. Lived in Small Heath just around the corner form Birmingham City football club ground St Andrews. COME ON YOU BLUES.
Moved to Chelmsley Wood aged 7 to a brand new house with an inside toilet, bathroom and my own bedroom bliss.
Inner city slum clearance.
Went to local primary and senior school, quite uneventful, just ambled along. Left at 16 with few qualifications, but managed to get a job as a trainee maintenance engineer. Introduced to alcohol loved it.
Sadly did not get on with the boss, my first real world experience of Bullying and abuse. Solution get another job, late 70's so quite easy to find work. Pre Thatcher Thatcher milk snatcher.

New job general machine operator making oil pumps for cars. Good pay, good conditions, downside 18 years old and working 5 nights. No more Friday night partying for me. Stuck it for just over a year. No social life, but saved enough money to buy a BSA A65 Thunderbolt motorbike.

Back to normal new job at Land Rover with regular day shift. Out and about again doing what I really liked, watching live music. Got introduced to festivals Knebworth, Reading and Glastonbury. Then motorbike rallys 3 Spires, Long Marston and Isle of Man TT. About 3 years of booze, bike and chicks !

1982 given the opportunity to go to America to work on a summer camp. Gave up my job and within the week was on a plane to America. Went with 10 friends what a summer. Kitchen helpers and cleaners for food ,board and $50 a week, we did not go for the money. 5 stayed and are still in America. I came back after about 9 months

Enrolled on a photography course and study for about 6 months, never finished as I was offered a job at Aston University to set up and operate a darkroom for the Civil engineering remote sensing department. Very interesting as remote sensing is scanning of the Earth by satellite or aerial photograph. Got to see and do some interesting things ie spy satellite images and access to the Seven bridge to take pictures of the tidal flow of the estuary.

Left the uni to set up a photo developing business. Me and my business partner had limited success, we could not black and whitecompete with the big boys at the time, priced us out of the market.

Through contacts in the photo trade got a job as a hand printer, My specialty was black and white prints, long runs of consistent quality. Also earned myself a good reputation for colour matching to original samples. This was pre digital, all done by hand and eye. Trumpet blowing time, I was head hunted by a local photographer to set up and run a dark room, declined the offer. Stayed there about 3 years.

1989 packed in the printing job and moved to Amsterdam, lived there for 11 years.

Came back to Blighty and dossed about for a couple of years and then made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Went into the pub game. Bought a lease with a friend, luckily only a 3 year lease. Money wise a disaster, fun wise brilliant.

After the pub several deadend jobs, mainly nights, machine operating working for agencies. Work for 6 months then stop, start back, then stop.

Bought an old Bedford Commer van and with a friend built a camper over about a year. Drove it down to Marbella and had some fun in the sun.

Famous last words You need a break Pete, lets go to Thailand. Went once went back ended up bringing my now wife back to England, were we married. She stayed 5 months went home and eventually came back to stay with work permit, but alas did not like the cold and missed her family and went home. I hope to join her in the future, we try and see each as much as we can, its a long commute. She as started to farm crickets so hopefully she will be self financing in the near future.

At present I am my fathers carer and my futures not looking too bright. but hay ho I still have my health.

Big me up if you like.

Peter