Page 52 - She's One Crazy Lady!

age; they were mostly words of anger and frustration. With the words written she then proceeded to physically throw each stone, one by one, with a pause in between, into the sea – throwing away and freeing her of her demons. She said she felt instant relief and so uplifted and recharged by doing something so cathartic, thus removing all the negative words and thoughts that were crammed inside her head; thoughts that were not allowing her to move on.
Words can be powerful.
School days were the happiest of my life. At the age of 50+ I was so privileged to be invited back, twice, to St. Peter’s School to be their guest of honour at their Annual Founders Day to talk to the children, parents, staff, Governors and dignitaries about our charity and present the awards. It was a very emotional and proud moment, and a shock, on the first occasion, when the Governors decided to award me the School’s Annual Community Shield for my commitment and contribution to the community – an award that should have been given to a pupil.
It was a very sad day when I left St. Peter’s, but my love of learning and the academic world stayed and, as there was no 6th Form, I moved on to Kettering Technical College (now demolished and a retirement complex in its place.) The transition from a very small school to a college was not a problem. I put this down to my playing competitive tennis and table tennis where I met and mixed with so many people of all ages and from all walks of life. As much as I loved St. Peter’s I was ready for the hustle and bustle of an older student’s world and needed to top up my O Levels, as well as taking A levels, to secure a place at Teacher Training College – something I had set my heart on. I achieved this, gaining three more O Levels and two A levels in Art and Design. I studied A Level History and as much as I loved learning about the excitement of the French Revolution, the political issues of English history in the 17th and 18th centuries were boring and hard going, despite us having two quite eccentric tutors!
I adapted well to the more adult approach to education and soon made new friends, getting involved in college life, playing in a mixed football league and playing a lot of table tennis at the Boot and
Shoe Factory, on the other side of Kettering, that we had to walk to for many of our lessons. There was no skiving off in those days, even if we did have free periods. I tried it once but a strong-worded letter home to my parents ensured I didn’t go off campus anymore. We even had to do evening classes. Once exams were over, there was no early finish to the term, as there are these days, for we were encouraged to pursue other subject areas that could
“Once exams were over, there was no early finish to the term, as there are these days.
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