Page 131 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

I took a week off to settle affairs at home and arrange an auction of surplus property that
would raise some badly needed funds. On my return I found that just as soon as the
transfer was legal and all clients made aware of the new ownership, the drivers had
changed all locks and on the morning of my meeting to discuss final details they attacked
me with wooden clubs and defied me to cross the threshold.

I had to take refuge in adjoining
premises owned by a couple of decent
local lads who repaired car bodies.
(Picture of vehicle line up for the
auction at home in October 1983,
of anything we could sell to
provide us with money to live on!)

Only their good offices and the arrival
of Police saved my bacon as it were.
Following on from this was months of
communications between solicitors.

My legal representatives were
particularly inept and finally concluded the whole business by efficiently allowing the
culprits to sell the only main asset of the business, the lorries, disappearing and pocketing
the proceeds.

In the meantime, I set up a small commercial tyre sales business and began to supply
commercial haulage clients with decent second hand tyres, for cash. That did not survive
for long as I had a better offer.

Ken Rundle, My next door neighbour and part owner of the John H Rundle business in our
village offered me a job. His regular driver John was diagnosed with cancer and needed
some time away. I took on John’s lorry until he was to return and began another amazing
episode.

We step back in time a little here for the next Chapter.
Due to Chapter 23 being extra long to try and tell the whole tale in one bit.........we missed
out the trip to France..........
it would have made Chapter 23 even longer....... read on.

CHAPTER 24

FIRST VISIT TO FRANCE

The situation that resulted in my first trip to France involved business.
Ruth had been several times, beginning with school exchanges and it was a contact from
those days that began what has now become legend.
In the early 1970’s you will recall Firestone became secondary to my thinking and
our own business began to take fruit.

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