Page 180 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

We had a thoroughly rotten Christmas that
year, (see “Beryl at Christmas”). The house sale was completed by the following Easter
and we moved to ‘Northcote’ at Great Steeping.
Northcote was idyllic for the horses in the family, not so much for us. Ruth and Helen and I
had to cram ourselves into a very small two up and two down country cottage. The whole
about one-tenth the size of Ivy House.

Alan’s Rundle’s elder brother Ken was our neighbour on the left at New Bolingbroke, he
stopped me one day just before we moved, to explain that their firm’s lorry driver had been
taken ill and as I did not have any job at that time, would I like to fill in and drive for them
until he returned?
That was a truly superb time. After the trauma of the move and loss of the business,
someone had given us a chance. (See more in “The Crane Lorry”)

Several months went by with us now living at Northcote and trying to get the property into
some order between working weekdays for Rundles.
Returning home from work one day there was a solicitor’s letter awaiting me! The farmer’s
solicitors had returned to court and been granted costs against me for the action!

This time I was apoplectic, I had not received notice of any court hearing and not had any
chance to put my case! Despite seeking whatever advice I could, there was no way out. I
had been well and truly stitched up!

THE COSTS!
The bill was in excess of £3500.
I had to ask the court for time to pay and was granted the chance to pay by instalments.
It took me some time to recover from this initial shock. My wife was working as a Nurse
part time and we were just managing to pay our way again from the very bottom! Now I
had to find this extra huge amount!
I didn’t tell Ruth, she had enough on her plate with the move and she really did not like the
new house.
From a beautiful established Georgian home of 14 years, with four huge bedrooms, two
reception rooms, an 18 sq ft kitchen and lots more, we were in a small cottage with two
tiny bedrooms and a box room. One room downstairs and a kitchen in a converted garage!
It was naturally very different for her!

Money was tight and I really did not relish paying this dreadful man for giving me several
years of hell already!
I did not have a bank account and consequently set one up to enable me to pay this
dastardly amount.
I told the farmer’s solicitors..... (how I have so far avoided mentioning his name is very
difficult. When one puts things into print one has to have some care! Especially with folk
who have the money to pay for court actions wily nilly!).......that I would endeavour to pay
something monthly.

If my memory serves me correctly the “plaintiff” had “fixed it” so I never got the chance to
defend myself in court over the costs and so I had not stated in court that I could pay so
much and when!
It had to come out of income and income left over after I had to live!
I made one or two casual payments of £20 or so and then “forgot”!

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