Page 28 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

This was the better of the two foreign holidays, but Ruth and I far preferred the five days in
Salcombe on our own in 1969!

Just before leaving the Canaries, large numbers of the 'Management and cronies'
purchased bag loads of cigarettes and cigars at 'Free port' prices. Coming into the
customs hall at Gatwick, some declared their 'booty' some did not. Which resulted in a
general intensive search of baggage for all Firestone personnel!

This thoroughly irritated one management 'wife' wearing a flamboyant “real” fur coat, who
expressed her disapproval and was promptly led away by two female customs officials for
a strip search.

A “Dragon Tree” of phenomenal age on Teneriffe.

All four of us were highly amused at this but even more so when Barbara eventually found
her delayed suitcase. It had obviously burst open somewhere and a handler had done his
or her best to re pack it but left Barbara's corset hanging half outside!

We had travelled in high powered jet airliners for two consecutive holidays, little did we
know that neither of us was to enter a jet liner again until I had to go back to the UK
st
urgently from France in 2014, (see 'A lesson of faith in the 21 Century'), another 35 years.
Ruth still has not been in a really modern Jet!

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