I met my older sister Janet at Kings Cross at lunchtime today as we had arranged to tour a few old haunts in north London. Janet lives in the Scottish Borders, so it was a great opportunity to spend some time together in the spring sunshine.
After a relaxing drink in the GNH bar, we drove to Muswell Hill to visit our sister Wendy’s house in Coldfall Avenue occupied by her long-standing tenant, Mrs Felix. Wendy lives in South Africa and Janet for many years has handled a considerable amount of the necessary administration on Wendy’s behalf. We then drove to Barnet and visited the local library to source information about Friern Barnet Grammar School, where our grandfather Herbert Ames was Headmaster from 1909 to 1941. We also passed along Hemington Avenue, where his family lived in the early part of the 20th century. We then visited St James the Great Church, Barnet, where our father’s brother, Arthur, is buried. Arthur sadly passed away at the age of 20 in 1932, an event which understandably greatly upset our Dad. We then drove to Totteridge Lane and saw the house where our family lived in the years after World War II, prior to our moving to Bournemouth in the early 1950s. We then returned to Euston where Janet was staying at the Wesley Hotel overnight. A very enjoyable and rewarding day.
