After more than 40 years at BT dad decided to retire. However, his knowledge and experince was so useful he was persuaded to return as a consultant. This happened 2 or 3 times over a 5 year period. During this time he managed several 'little' projects. One such project was overseeing the wiring and installation of IT cables for the new headquarters of Thomas Cook in Peterborough. During this time, he was amazed and shocked by the price he had been quoted to produce 25 special cable connectors. So, armed with his soldering iron, he disappeared into his shed and made them all himself.

Dad asked to take the family out for a meal to celebrate my birthday. It may even have been my 21st. He asked what sort of meal I would like, to which I replied an Indian. Instead of looking in the yellow pages for a restaurant - which most people would do, he telephoned the Indian Embassy in London and asked them to make a recommendation. Whatever dad did, he did it properly.