Little Ann's Field of Buttercups

Ann Jacques

Description

Women - Biography
True Life Story from 1800-2009

Sujets

• Vie de famille
• Soutien psychologique et conseils familiaux
• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 14 mars 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781456601904
• Langue: English

Extrait

Little Ann’s Field of Buttercups
 
The story of Kathleen Ann Hughes
 
 
 
Ann Jacques
 
 


Little Ann’s Field of Buttercups The story of Kathleen Ann Hughes
 
 
Copyright 2011 Ann Kathleen Jacques,
All rights reserved.
 
 
www.littleannsfieldofbuttercups.com
 
 
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
http://www.eBookIt.com
 
The moral rights of the author of this work have been asserted.
 
 
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
 
 
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
 
Author: Jacques, Ann K.
Title: Little Ann’s field of Buttercups
Edition: 1st ed.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0190-4
Subjects:Women--Biography
Other Authors/Contributors:Hill, Sharon (editor)
Dewey Number:920.72
 
 
Cover based on a design by Derek Jacques
Book production by bookbound.com.au
 
 
Dedication

I dedicate this book to my four children, and my husband for his patience, encouragement and support over the years. Also, to my Auntie Betty who has always been a special part of my life, my mother, and my daughter-in-law Nikkie who over the years has always made me laugh when I feel down.
 
 
Acknowledgements

T hank you to my granddaughter Natasha who helped me tirelessly in the beginning, and my granddaughter Lauren who showed me how to move my text about. Also to my editor, Sharon, for the many hours she spent working on my manuscript to make this book possible.
 
Prologue

W hen I look back at my life, there are joys, tears and failures. I see what I should and shouldn’t have done; especially believing that people I loved and trusted would guide me without desiring anything in return. I trusted many who simply let me down. After countless wrong decisions, I now know how easily mistakes are made. And these mistakes can take years to repair. I was simply never ready for my life ahead.
As a teenager, I never realised how essential it was to stay at school and do well. I wish I’d understood how significant school was in shaping my life. Education provides the chance of getting a decent job with good pay. I wish I’d understood that with a good job I could have met people along the way with similar goals—people who could think for themselves, who had ambitions and a desire to get ahead in life. I missed out on this—the life of an independent working woman. Instead, I settled down in a committed relationship with the responsibility of children and a home—in a crummy flat with no amenities, high rent and a rotten property owner who didn’t give a dam, as long as he got his rent money. Once I took this life pathway, I was stuck there. My hopes, dreams and goals started to disappear as quickly as the reality of my life showed its ugly face.
I wish I’d have known then what I know now, especially when it came to choosing my life partner. If I was able to go back in time and give my young self some advice, I would tell her:
 
Like and respect the person you choose to share your life with. Having the same goals and incentives helps you to motivate each other. Having the same interests is a bonus. Find someone who is always willing to discuss situations as they arise, and compromise so that joint decisions can be made. And remember to plan your moves. Look at all of your options, think logically and remain positive and you are less likely to go wrong. But also remember that there will always be unexpected mishaps in life. These will often happen through no fault of your own. This is simply life, and what a roller coaster it is! Everyone has to deal with certain traumas at one time or another and everyone has their own story to tell.
 
This is my story—the story of Kathleen Ann Hughes…
 
Chapter 1

I t all started in the late 1800s, before I was born. My mother told me about these events. I cannot truly say how accurate they are as this part of my story happened before I was born…
My great-grandfather Charles Askew was born in 1868 at Ryton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire. Great-grandmother Fanny was born in 1879 in the small village of Atherstone. They met each other on a family social occasion and eventually married. In 1891, their first daughter Millicent was born followed by two brothers, Arthur and Charles, and sisters, Ellen and Gladys. Charles and Fanny had a small painting and decorating business, which enabled the family to live in a modest house in a middle-class area of Coventry.
Millicent grew into a lovely young lady with thick black hair and brown eyes, was introduced to a handsome young man, blonde with blue eyes. His name was Percival Warner. They had previously seen each other at dances, glancing at each other from afar, and saw each other frequently during summer when both families attended Sunday afternoon boating regattas. There was always a good turnout of spectators at these events, enjoying refreshments of tea and cream cakes served on the patio of the little café, watching the yachts on the river and the young men in their rowing boats impressing the young ladies who accompanied them, showing off their skills. Most young middle-class couples met at these social gatherings. Percival and Millicent became besotted with each other and thankfully, Charles gave them permission to ‘step out’, as they called it.
After a two year romance, they married in the spring of 1909. Percival, who was to become my grandad, was born in Coventry in 1887. He also came from a decent family background, with his father also having his own painting and decorating business. Percival worked with his father learning the skills of the decorating trade but soon tired of it and turned to selling, which he loved.
Grandad Warner became a piano sales representative. He enjoyed the job though he did not enjoy working for someone else as he only earned commission for the pianos he sold. It seemed to Grandad that his boss was the only one profiting for all his hard work so he began to think about working for himself. At that particular time, it seemed that everyone was buying a piano. With Millicent expecting a baby, the time was right to build up his clientele and move into the realm of self-employment.
In 1910, exactly one year since starting along the road of private enterprise, Grandad Warner had his own thriving business. After opening his first factory in Yorkshire, he never looked back. Money was in abundance so they were able to have a custom-designed house built in the elite area of Leicester. It cost four thousand pounds (a lot of money in those days).
The house was detached, standing in its own grounds. A wide hall led from an impressive entrance off into a large kitchen, scullery, dining room and lounge room. A grand staircase led upstairs to four spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms. Downstairs, the dining room featured a huge table with matching hide studded dining chairs. The lounge room was massive, with picturesque Georgian glassed patio doors that led to an entertainment room, similar to a dancing studio, with mirrors covering the walls. The patio door leading from this room opened onto a paved area, from which one could look out onto the beautifully landscaped grounds complete with an idyllically designed patio terrace. Steps led down onto the lawn, which was adorned, with shrubs, hedges and an abundance of trees, providing beautiful blossoms and a delightful aroma in the spring. A small pond served as a stage as lilies danced about as water cascaded from a small fountain. An elegant willow tree, its branches hanging and swaying in the summer breeze, added the perfect finishing touch.
A landscape gardener had been engaged to create this relaxed atmosphere and absolute privacy for the patio and home. This provided the perfect spot to entertain friends and business acquaintances during the summer months. My grandparents held regular Saturday evening dinners and dancing for their friends. As they were proficient musicians, they became the musical entertainment. Even the children joined in.
Grandad Warner became very successful, acquiring more shops and factories all over the Midlands, and one in London. My grandparents’ firstborn was my Auntie Irene. They employed a housekeeper, a cook and a nanny to help with their daughter. As Irene got a little older, she accompanied her daddy on business trips to the factories and shops, enjoying herself and taking in a little knowledge of how things were run. In 1915, another daughter, Joan, was born. Both girls looked like their mother with dark hair and brown eyes. Joan would grow up to pass these features on to her own little girl—me.
Life at this time was a constant stream of successes for the Warners. Profits were high and the parties and entertaining continued. My grandparents spoiled their little girls with love and attention. Eventually, a third daughter joined the Warner household— beautiful and angelic, but unlike her sisters. Betty looked just like her father with blonde hair and big blue eyes. Family and friends all felt the need to protect her. She did not have the strong and independent personality of her sisters. Each of the Warner girls had a private education and took up a hobby of their choice. Joan loved ballet so she was enrolled in a class.
I remember the excitement in my mother’s eyes when she told me those vivid stories of her childhood. I imagined her practising her dancing in the ballroom in front of the mirrored glass on the walls. The scene was so vivid I almost believed I was there with her.
Irene wanted to learn to play the piano and she eventually became very accomplished. Charlie Kunz, a great pianist of the day was he