49 Up Page #11

Aw, you boy.

Where's your drink?

So you got a grandson?

He's a lovely lad,

he really is.

I'm watching him

in the same way.

I mean, from 21 years ago,

when I held Sarah up

When she was just born, and

now I am watching Emma now,

and what goes round,

comes round,

because Emma now says that

she says things to Connor

that she can hear me

saying to her.

Rabbits.

Yeah. You have to look out

for their holes.

That still catches me out

sometimes

when suddenly I say something

that was purely and utterly me mum.

So was the arrival of Connor

a shock to you?

No. Well, yeah, but, no.

I mean, as soon as Emma

was expecting Connor,

Got the phone call -

"Mum, need to meet you."

So she actually told me face to

face that she was expecting. Fine.

She was 19.

She's old enough.

Probably watching you.

You'll go to bed.

When she was 35, Lynn

was having health problems.

Stuck all these tubes

up inside me and discovered

that I've got these veins up

here that shouldn't be there.

In your brain?

Mm-hmm.

And what can they do about it?

Not a lot at the moment.

No change.

It's not going away,

but it's no more problems.

Nothing, and I, mean,

you have the aches and pains

of getting older.

I've got bilateral carpal-tunnel

syndrome in both my wrists.

Guess who had it.

My mother.

And that comes and goes,

hence magnetic bracelets,

which help, but you

have to overcome it.

What's white?

Red.

Yeah, we know that's red.

For the last 30 years,

bang my head

against a brick wall

to maintain children's services,

but this time round,

no one's listening.

We've just done purple.

They say that the work that I do

that anybody can do it.

Blue.

There would be

no specialist running it.

One.

I may not have a job.

Hern loves Tintin.

Hern absolutely adores

Tintin.

It's cost cutting.

So that's what it's about?

Yeah.

They would deny that.

Can you speak to me today?

No?

I see.

Is it emotionally very demanding

working like this

with people like this?

Yeah, but it's so fulfilling

that, uh - beyond belief.

Azir, can you say it for me?

I know you can.

But are you get -

no! (laughs)

No, you're not gonna

do it today.

Azir spoke to me on the phone

a couple of years ago.

First time he'd ever spoken

to me, and really got me.

It's extremely difficult

for him to speak,

and when he does, you know

he's making so much effort,

and it gets me.

Hello.

Hello.

Excellent.

Thank you, Azir.

Thank you.

You've come a long way

since the back of the van.

No. I was on the back

of a bus yesterday.

We took a mobile vehicle

out to a school

who was having a book week

just round the corner,

and I had forgotten

how much it sways.

Where's your stamp?

Been a hell of a commitment

for you, hasn't it?

Yeah, but...

...But it will end.

But has it been

worth it all?

Yeah, very much.

Come on, speed it up.

All these things that I

have said over the years

are flying through my mind at the moment,

but, yes, it has been worth it.

And you better cut it, 'cause

otherwise, I'm gonna cry.

(man) What do you think

about rich people?

Well, not much.

Tell me about them.

Well, they think they can do everything

without you doing it as well.

Simon was brought up

in a children's home,

the only child

of a single parent.

Rich people, they have

all different things.

Have everything they want.

Whereas poor people,

they don't have nothing,

and they know

they haven't got nothing,

and so they know

they're missing something.

(Michael)

What are you missing?

I'm missing a bike

and a fishing rod and...

20 years ago, when I was born,

an illegitimate child,

that's something

that's only whispered about.

People, you know, feel strongly

about it in those days,

but nowadays, it's...

It's not a serious matter.

The serious point is whether you

stay with somebody or you leave them.

Since 21, I've got married,

had a couple of kids, and...

By 28, he had married Yvonne,

and they had 5 children.

I don't think there's anybody else I

could have ever married except Yvonne.

She's been my life, really,

because we're together,

we have our children

and everything.

By 35, they were divorced.

At 42, he had married Vienetta.

We used to go out when we were younger.

We met in the launderette.

Once a week. Once a week

at the launderette.

Baked beans.

Go and get the water and...

At one stage, we went

to marriage guidance,

'cause the pressures

of being together

were getting to us because we are

two completely different people.

I'm very laid back,

and she always says

if I go any further back,

I'll fall over.

When two people are together

and they have both

have separate lives,

it is hard, and there

are silly things,

like leaving the toilet

seat up or something

or when I put something here,

I expect to see it there.

Simon can be really untidy.

He'll take everything off

and fling it around the house.

Sorry, dear.

Don't get it all mixed up.

(Michael) Is he romantic?

If we've had an argument,

and he doesn't know,

'cause I will shout, and he'll

think, "What have I done?"

And I'll be here, like now, and I'll

be here, and I'd see him with flowers

and a bottle of wine

or something,

and he'll say, "I'm sorry. I don't

know what I done, but I'm sorry."

Vienetta already

had a daughter, Miriam,

and she and Simon

have a son - Daniel.

Is there anything of you in him?

His dashing good looks, yeah.

That's me and his love

of sport as well.

He goes to school in Slough,

because that's where

they do grammar schools.

He's doing very well there.

They say,

"Where's your father?"

"When your mum's out at work,

is there your father?"

And I just tell them

I ain't got one.

They've got everything.

They've even got

what I never had.

Which is what?

A father, innit, so, I mean,

they've had everything.

At one stage, they will stop

seeing me at all,

but now, bit older, bit wiser,

and I'm a bit older and wiser,

and now three of them see me.

Jessica has been

very busy herself.

She's got her work,

she's got college.

So who do you support?

Your lot comes second.

Jonathan's been

in transitional period

with changing jobs

and building up his new life.

The two that don't, I can't

really see their point of view.

So what's it like

being a grandfather?

Oh, it's bloody easy,

actually.

You can see them all day long

and then let them go back.

And you've got one?

Two, actually.

One that I see

and one that I would only see

if I kept going round to see him.

Otherwise, I wouldn't see him, so I

am waiting for the return visit now.

Before I'm old enough

to get a job,

I'd just walk around

and see what I can find.

Was going to be a film star,

but now I'm going to be

an electrical engineer,

which is more to reality, really.

By 21, Simon was working

in the freezer room

of Walls Sausages in London.

I know I can't stay at Walls

forever.

This is just not me.

I couldn't stay there

for that long.

My mind would go dead.

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