SMB 7 Up

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Inspired by the documentary series, give a brief snapshot of where you were in your life at each seven year period.
Up (film series) - Wikipedia

7 - Living in Southwick. At Primary School, finding it a piece of piss and generally being top of the class.
14 - Senior School, despised it.
21 - Still in my first job at Edward Thompson's. Out getting pissed loads.
28 - Back at home after living in Australia for a year. Started work in a call centre.
35 - Had my own home and had written my first novel. Working stupid hours in my first software role. First stay in hospital after nearly dying from losing four pints of blood.
42 - Had a good career in software, earning decent money enabling me to travel a lot. First book was published. Reminded of what was important when one of my best mates died age 34.
49 - Full time as a writer. Editing novel number five. Skint. Been to Wembley for eighth time and still not seen us win.
 


7 - Living in Southwick. At Primary School, finding it a piece of piss and generally being top of the class.
14 - Senior School, it was alright.
21 - Finishing Uni and realising I needed to think about a job. Started in a call centre and carried on student social lifestyle.
28 - Had stumbled into a graduate software development role in a bank. Married and had bought a house just before the boom.
35 - Had moved south with missus. Was able to use profit from selling house after start of boom to afford deposit on house in south. Still working in IT.
42 - Was now a dad and tired. New house, new job, but still pretty much the same. Good job I’m not on the telly show thing. Too boring.
 
7 - Living in Washington and top of the class in primary school
14 - Top of the class in secondary school. I was a right swotty pants.
21 - Married and pregnant with eldest son.
28 - Just started self employment. Bit risky being a single parent with a mortgage but it's worked out ok.
35 - On my own with three children. Juggling work and raising them. Just graduated from Open University with a degree.
42 - One child left home. Still juggling work with caring for the other two, plus keeping an eye on elderly parents.
 
7, St Joseph’s RC primary school. Finding school easy and dreaming of being Gary Rowell and playing for Sunderland. Being gutted that it would be another 2 years before I could play for the school football team.
14, St Bobs. Hated school, going to Roker park through a pretty poor era.
21, Working away from home earning decent money and blowing it on drink, clothes, music and football.
28, Living with my girlfriend and doing far too much booze and drugs. Still going to the matches.
35, Now married and still doing the above, got 1 daughter.
42, Got 2 daughters and split up from the wife, lost my job and was sub-contracting. Haven’t learned my lesson as still boozing too much (knocked drugs on the head). Met a lass who helped me through a shite time.
 
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7 living in Farringdon Sunderland, remember my dad having to be woken up every morning by my mam shouting up the stairs "Roy, your going to be late" he was a shipbuilder

14 Farringdon comp (Though we had moved to Plains Farm), Mr Grey was a bastartd to me, I hated the Scottish prick, Mrs Lackenby with her big lips and red lipstick

21 In the Army and Just married, son no 1 was due.

28 Third child was born (all boys), left the Army and started working as a life guard at Crowtree lesiure centre

35 Working for PC world repairing computers whilst studying for my computing degree, teaching at City of Sunderland college part time

42 Living in Rome, teaching PE, Computing and Humanities, and playing footy with Di Canio

48 Living in Barcelona, still teaching computing and now robotics, PE is too tough on the knees.
 
7 - Living in Low Barnes area and at Richard Avenue Primary, liked school but was shit at it

14 - Thornhill, again I enjoyed it but was shite at it. Lived in Pickering Square, Pennywell for a short stint after my parents split up, living in Pickering Square was a good life education. Moved to flats in Pallion with my mam and two brothers. Didn’t have much but were happy as owt.

21 - Finishing my apprenticeship at Cowies and looking to move to Reg Vardy, had met a lass, an educated one who had graduated Durham Uni. She taught me a lot. Lads holidays and lots of drinking was happening.

28 - Was now working direct for an automotive manufacturer. Split up with lass number 1 and sold our flat. Met a Swedish lass and was just out on the piss constantly and generally doing whatever I wanted with whoever I wanted. Loads of lads holidays too.

35 - Swedish lass had gone the journey and had met the mother of my two daughters. Daughter number one had arrived, 2 still in the planning phase. Had been made redundant but got a great job as a result. Bought a nice family home to raise my family in.
 
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7. Hill View Junior School. Lived in a nice area. Pretty carefree really.
14. Southmoor school. Hated it really. Bought my 1st pint in the Ivy house. Spent all paper round money on beer and fags.
21. Worked on a call centre. No idea what I really wanted to do having to bin off the army for being half deaf and now void of ideas. Drank too much. Started racking up the debt.
28. Living in 1st owned apartment down Marina with girlfriend. Graduated from Sunderland uni with an IT degree. Got a decent job programming.
35. Now married. Had lived in Aus and down south in meantime. Bought house in Roker. Rented out house in Roker and quit job and upped sticks to Sydney.
42. Living in house in Roker again. 2 kids. Now contracting.
 
7 - top of the class at Ropery Walk Primary School, playing neighbourhood football for Dawdon Tigers

14 - Seaham School, pretty decent there too. Russell Foster football. Hadn’t yet discovered alcohol. Out every night with friends.

21 - living in Hendon with a girl from Grand Cayman who would inevitably cause me some grief. Was knocking on doors selling charity subscriptions.

28 - got married on Saturday, now manage small businesses for a bank, live in Moorside, saving to buy a house. Last part is hard because I need the latest iPhone and special coffees...
 
Stops and makes you think this. Great idea.

7 - Living in Hetton. At Junior School in Houghton, blissfully naive, 3rd of 6 kids, 6th recently born the year before.
14 - Seniors in Durham, getting on with it, finding the lessons easy really, starting to become self-aware.
21 - Just about to graduate Uni in Leeds, having spent 3 years on the piss and met a lass. Not a clue what I want to do jobwise so just about to do a PGCE in Hull
28 - Taught for 2 terms in Sheffield, left for job at Birmingham Poly, had about 5 jobs there banging money up all the way, decided to move into computer sales, made shit loads of money, married the lass I'd met at Uni, bought our first house and had a kid. Busy days!
35 - Set up in business for myself just after previous milestone having had the kid and moved into a house which was probably realistically 2 steps further up the ladder, rode a rollercoaster through the recession, nail biting but loving the freedom, starting to make decent whack again but been right to the knuckle at times. Extended the house here rather than move as it's a great place.
42 - Business going well, travelling a lot with work, burning the candle at both ends, most weekends away on a beach somewhere windsurfing or speedsailing in France, Belgium etc. Bought a "doer-upper" pile of stones in Brittany as part of a 5 year plan. Set up mackemboozer forum with a few like minded souls and having great craic travelling to games home & away.
49 - Still burning the candle at both ends as well as in the middle, 5 year plan in Brittany already now a 10 year plan and a huge money pit so bit the bullet and bought a pikey mobile home as a base, great adventures with French & British tradesmen doing the Auf Weidersehen bit. Getting to see a lot of the world with work. Daughter at University, making me proud. Lifestyle caught up with me and a few days after my 49th birthday had the wake-up call of a heart attack, air ambulance to hospital and 3 stents fitted.
56 - Stopped burning the candle in the middle and only lightly burning the second end these days. Decided it was a good time to let someone else pay the bills and became employed for first time in 25 years. Great job, great colleagues, loads of travel, pension, paid holidays, health insurance, shares ... Glad I did what I did in earlier years but now kicking back and taking a lot of stress out of my life. Daughter all grown up and living in Australia. Lost my Dad and a Brother in recent years so taking stock on life and what next, for as long as there is a next. 5 year plan in Brittany now a 15 year plan and counting. Had thoughts of semi-retiring out there, now playing "wait & see" with Brexit.
 
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Stops and makes you think this. Great idea.

7 - Living in Hetton. At Junior School in Houghton, blissfully naive, 3rd of 6 kids, 6th recently born the year before.
14 - Seniors in Durham, getting on with it, finding the lessons easy really, starting to become self-aware.
21 - Just about to graduate Uni in Leeds, having spent 3 years on the piss and met a lass. Not a clue what I want to do jobwise so just about to do a PGCE in Hull
28 - Taught for 2 terms in Sheffield, left for job at Birmingham Poly, had about 5 jobs there banging money up all the way, decided to move into computer sales, made shit loads of money, married the lass I'd met at Uni, bought our first house and had a kid. Busy days!
35 - Set up in business for myself just after previous milestone having had the kid and moved into a house which was probably realistically 2 steps further up the ladder, rode a rollercoaster through the recession, nail biting but loving the freedom, starting to make decent whack again but been right to the knuckle at times. Extended the house here rather than move as it's a great place.
42 - Business going well, travelling a lot with work, burning the candle at both ends, most weekends away on a beach somewhere windsurfing or speedsailing in France, Belgium etc. Bought a "doer-upper" pile of stones in Brittany as part of a 5 year plan. Set up mackemboozer forum with a few like minded souls and having great craic travelling to games home & away.
49 - Still burning the candle at both ends as well as in the middle, 5 year plan in Brittany already now a 10 year plan and a huge money pit so bit the bullet and bought a pikey mobile home as a base, great adventures with French & British tradesmen doing the Auf Weidersehen bit. Getting to see a lot of the world with work. Daughter at University, making me proud. Lifestyle caught up with me and a few days after my 49th birthday had the wake-up call of a heart attack, air ambulance to hospital and 3 stents fitted.
56 - Stopped burning the candle in the middle and only lightly burning the second end these days. Decided it was a good time to let someone else pay the bills and became employed for first time in 25 years. Great job, great colleagues, loads of travel, pension, paid holidays, health insurance, shares ... Glad I did what I did in earlier years but now kicking back and taking a lot of stress out of my life. Daughter all grown up and living in Australia. Lost my Dad and a Brother in recent years so taking stock on life and what next, for as long as there is a next. 5 year plan in Brittany now a 15 year plan and counting. Had thoughts of semi-retiring out there, now playing "wait & see" with Brexit.
Brilliant story mate.
 
7 - Lived right next to Roker Park, went to Redby School.

14 - Attended Monkwearmouth School, only went to see my mates, dolled off lessons I didn't like and messed around.

21 - Still lived at home, worked at Littlewoods parcel sorting office in Hendon.

28 - Moved to Hylton castle. Married with 2 daughters age 1 and 3. Youngest daughter born disabled which was a huge shock but wouldn't change her for the world.

35 - Still married, full time carer. Lost both of my twin sisters in this time period who had died within 4 years of each other age 28 & 32.

42 - Divorced, still a full time carer, also had my son and he was was 5 years old. Single parent to 3 kids.

(2 more years til next update)
 
7 - Living on the edge of Shields (near the White Ensign). One sister, two parents. At Ridgeway Infant School. About to suffer appendicitis (during the Montreal Olympics).
14 - Same house. King George School, doing pretty well. Going through teen shit (but that's true of most at 14).
21 - At university in Leeds doing a zoology degree (second year of it, after an abortive attempt at doing medicine).
28 - Living in Cambridge (had been for 3 years), sharing a house with a couple of mates, working at one of the institutes on the Wellcome Genome Campus.
35 - Still in Cambridge, renting a flat. Working at a different institute at the same location.
42 - Had bought my own house a year previously, after co-owning somewhere with a mate. Had lodger and cat (inherited from previous house/mate's ex girlfriend). Working at the same place.
49 - In the same house, job move and promotions meaning no need for the lodger but still got the now elderly but entertaining cat. Moved on to a team running training courses for biologists, both in the UK and in LMIC countries (as the parlance now goes).
 
7 Attended Lynnfield Junior School in Hartlepool.
Was a cheeky kid, and football daft.

14 Went to Dyke House Comp in Hartlepool. Still cheeky and still football daft.
Was always brainy but didn't always put the effort in at school.

21 Moved out of parents house and into a flat in BWH. Still football daft.
Worked at British Steel Hartlepool. (South Durham Works)

28 Moved out of flat, into girlfriends place.
Still football daft and still working at British Steel Hartlepool (South Durham Works)

35 Living in Newton Hall with different girlfriend.
Worked at Expanded Metal Co. in BWH.
Still football daft.

42 Living in British West Hartlepool with on/off girlfriend in my own house which I'd bought four years previous.
Still football daft and still working at Expanded Metal Co.

49 Still living in own house in town centre of BWH.
No longer working at Expamet due to health problems.
Still football daft.

56 Up to date. Turned 56 in January.
Still out of work but applying for jobs every day. Health much better and I haven't felt as good as I do now, for many years.
Suffering Man flu atm but I think I'll survive.
Still in my own house in centre of BWH and am still football daft.

Regrets. I've had a few, but then again . . .
I've travelled the world and back again, I've learned new languages and new skills.
Met some amazing people along the way, and seen some amazing things.
Have brilliant friends who mean the world to me, and still have my brother and Ma around who I see just about every day.
I've worked at a fairground operating the Waltzers and worked as a fruit picker in Hungary.
I'll always be football daft though.
It hasn't been a bad old life up to now.
 
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7 living at wheatley hill, nothing special, just a typical chilhood.
14 moved to peterlee after the colliery houses were knocked down. Went to wellfield school. Developed an interest in motorbikes.
21 left wellfield with a few o levels. Got an apprenticeship as a welder at djb. My dad died. Starting to become a bit of an angry young man wanting to smash the state, joined class war etc.
28 calmed down, met and married the mrs. bought our first house in hutton henry.
35 still married, still in same job, same house.
42 still married. Moved house but just down the road. Took redundancy and started driving hgv's. Best thing i've done.
49 my mam died. Still hard to take being an adult orphan. Still married. Bought a house in the algarve. Still on the wagons.
 
7. At St Anne's Primary School in Bishop. Could well have had a stint in hospital with adhesions that year. Can't quite remember.

14. Enduring life at Barnard Castle School. Year 9 I think. Oliver! was a good musical to be in. Aside from that, surrounded by kernts.

21. Left Uni and moved to Manchester to start work at Kidscan within the space of a couple of months I think. Left in the May, started formerly in September. Moved in with my gf of the time - I think this was the second time we were together. Had to check that was 2006.

28. (2013) Left my flat in Manchester and Me and Mrs K have been living in our house in Westhoughton for a year now.

I'm 34 now so I've just missed out on the next update! Quite a lot has happened in that time gap but i'm afraid it'll have to wait
 
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