This tells the heart rendering story of Norman Standford, a young RAF pilot, whose friend Alex was shot down and killed outright while they were on the same mission. He himself was shot down in flames but miraculously survived. He was one of the first of Sir Archibald McIndoe’s ‚Guinea Pigs‘ at East Grinstead.
His girl friend left him. She could not face up to his disfigurement. He could understand that, but it hurt all the same! Then later, after the nightmares he was rewarded and found a much stronger, deeper love than he had ever believed possible, in this world.
Norman Standford’s story is just one example. But there are many, many untold stories about those heroic air crews, who in a similar situation, showed such courage and fortitude just to put their lives back together again.
This book is respectfully dedicated to the memory of these men, Sir Archibald McIndoe’s Guinea Pigs.
This book tells the story about Chico’s Master, young Pete, and how he grew up in an English pub during the lean years of World War II and survived. His involvement in the historical events of the war. The war heroes he actually met and his other war time friends.
It also contains stories about the animals which were a big feature in his young life. All this interwoven with unbelievable and humorous tales of his life in the hotel business.
Of course, now and again, Chico can’t resist from making his comments as an outsider looking in.
Written in easy to understand English
AN AMAZING READ!
My life before you came along – Cover front and back
I arrived in this world about a year before war broke out. Little did anyone realize what the Brits were in for.
No one expected the war to last for seven long years, causing so much suffering and devastation on both sides.
It was my fate being born in a Pub near an airfield and then my fate again, when my widowed mother moved to Newhaven with its Military Training Centre in the Fort and its important harbour as well as the Coastal Command, based at nearby Denton. Therefore while still a young boy my family and I were directly involved in so many historical aspects of the war.
Today, over 70 years later, if I shut my eyes I can still vividly see most of my wartime friends: Jean Claude wearing his typical French beret, that he mostly took off to play the piano, sometimes even placing it on my head, which excited me even more. Old Bill, my true friend and sparing partner, jolly Aunt Alice then Joan and Ivy, the two Women’s Royal Air Force Officers from Coastal Command. Their faces are so strongly etched in my mind that they’ll remain there until the day I die.
As I grew older there was Stanley, the purser and Kelly,the cook, my friends on the Paddle Steamer. I have a face for those two, but not for Joe, our milkman who was so kind to Snowy, our cat or Ken, our fish monger, who toured the streets with his barrow, ringing his bell.
I was always sent to Ken to buy our fish.
Then even later, in my late teens there were Mr. and Mrs. Gatwood, the owners of Ye Olde Felbridge Hotel, East Grinstead. I was happy working there under Mr. Joseph the Maitre d’hotel or Head Waiter. Charming Mr. Joseph was in fact the Restaurant Manager, but of course he preferred simply to be the Head Waiter, because Managers never qualify for a share of the tips or tronc as it is sometimes called, but as Maitre d’hotel he received the lion’s share. This is where I had the privilege of serving Sir Archibald McIndoe at the Guinea Pig Club Banquet.
Later in this book are some extraordinary, sometimes even sad animal tales, including ‚The Beasts of Skye‘ or Bob, ‚The Rent-a-dog-for-a-day‘ Border Collie on the Faeroes. Sometimes even stories at close quarters with the wild life of Scandinavia, either on land, afloat or in the air.
For someone who has spent the best part of his working life in a Luxury Hotel then he will never be satisfied staying in a holiday hotel. So when his Aunt Phillis died, leaving a small inheritance, it was wisely invested in his first small second hand camper, a Mitzubishi Van.
To park high up on the cliffs on Scotland’s West Coast, grill an Aberdeen Angus T-Bone, while watching the magnificent setting of the sun, listening to the silence of the surrounding nature, What more can one wish for?
The number of Luxury Hotels that can offer something like that are few and far between.
For the last 30 years or so, when holiday time comes round, we jump into our camper and take off, seeking a new adventure somewhere else in Europe. We are now on our third, probably last camper. Like us it is also showing signs of old age. To think of it, our first camper van didn’t even have a loo. But then in those days we didn’t seem to need one!
The pleasure of travelling like we do are:
Every morning to wake up in a different place of outstanding beauty and peace, having witnessed an incredible sunset the previous evening. You’ll agree.
“The best things in life are almost free!”
Produktinformation
Taschenbuch: 189 Seiten
Verlag: Independently published (24. Februar 2020)
Sprache: Englisch
ISBN-13: 979-8617549999
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 15,2 x 1,1 x 22,9 cm
I’ve written this book in easy to understand English. English being our family language. It is not just for children, but for dog lovers all over the world, and the fact that my Master is a bit out of the ordinary and likes to be on the road in his camper as much as possible, enabled me to enjoy and experience a lot more adentures than my brothers and sisters could ever dream of.
Ich habe dieses Buch in einem einfachen Englisch geschrieben. Es ist nicht nur für Kinder gedacht, sondern ebenso für Hundeliebhaber auf der ganzen Welt.
Informationen für Interessierte, die dieses Buch lesen möchten, finden Sie unter www.chicos-adventures.de .
Für jene, die es bevorzugen, das Buch per Karte oder Brief anzufordern und die eine persönliche Widmung schätzen, würde Chico sich sehr freuen, wenn Sie ihm ein Foto von sich und Ihrem Haustier für seine Pinnwand zusenden:
From the very first day when Anthony left me, sitting in the car with Master, I knew he had gone.
I just sat there and howled and howled. I was so unhappy. Master did nothing, he just sat there, too.
Then suddenly, he started to howl with me and for a long time we both howled together.
That was when we had our first chat and I knew he would always look after me and protect me. When I’m out with him on the lead, he is always talking to me, saying sometimes stupid things. But when I can hear his voice, I know, that everything is okay.
Sometimes when I get tired I just lie down in the grass and he lies down beside me to have one of our little chats. He just seems to know exactly what I’m thinking about. So that is how this book came into being.Of course, I can’t hold a pencil in my paw, so master had written it down for me.
This is an unusual, but true story about my life and my dreams.
Gerne können Sie das Buch Chico’s Adventures oder My Life before you came along bei mir ganz bequem auf Rechnung bestellen. Teilen Sie mir einfach Ihren Namen und die Anschrift mit.
Peter Henderson-Doe has always been connected with the Gastronomie.
His last job in the UK was as F & B Manager at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford.
He has worked and travelled widely in UK and Europe, including stints in
Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Italy and France as well as two years with Seiler
Hotels in Zermatt, Switzerland, where his love for the mountains became an
important factor in his life. Back again in England, but he couldn’t settle, so
1972 saw him back on the Continent to be near the mountains he loved.
This time a management position for a well known Swiss Gastronome in
Munich just in time for the Olympic Games. However, he couldn’t run fast
enough. The German girls were faster, so he stayed, this time adding another
string to his bow – Squash Trainer –
Life is full of “ups and downs” and you never know what is round the next corner.
In Stuttgart he ran a noble English Night Club which helped him, as a single
parent, to take care of his two children for some time until he met Ursula, his 2nd wife.
At last he had somebody to share his “ups and downs” with. Finally in the eighties he
saw sense and became a teacher, teaching gastronomie subjects and English.
He has had a few, but not very successful attempts, as a hobby freelance journalist
writing for American Paragliding and Skiing Magazines. But he can’t be sure they
were ever published. In the eighties he was a pioneer at the start of Paragliding
and considers that he is lucky to have survived. He finally stopped four years ago.
Once again – he couldn’t run fast enough. This sport gave him some incredibly
beautiful bird’s eye views from Nepal to Norway and on the way he met up with
a great bunch of extroverts. God bless you guys. Especially Miro and Hans-Peter.
Some might say that he has a tick about “fringe sports”. Since 2008 he has been
an ardent and active supporter of Racketlon, the ‘Iron Man of Racquet Sports’
and travels to the European Tournaments with Chico, his personal trainer, in
his chauffeur driven camper.
Regretably, he didn’t take up golf until in his mid-forties when he was working
in Scotland and Ireland. In spite of his limited financial means he has still managed
to play many of the world’s top courses.
Some of his more successful retired friends are now driving Z 3’s or red Alfa Spiders,
but he has remained true to his student days and is more than happy, when he is
sitting up high and buzzing around the countryside on his new red scooter.
Sit down, relax and join Chico in his everyday, carefree canine world.
In Chico’s world everything is still okay. He doesn’t watch TV.
So he doesn’t experience the Struggles for Power, the Greed of
Big Business’, the Violence and the unnecessary Killing.
If Chico meets a friendly stranger, he knows and feels at once
if this person likes dogs. He will spend some time with them
and when leaving say goodbye in the proper fashion, by giving
his paw. It doesn’t worry him at all, what this stranger’s Race,
Religion or Sexual Preference is, or how they are dressed.
Chico’s Foot Print:
You may have noticed that the pad in the middle of Chico’s paw print has the shape of a heart. This is no co-incidence.
Chico always has his heart in the right place and this logohas been specially designed for him.
Warning:
This book is not for you if you are not an animal person.
In order to enjoy this book it is important that the reader has an affiliation and affection for animals.
Chico’s Adventures is not an inexpensive book, but it is, in it’s way a unique book.
How to read this book:
This is not the sort of book one reads from cover to cover.
Of course, you can. But it is better to start at the beginning
to find out who Chico is, then select a chapter or two at random.
Curl up on your sofa with a cup of tea or even a
single malt, with your own canine friend nearby,
then take your time reading it and let it slowly
sink in.
Produktinformation
Taschenbuch: 130 Seiten
Verlag: Independently published (5. März 2020)
Sprache: Englisch
ISBN-13: 979-8621674113
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 15,2 x 0,8 x 22,9 cm
Gerne möchte ich Ihnen auch das Buch „Israel Trail mit Herz“ von Christian Seebauer ans Herz legen. Christian – der mir hier auf meinen Webseiten und auch bei meinem Buch Chico’s Adentures sehr geholfen hat – schreibt einen hochemotionalen Reisebericht. Ganz allein und ohne Geld hat er sich nach Israel aufgemacht, um dort einen der schönsten und härtesten Fernwanderwege der Welt zu begehen. Was er mit nach Hause gebracht hat, sind bewegende Geschichten über die vielen Menschen, die ihm auf seiner Reise Brot und Wasser geschenkt haben.
Das Buch ist überhaupt kein Buch für Extremwanderer, sondern eher eines für christliche orientierte Menschen. Auch für solche, die selbst nicht wandern. Ein Buch zum Sentimental werden. Und garantiert auch ein tolles Geschenk. Es geht um Selbstfindung, den eigenen Glauben. Und es geht darum, die einfachen Dinge des Lebens wieder in aller Dankbarkeit zu schätzen. Ich bin gerade dabei, das Buch ins Englische zu übersetzen.
Sie können es in der Deutschen Version gerne auch gleich hier (mit)bestellen (EUR 19,95). Christian schreibt – wenn Sie möchten – persönliche Widmungen, die das Buch für Sie oder als Geschenk absolut einzigartig machen.
