A garage, an Austin, and a smelly moggie.
Several of Roy's recollections now feature in the motoring memories section of this website. His latest story took place outside his home workshop in the late 1960s, where he worked on cars for a living:
"Many years ago in the late sixties I started my own car repair business. Rented premises were scarce and expensive so I decided much to my neighbours' delight to convert my garage into a workshop at the back of my house. I did quite well and enjoyed working from home. I remember working late one cold evening, battling with an Austin 1800 whilst the then wife was entertaining her elderly mother. I think it was the time of Crossroads on TV and all that nonsense.
Anyway, I felt the urge to take a toilet break and did not want to contaminate the house with my dirty hands etc - finger marks around the house equalled one weeks moaning from the wife, so I decided to have a run out into the bushes.
As I relieved myself the bushes moved, and there was a strange noise, the bushes parted and the family cat ran out and disappeared towards the house. I didn't think anything at the time and considered it to be a near miss. Eventually I finished my work on the Austin, locked up the workshop and made for the house. Whilst washing my hands I could smell wee quite strongly. I asked the wife if she could smell it? she pointed to her mother who was asleep on the settee and said “I think its mother”. As I moved into the lounge the smell was unbearable, it was then that I noticed the cat was spread out in front of the gas fire. It would appear that my aim was better than I thought and she was steaming quietly, so naturally I threw her out. I never told the wife, who thinks to this day that her Mother was the culprit."
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