For years before becoming self employed I worked as a maintenance electrician, mostly in the textiles industry – which meant working morning and evening shifts and the night shift too as it was a 24 hour 7 day process.

The job meant I would appear, at some time or other, in all departments of the factory, to address some breakdown, blinking light or smoking appliance so almost every employee got to know who I was and what I did.
Every year at about this time (late November to early December) dozens of requests of “could you have a look at me Christmas lights please” would be made by hopeful faces as they handed over one of their precious illuminatory heirlooms remarking “they worked OK last year so there can’t be much wrong with ’em” and then the worried owner would trot off happily back to loom or spinning frame after being reassured “leave em on the bench luv and we’ll look at em later”

The bulk of the Xmas lights resurrection attempts were done on the 2 pm to 10pm shift,  6am to 2pm shift being far too populated with proper work and 9am to 5pm managers, supervisors and jobs’ worths – once 5pm had passed and the tea time meal break was done then it became “Save the fairy lights ” campaign.
Some of the lights sets had to condemned outright on safety grounds where there were more insulation tape then insulation and less series connected lamps than was safe after some bright family scientist member or friend had “by passed” enough open circuit lamps – telling the owner it was beyond redemption sometimes generated an emotional response akin to informing them they had a terminal illness and weeks to live …and they would go off in stunned silence.
Most of them though just needed replacement lamps of various sorts and their owners would mostly reclaim their mended possessions enquiring “how much do I owe you luv ?” – it was never an earner and we were getting paid anyway so the costs quoted usually merely covered the costs of the lamps etc. – but like the lamps it gave us a selfless glow of the Xmas spirit in helping 🙂

There was also the more year round and occasional “Do you rewire houses or put extra sockets in?” employee inquiry –  this was a more demanding scenario requiring an immediate judgement of deciding whether the enquirer would actually ever pay up or not and if positive usually resulted in a survey visit to the target property to make further assessments.
I only ever undertook one such project which in itself put me off any future ones.

Of course besides the Xmas lights and more major works there were a steady trickle of non heating clothes irons, non boiling kettles and asthmatic vacuum cleaners to do battle with, but that was back in the day when the build quality and prices of appliances meant they  were worth repairing and parts were readily available – today it’s bin it and buy a new one.

Believe it or not, renewing the motor in a Hoover Senior in the middle of a mind numbing night shift could help keep one sane.

Some 18 months years ago, a maiden aunt of mine died, she was one the younger sisters of my mother, the strange thing was I never knew of the death until I decided , whilst working in the area to call and see this aunt and another aunt she lived with.
On knocking on the front door, I was greeted by the younger of the two aunts, who invited me in and almost immediately announced “I’m on my own now, Andrew”.
I was surprised and shocked as she went on to explain, I did not say anything by way of negative reaction but my face must have given a clue of incredulous expression of learning about the death this way as she just said “It wasn’t anything personal Andrew, we just didn’t want a great family fuss, we didn’t even tell her old nursing colleagues”

She went off to the kitchen to make a hot drink, I sat alone for a while in the lounge mulling it over and as the initial impact of the news subsided it struck me that what had just happened wasn’t all that traditionally unusual  in that particular branch of the family.
My mother had always said, on occasion, that she felt an ‘outsider’  – she was the eldest of  eight children with a domineering father, with whom she’d always been at odds with, ultimately leaving home at twenty two years of age to marry and then shortly after moving away.

My aunt returned from the kitchen with tea and biscuits and we sat and talked, she expanded on my other aunt’s death and the circumstances surrounding it but didn’t mention the secrecy aspect and I hadn’t mentioned it either, but as I was leaving and we were saying goodbye she did qualify again “Sorry Andrew, as I said it wasn’t anything personal” and I responded that” it was ok and I understood” – but inside I was still astonished.

On returning home, I related the events to my wife , who again after the initial shock wore off observed ” well that’s what you get when you’re not in the inner circle ” – this was so true as those sisters of my mother who had married but had always remained locally and produced children (my cousins) who again had stayed locally were the ‘inner circle’.
After some pragmatic reflection I decided this was so, I still felt a little resentful at not being told, but that was the nature of the beast.

Some six months later, as if to reinforce the above, I got a telephone call from one of my inner circle cousins to inform me that my other aunt had died the day before, at the time of my visit she’d seemed fine.
Subsequent enquiries revealed she been later diagnosed with terminal cancer, but the news could not break out of the inner circle until it became the ultimate scoop.