And then there was one

This is a picture of Diane in the house where she was raised. She was raised in this house along with her three brothers by there mother and father, Vincent & Maureen. It's a council house on a quiet street, the kind of house that a lot of traditional working class families hoped to have back in the 50's 60's 70's, long before the stigma of living in a council house existed. Vincent, Diane's father, was a honorable man, hard working, kind, giving. He had a quiet dignity matched only by his wife, Maureen. They raised there children as best they could and did all they could for them with the little they had.


There is history in the house and like all homes, some of it is sad, involving the things we all face like loss and illness and the odd drama. But it was a good home for a child to be raised in by two good people, I spent two very happy years there, so it is no wonder that Steven, the last remaining person in this house is reluctant to leave it. He cared for both his Mother & Father as they grew older, it wasn't easy but it was rewarding. But it come at a cost, both financially and emotionally. It took him out of the job market, it took him out of the love market, he's still single today.

He saved the government a fortune in care bills. Vincent and Maureen are no longer with us, only one room is used now. Stevens room, which was shared by the three brothers, is now the only occupied room. The two other rooms are empty. One was Diane's, the other was Vincent and Maureen's.

These two rooms are subject to the new bedroom tax. I'll be talking more about that (a lot more) in due course