Here is the Fourth chapter of the CPU Enterprises Story which was originally sent in the CPU Spring 2009 Newsletter - emailed out to customers on 25.05.09. Written by Peter
Why did we leave our General Store in 1978?
This was a very difficult time for us. My health was suffering from the long hours, I was still doing the newspaper deliveries for WH Smith (3.30am start) and going out most evenings with our mobile shop. The 12 hour days in the store, and looking after 2 kids, was beginning to have an effect on Dianne - worse still - she had no time to knit. Petrol went sky high and WHS would not pay more to cover the extra expense.
Then came the body blow. The lease for the store ran out and the landlord decided to treble our rent. The result was that we could no longer afford to stay, so we decided to move on to pastures new.
When I started this story last year I told you about how Dianne started her working life in Peaches Wool Shop. She has been involved with Knitting and yarn all her life since. So when she secured a job in a large wool shop she was in heaven after the blow of losing our own store. Unfortunately it didn't last long as the shop closed down, but she soon found work for a Holland and Barrett concession in a large department store. Evenings were again taken up with knitting, selling garments and even branched into selling Vogue Knitting Machines to make ends meet. [There are still some in the loft I think.]
Meanwhile I went to work with a friend as a steel fixer in the building trade working for a very well know international firm. I worked my way up to a steel fixer foreman and worked on the Queensgate Centre in Peterborough. This was very heavy work and I began to experience pains in my chest during exertion. The doctor referred me for tests and we were told I had a very serious heart condition that needed major surgery or I only had 6 months to live. The problem had arisen from me smoking those 80 cigarettes a day during our time at the shop.
I had just turned 39 years old.
Talk about the bubble bursting again.
That is just about it for this time as it's about 8.30pm so way past my bed time. However I cannot leave the story at this point with you not knowing if I lived or died (think about that).
Within a few weeks I had a 4 artery heart bypass operation at the world famous Papworth Hospital and fully recovered (until the next time) although I was not allowed to work on a building site anymore. Dianne spent much of her time looking after me so things got really tight. So yet again we had make another new start and try something new.
In the next chapter you will finally find out the name that goes with the C in CPU Enterprises.
Chapter Five of the CPU Enterprises Story
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