2.So a derelict premises was found to start a nursery school, a job I was qualified for and which meant I could look after my own growing brood at the same time. We exchanged our cottage “Hill House” which had become such a drain, for this neglected building in Hockliffe Road, and sold our beautiful home “The Gables” in Billington. Philip our third son was born on March 28th 1975. A week later we completed our purchase and began to make some of the rooms on the top floor of Ravenstone House habitable. We moved the family into top floor of the house in May. Then the huge task of converting the ground floor into a nursery began. The routine that I became very familiar with started. Planning, building control, bank loan, social services registration (Ofsted today) environmental health etc. The learning curve was huge. Finding and talking to lawyers, banks, accountants, insurance brokers, social services officers, newspapers...... Learning to keep accounts, place adverts, devise systems to take child registrations, appoint and train staff, write a staff handbook, lead meetings to agree philosophy, policy, procedure, routines.........feed the baby! The energy needed was overwhelming! but exhilarating.
