Hamburgers and Ice-Cream
An autobiography by Beryl Coulston
I first thought of the title to this book when I was
at the ice rink in Durban, South Africa. It was about 1958. At that time I did not
know that there was a chain of restaurants in the US of the same name.
This is the story of a stagestruck
white South African girl, brought up in the days of Apartheid in a grotty
boarding house and her marriage at 21, journey to England, arriving in London
in 1959 with £5 after paying the first week's rent for their Earl's Court
bedsitter.
My story touches on the events in history as they
occurred in parallel to my life - WW11, Sharpeville, Scientology, The Beatles,
Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana's death.
Click on the links below to read each chapter. (Each
chapter will open in a new window). See note below about
how to view photos for each chapter.
Chapter One Sailors, Nuns, Orphans and the Planet Jupiter
Chapter Two Schools and Hotels
Chapter Three Work, Shows, Friends, Birds and Bees
Chapter Four Boys meet Girls - Hamburgers and Ice Cream
Chapter Six The Dreary Side of Life
Chapter Seven Folding Beds, Baptisms and More Sailors
Chapter Eight Men and Marriage
Chapter Nine Comings and Goings
Chapter Ten Ups and Downs in the Seventies
Chapter Eleven Who Says Accountants are Dull?
Chapter Twelve Time for a Break
Chapter Thirteen Sailors Again, Unions and Friends Old and New
Chapter Fourteen A Decent Job and Some Menopausal Madness
Chapter Fifteen Romance - The Final Solution
Chapter Sixteen Let's All Go Down the Strand
Chapter Seventeen The Wrong Sort of Snow
Chapter Eighteen There is Life After Retirement
Chapter Nineteen Above us the Callgirls
Chapter Twenty Nova, Pixie and Maureen Again and the Wedding of the Year
Chapter Twenty-one A Most Unhappy Christmas
Chapter Twenty-two Up the Pensioners and Hooray for the Internet
Chapter Twenty-three Where Do I Come From and Where am I Going?
Photo Gallery - It might be interesting to have the photo gallery open at the same time so that you can look at the pictures.