I am Jim O'Grady, I was born February 1948,  the middle child of John and Ellen. I have an older sister, Jacqui and a younger brother Peter. Linda (nee Standish) was born in March 1955, the youngest child of Jim and Julia and has a bother Kevin who is the same age as me.

We were married on February 25th, 1978 and John was born on December 27th, 1981.

I took early retirement in 2005 from one of the largest Automotive Manufacturers in world. You know it well as they make very af*FORD*able vehicles. I worked for them for almost 33 years starting as a shift electrician and progressing to a Senior Staff position.

Widnes is probably notable only for it's Chemical Industries, long since almost totally defunct, and it's Rugby League team, The Widnes Vikings, still fondly remembered by those of a certain age group as "the Chemics"

My Schooldays were completed at St. Michaels Junior School and SS Fisher & More Sec. Mod.

On Leaving school I took an apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering with Imperial Chemical Industries .. ICI .. who were in those days the major employer in our town.

I began my adult career working in the British Merchant Navy as an Electrical Officer with P&O Management lines, then for British Steel in Warrington and in Airdrie, Scotland, followed by 3 years working in Australia, both countries I still have a great fondness for even after so many years back in England.

Linda's family's working roots are in the coal mines that once existed around St. Helens in Merseyside (then it was Lancashire) where her father was born and raised. St Helens is also famous for it's Glass making industry.

Oh, Widnes has another claim to fame!! allegedly Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel) once wrote a famous song called "Homeward Bound" whilst sitting on the platform of our local Railway Station.

Linda attended a local Junior school, St. Bede's Junior School and then SS Peter and Paul High School.

Linda began her adult working life as a receptionist for a company manufacturing Domestic Wall partitioning, moving on to Secretary for the M.D of a company specialising in Bathroom and Privacy partitioning for Hotels, Offices and Conference Centres etc.

When we were first married Linda worked in a local Branch of a major Building Society but stopped working when John was born and returned to work as Secretary at her childhood Junior school when John started Junior School aged 7. She remained there for the next 20 years "officially" retiring in 2008. Linda occasionally still helps out there and at another local junior School if needed.

As @ Christmas 2011

This is our family as it has grown over the last year with the arrival of a beautiful Granddaughter on St. Patrick's day 2011.  Both John and Nikki are loving, caring parents and we are proud of the manner they are raising their daughter. She is a thriving; bright; happy baby; a little chatterbox (in her own way as yet); always smiling and inquisitive. Nikki reckons she is just nosey and doesn't want to miss anything. Maisie has a terrific appetite, we haven't found anything she doesn't like including things like if we have a hotpot (liquidised for her of course). Her favourite game is called "lets pull Granddads glasses off".

Maisie with Dad, John

Maisie with Mum, Nikki