A Knight’s Tale (78: Divorce)

During the 1970s, Jessica’s former in-laws part owned Robin Ghyll, a farmhouse in Ambleside within sight of

the Langdale Pikes in the Lake District, where we enjoyed a number of holidays with Sue and her children.

Jessica, Becky, and Piper enjoyed splashing about in the tarns. Rock pools provided fun for both Becky, Matthew, and the other children. The above images are all from August 1975.

Four years later, while on another holiday there with friends and my nephew James, I received the date of Jackie and my divorce hearing in London. This meant a return train journey which felt like the longest of my life. Jessica volunteered to accompany me, but this was an ordeal that I wished to undergo alone. I would not contest custody, so the hearing was short and definitely neither sweet nor savoury.

73 comments

  1. The summer of 1975 was very sweet for me, great photos, Derrick. I understand the custody thing, I paid child support for 14 years…

  2. i was only ever married to one man until his death, but having supported a daughter through hers, I can understand the very mixed emotions.

  3. Love those pictures – it reminds me of happy days when we were growing up in the 70’s = life somehow seemed so simple then. Enjoying what matters . Sad to hear of the divorce but you have bounced back with a wonderful lady who fills your life with lovley things .- Enjoy the week – a little grey and uninspiring but you will fill it with love for your surroundings

  4. Gosh, I have missed too muich, but I can kind of put the puzzle peices together. And now you and are back to gether, yes? Marc I divorced when I was 42 and got back to gether 6.5 years later….and it has not been easy in some ways to manage. But weird how life can turn out!

  5. Gosh, I have missed too much, but I can kind of put the puzzle peices together. And now you and Jackie are back to gether, yes? Marc I divorced when I was 42 and got back to gether 6.5 years later….to be honest it has not been easy in some ways to manage. Might have waited and setteld things more! But weird how life can turn out!

  6. Gosh, I have missed too much, but I can kind of put the puzzle pieces together. And now you and Jackie are back to gether, yes? Marc I divorced when I was 42 and got back to gether 6.5 years later….to be honest it has not been easy in some ways to manage. Might have waited and setteld things more! But weird how life can turn out!

    And I quite enjoy your many older photos. I have a large number, also–should look at them again one day, I suppose! The grandkids have some interest, I hear. 🙂

  7. Hello Mr. Derrick,
    I am so sorry to hear that you (and Jackie) went through such a challenging time.
    As others have commented, I can “like” this post because I now know it gets better.
    Thank you for sharing the link to your branch of the family tree – it helps me to follow and appreciate your story. Thank you also for sharing with us. You have always been such a wonderful photographer and artist.

  8. Linda summed up my feelings perfectly. You’ve experienced such a blend of joy and sadness but could not be the person you are if life had been otherwise. Flowers don’t regret opening before a frost and neither should we, if our human nature can manage it.

  9. I looked up “tarn.” It’s a great word; maybe I can start using it. I am proud of you for writing down the hard parts of your story. The rotten things in life made you who you are today, and I’m going to guess they made you a better man, since the man you are today is a good one.

  10. I am sorry your divorce was difficult for you, Derrick. Mine was great and I have never regretted it – other than that it took me so long, but there were extenuating circumstances. I saw him and his wife at our son’s wedding this summer and I will definitely not be following your path back to the alter – but I am very happy for how things have worked out for you and Jackie.

  11. I seem to have missed out this post. Perhaps my reluctance to absorb the incident of parting subconsciously prompted me to overlook it. It’s nice of you to have included pictures of children’s merrymaking.

  12. It is good to have read this with the backdrop of better times both of you have experienced. I also read the post suggested as I was getting confused. So good that Jackie and you got back together.

Leave a Reply