Carol was a very private person...perhaps appearing to be a little shy and  secretive and not a person willing to share personal issues/problems too readily unless she felt comfortable in your company and felt she could trust you with shared feelings....and thus she had a very close circle of Friends. 

Carol was born on December 18th 1938 to wonderful parents Harry and Ivy Hudson and lived all her life with her parents in Heston, Middlesex until I arrived in 1970 to try to persuade her to spend the rest of her life with me ! 

Carol along with her sister Anita enjoyed senior private education at Churston Ladies College 10 mins from home at Norwood Green.

I am reliably informed that Carol’s cousin Sheila Harvey was born within days of Carol and these two formed an inseparable childhood through later life bond and were certainly a handful together in early years to teenagers.......full of teasing and practical joking especially of Carol’s younger sister Anita ................typically hiding from her under the living room table etc.

Both Anita and Carol enjoyed some great holidays together with their parents .. amongst their trips: Cornwall, Bryan Bras Castle in North Wales, Bournemouth & Christchurch and The Wild Boar at Windermere and for Carol and her Parents even The Costa Brava by Ship and train in 1962! if my memory serves me right .......

I remember being part of a foursome with Carol and Harry and Ivy on 2 occasions  to Cornwall.

Long before I knew Carol a story unfolds of how a great time was had by Carol, Anita and Sheila when the opportunity arose to travel to stay with Gran and Uncle Walter at a strange place called Lower Hards/Street near Canterbury. I recall both Carol and Cousin Sheila telling me weird tales about tin baths, outside privies, Gran wringing necks of  chickens ...and Uncle Walter’s special curved blade ivory handled dinner knife which enabled him to navigate his plate to collect all the gravy!

This next chapter of Carol’s life after completing College saw her grab a great job in 1955 at the age of 17 with Columbia Pictures at Film House 152 Wardour Street....located in that part of the West End that was to become widely known as Film Row until the 60’s when investment and funding amongst other cut backs in production processes saw the swift collapse of Hammer, Columbia, Warner Bros, Paramount with only Sony really making a go of it .......

Carol spent a great deal of her formative working years in London’s West End and immersed herself  in The Film & Theatre District and The Arts which were her great lifestyle loves and after the collapse of the US Film Production Sector in UK. Carol likely looked to The Leisure Travel Industry as a natural alternative .

Topping a select few screenstars on Carol’s VIP list was Audrey Hepburn and The Film ‘’BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S’’ which she loved with a passion........we later visited ‘’Tiffany’s New New York, on one of our 4 visits to the city.........

I recall she then joined SKY TOURS in 60’s where she made a huge range of new friends who all shared the same interests in life ......Greek Island Holidays were a regular feature together.  Her lifelong friend and Confidente Stella Clark is here with us today with fond and lasting memories  from that wonderful era.........At some point in time Carol then arrived at FRAMES TOURS , initially at their HQ in Tavistock Place I believe before transferring to their West End Flagship office in  Albemarle Street.

Brown’s Hotel , Estée Lauder, Yardley, Charbonnel and Walker, The Ritz Hotel, Captain Watts Nautical Supplies,  The Tryon Galleries, Aspreys, Burlington Arcade all situated within a comfortable and effortless lunchtime stroll with 2 Pubs in the middle!

I arrived at Frames Tours having chosen this company over Thos Cook to start my apprenticeship and was assigned to Frames Albemarle Street office on July 28 1969. I always think to myself ‘’ it must have been fate or in the stars’’ as if I had chosen ‘’ Cooks’’ we may never have met......

Here’s the difficult bit .....I was just 17 years old when I appeared before The Manager for work that Monday and Carol averted my eyes immediately almost to the point that The Manager was getting a bit twitchy I recall...............She was absolutely stunning and beautiful and I, like everyone that knew her would NEVER FORGET HER SMILE ....A TRUE FOREVER SMILE

Carol dealt with Business Client travel needs exclusively and amongst these were The Film Director and Some of the cast for filming of SHAFT in New York with Richard Roundtree himself presenting in the office!!!

Michael Rennie came in (in his memorable hat and raincoat just like the 3rd Man) to buy a railway ticket to the south coast which Carol actually transacted because her retail colleague was at lunch.....

I did not know it at the time but Carol was 31 years ....14 years my senior .....what the hell was I thinking of...........

As the days and weeks passed I was able to ‘’offer to buy her lunches or make her coffees’’ until I managed to actually ask her out for a drink in one of the pubs opposite one Friday evening . She was very guarded and the meet was very clandestine..... devised so as to avoid any  chance of being seen at this point by office colleagues and gossip.

Slowly but surely we allowed our relationship and interests in each other to flourish both at work and at respective homes and families and I was  allowed into Carol’s special circle of friends whom she had spoken to and whom were all supportive of her decision to allow herself to fall in love with me ............I never considered myself an incurable romantic but this really was a ‘’ Sleeping Beauty’’ Tale............

I cannot believe that it is now over 30 years since Carol and I began our regular trips to The East Suffolk Coast.....I recall we stayed at small self catering cottages or unique guest houses in Wangford  and Blythburgh and Dear Stephen and Ida Lee’s home in Westleton  for weekends or a week at a time on our own or with friends. We also spent a quite glorious weekend with a long time friend of Carol’s from the office and her friend at The Anchor Hotel in Walberswick. 

I remember too the lack of traffic and serenity of the whole area and wonderful pubs and  weather. Waiting for fish to be landed on the beach at Aldeburgh..the wonderful walks along the coast and cycle routes we explored.Of particular note, a very quirky pub called The Eel’s Foot Inn at EastBridge,near Westleton.  

One of the most challenging discussions I recall having with Carol was trying to ‘’blend ‘’ our respective tastes in Music but we achieved this with great ease really ....I think it was me growing to accept a musical heritage of great maturity and often historical importance really......

Carol was largely Opera, Classical at one end of the scale to The Carpenters, Barbara Streisand, Tony Bennet, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra through to Bill Haley (I still have her pristine Vinyl single OF ‘’Rock Around The Clock’’ and not forgetting Elvis Presley and The Hollies....

And now here was I ( Living my youth years through The Flower Power, Hippies era of 60’s ) finding myself having to explain my admiration of artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Cream, John Mayall, The Rolling Stones on one hand  to The Bee Gees, Moody Blues, JJ Cale.....at the other.

Films and Theatre going were never a problem. I was quick to adapt my  preferences (if indeed I had any) I always felt that being with Carol at these events always left me feeling warmer and closer towards her ..........

Following an amazing courtship of almost 7  years we sealed our love at a wonderful engagement party at The Compleat Angler Hotel on Marlow Bridge and Weir ...........unforgettable.

Our Wedding concluded on October 18 1977 and marked our marriage together of almost 41 years ........

We lived 20 mins away from Carol’s parents for 23 years after our marriage and likely just as well......Carol was soon having to adopt a new role as a FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE to the tireless caring of both her Father and Mother when we lived in our first home not 20 mins walk from them in Heston. Carol’s father suffered a stroke very shortly after retiring from the Print Trade as a Line Etcher in 1976 until his sad passing in September 1991.. and latterly her Mother... Ivy, who shortly afterwards became very frail and dependent on both her daughters until her sad passing in April 2002 ......As a result of this intensive care we agreed that she should retire from her London job in 1984. Carol’s visits became a minimum of twice daily  for around 20 years, providing personal care, assistance with meals, shopping and a raft of other duties. Anita , her sister, lived in Norfolk but  joined Carol in a number of missions whilst looking after 2 young daughters of her own.

Perhaps my only regrets were never knowing Carol early enough and long enough and learning more about her earlier years .....her trip to post war Eastern Europe especially....  Leipzig, Dresden, Berlin...her experiences of standing at The Brandenburg Gate as she recounted to me once ....’’ You could still smell The Russian Leather’’.........and finally, to have had the opportunity for us both to enjoy our ‘’normal lives’’ together for those 9 missing years of dementia........

Carol was every inch The Lady, very warm person, very kind hearted and most generous with all her time in all that she was involved......her love for me unmatched and never ever to be forgotten. God Bless You Darling ....