This morning a funny memory came back of my telling MARTIN GILL that I would visit him at SOLIHULL SCHOOL…he had visited me at Solihull 6th Form - so I might just meet him outside the school one day but I didn‘t say when…and then one of my English Lit classmates told me that she met her boyfriend outside, now and then at the end of the school day…

Funnily enough - even though I had no memories of promising to do this…I decided to find out where SOLIHULL SCHOOL was, one afternoon and walked past my bus-stop and slightly out of the town centre to go and have a look…as soon as I saw MARTIN coming out of the main entrance I ‘clicked’ into the other side of the mirror…he was grinning…and I greeted him with a sauntering ‘can I carry your books home from school?’ (because I felt a bit 'rough' - part of the strange 'oik' establishment from over Malvern Park) I was wearing my favourite cowboy boots and blue jeans with a khaki military jacket, at the time…the others who were waiting outside the school entrance, consisted of MARTIN GILL’s father in his car down the road (who recognised me immediately ‘that‘s EMILY isn‘t it‘ and then figured that it was probably no bad thing - we had been so close and from babyhood)…and various other parents of generally much younger boys…anyway, we met and then kissed under a tree, on the pavement…and this caused quite a stir amongst the schoolboys leaving the school at that point in time…no other ‘girlfriends’ were waiting outside…

One enterprising first year boy - who had just been given his FIRST CAMERA by his parents…was savvy enough to take a snap…and this had quite extraordinary repercussions within the whole school. That little boy had a SCOTTISH name…a mop of blond hair…and I was to be told later that he had been in fact, a very young ALEXANDER MCQUEEN but that couldn’t be true…because the book says that he was born in 1969...unless he was lying about his age…as most people tend to do in fashion/media etc.

Anyway, he brought his ‘first snaps’ into school and his classmates checked them out…they were all shocked and astonished…because the MAS of SOLIHULL SCHOOL was massive - an adoring fan base of younger boys…(MARTIN APPRECIATION SOCIETY - snigger)…anyway, it caused much amazement…MARTIN GILL kissing a girl...the HEAD-BOY no less…in that homosexual culture…you mean when we get to 6th form we have to do that…who was she…perhaps she was a prostitute…but they don’t dress like that do they etc etc…first form boys…who then all wanted a copy…little ALEXANDER obliged (although I am sure his name was ALISTAIR in point of fact)…and kindly cut costs below ‘manufacturing price’ to his friends…and was then out of pocket to the tune of £2.50...

Word spread around the school with older boys refusing to believe the story until they had seen EVIDENCE…a bunch of 4th formers nearly lynched ALEXANDER because having made a second batch of prints…his parents had given him a little encouragement in business - put the prices up to cover your costs and if they complain say ‘odds and overheads’…which the little fellow then did to the irate 4th formers…who then checked the costs out at PRONTAPRINT and forgave him…they worked out that he had made a loss with the first batch and was now recouping at about 20p a time, for the next batch…

RIMINGTON loved the whole saga (once she had found out) - TODDY was furious…