Charlie Baker - Q3, 2004

June 2004
We've go to move, 20 years in Hulme but it's not what it could've been. I've gone and created a perfect flat for 5 on the 3rd floor, 100m away from the lift and now there's 6 of us and one can't walk yet.
So where do we go? Somewhere near a decent bit of park space, somewhere where you can walk to a decent load of shops so we don't have to use the car. Close enough to decent public transport for getting into town. It'd be quite nice to go without the car altogether and just hire when we're going away or visiting but I've not won that argument yet...
and we need enough space for all of us - as the people and the bike collection get bigger....



July 2004
Pick a skip with a roof on – we can't afford anything else and we want to do things to it anyway.
So we've gone for a house that will be big enough for the children to grow into so they won't need to leave if they don't want to. I've always wondered about that whole thing that many who had spent their lives in Hulme (rather than incomers like me) had mentioned about extended families – mine is scattered all over the country and only meets up for weddings and funerals – could we establish somewhere that can be a base for the future members of the family? – it's got to contribute to social sustainability that kind of thing. Charlie