Volume Eight - Pre-Victorian to the present day - more aspects - Chains at Penarth Dock - Macey, Mules and Wallace Family History . . .

They eventually began to court each other. Two years later, they got married.

In the 1930’s, now with a young family, Jim stayed ashore and worked as a window cleaner. He lived with Mabel at 54 Maughan Street, now Queens Road. During this time, Jim found that he had a natural talent for playing the piano. Mam remembers a poem he would recite to her. Jim liked this poem because it reminded him of his younger days as a sailor, learning to navigate by the stars. It was called ‘Sea Fever’ by John Masefield:

		Jim was also a very good musician, playing the piano and the accordion. He would hear a new tune on the radio in the week, and would have learnt to play it by the weekend. There were two pianos at 54 as well as a lovely full size accordion with a ‘mother of pearl’ finish. Jim looked, and sounded, like pianist Hoagy Carmichael.
Jim (left) looked, and played, like Hoagy Carmichael (right). Same nose. Same eyebrow.