Walking Back

Jean Moss

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Why I wrote this book

I wrote the book after my husbands death in an effort to alleviate my deep destructive grief.

I decided to write our life story to relive the past, hoping that by going back into the joy of 47 years I would be given the ability and strength, to face the future.

Synopsis

In the assembly hall of a Cheshire grammar school, a fair-haired boy, illuminated by a shaft of light, catches the eye of a dark-haired girl. The year is 1942, and this glance between Jim and Jean leads to teenage love and the inevitable mistakes that occur when love takes over from common sense. In the cinema the film that made an impression was Stanley and Livingstone. Africa became lodged in their minds, and they decided this was where they wanted to be. But Jim becomes successful in agriculture and departs for estate life in Africa alone. Jean tried many things but failed to settle. Yet an extraordinary piece of luck led her to Nyasaland (now Malawi) with her six year old daughter Elizabeth. Here she searched for Jim, and found him. Their mutual fascination was rekindled, and the result was two girls, Sally and Jane. They shared a life of love, romance and adventure in this torrid continent. Time was also spent in South America and other countries, but there was nothing to compare with the red clay of Africa, the shimmering heat and undulating swathes of unending bush. Here they walked together through the wide open spaces, arm in arm, in the glades of the mighty Zambezi. The life was to continue in full measure through the political turmoil which existed latterly until their retirement in 1990. This book gives us memories of life, of love and of a love for Africa. And what a life!

About the Author

Jean Brindley was born in a Cheshire village. Both she and the late James Moss received their education at the Crewe County Grammar School in Ruskin Road. Jean has painted in all media for most of her life. Latterly she has won a number of awards for her oil paintings of big game. The latest was 'Rhino eating alone', which won the P.A.W.S award, 1st prize sponsored by Bird and Davies. 'Heading for water', a herd of elephant headng for a water hole she sold to enable her to buy a computer. After this she went for a course in computer literacy with U3A. This was followed by a 'lone' visit to Africa, Zambia, where she met friends and spent some time in the North Lunagwa, probably in a quest to look for Jim she took photographs and wrote notes. On returning home, lonely but inspired she decided to write her autobiography of life with Jim. As teenagers their decision was to live their life together on the continent of Africa. There were to be many frustrations and mistakes to overcome before this could happen. This is a story of their marriage, of their love, life and wild adventures. Woven into this are the joys and sadness born of this heartbreaking continent at an extraordinary time; before, through, leading up to and after Independence. The book tells of enforced and temporary moves, and of the ravages brought about by these conditions, of the unbreakable bond left by living a lifetime in this dramatically beautiful and tragic land. These are memories carried from forty seven gratifying and memorable years. Thank you, Jim.

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