Above: The original del-boy. In 1978 Bob became delivery boy for the Zebra Brakes Company. By night he would paint. By day he drove a 3-wheeled Reliant Robin van delivering brake shoes to garages.

The 1970s

In 1970, Brian Blanchflower went to live and work in Australia. Bob had been getting on fine with children, but not with the teaching profession, so the same year he changed tack and took a job as watch strap designer for the American firm Topps. He worked there for 4 years until he was made redundant.

The next 3 years were more diverse than rewarding. In 1975 he spent a year as the manager of a Liptons grocery store in Goring. In 1976 he spent a year aligning lenses in the Rayners optical factory in Brighton. In 1977 he went to Sweden to teach, but returned to England after just several months.

Bob's 'apprenticeship' was becoming more chaotic than inspirational, so he decided to focus on getting a straightforward job that would provide finance for his painting. Accordingly, in 1978 he became a delivery boy for the Zebra Brakes company. By night he would paint. By day he drove a 3-wheeled Reliant Robin van delivering brake shoes to garages.

It worked. He kept the job for 5 years and painted profusely.

The 1980s