Tom The Mural Man
 

Within weeks of becoming a home-owner, a mural began to adorn the gable end of our home. Just made up as I went along, using paints acquired from the various places that I acquired stuff. I began with an Auburn Speedster, an iconic art deco American car, in pink. The background was made up of Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal, the Sphinx, Titanic and Concorde. All BIG, covering the whole side of my house. The frontage was painted in the colours of the rainbow and some spruced up Objet d’Art was thrown into the mix, a couple of old mangles, chimney pots and various other bits.

Most locals thought it was amazing, a marvel painted by a local eccentric. A couple of neighbours, though, deemed me a vandal, a heathen and complained. It exploded into news that went national, including several TV appearances. A bloke from Sinfin on the telly. For 15 minutes I became a local celebrity, but in reality I was just showing off my talent and hoping to launch a new career.