Latest news with #SteveMills
New York Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
He Searched for His Past in Children's Books. He Found His Wife's.
In retirement, Steve Mills began collecting secondhand books that he had read as a child. It was an effort to reawaken lost memories. His search revealed more about his family's past than he'd thought possible. He was at home in Hockley, east of London, flipping through titles from a recent book haul from a charity shop. Inside the pages of an early hardcover edition of 'The Naughtiest Girl Again,' by the English author Enid Blyton, he found a girl's handwritten notes from more than 50 years earlier. It took a few moments for Mr. Mills to grasp who the writer was: his wife, Karen. At first, Mr. Mills, a 67-year-old former civil servant, simply recognized an address in the town where his wife had grown up, written in a child's handwriting. He brought the book to Ms. Mills, and said, 'Oh look, they used to live in the village you came from,' Mr. Mills recalled. The address had been her childhood home, though it was spelled wrong. Ms. Mills couldn't believe it. Surely, she thought, her husband must be playing a trick on her. 'I thought at first that it was him being a silly bugger,' she said. 'I actually said to him, 'Are you trying to misspell our first address?'' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Husband finds novel in shop with Midland wife's 50-year-old notes on it
A smitten book enthusiast from Hockley, Essex was left astonished when he stumbled upon a 50 year old Enid Blyton novel penned with his wife's childhood notes in a charity shop haul. Steve Mills, at the ripe age of 67, avidly collects works by the celebrated children's author and during a rummage through recent acquisitions, unearthed poignant scribbles from his partner Karen, now 60. The book in question, 'The Naughtiest Girl Again', was originally jettisoned by Karen's mother in the swinging seventies. Read more: Birmingham rhyming slang Intriguingly, the tome surfaced over 160 miles from Karen's Staffordshire roots, in Rayleigh, long before her paths crossed with Steve. The eager bibliophile, whose adoration for Enid Blyton's magical tales dates back to his own youth, expressed his bewilderment: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences." Steve, who carved out a career in civil service, reflected on the momentous find: "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover." The discovery swiftly became a family affair as Steve recounted: "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page." Upon turning the leaf, nostalgia bloomed as Karen's juvenile scrawl, consisting of her namesake, erstwhile abode, contact number, and quaint 'stick-figure' doodles depicting her kin appeared. Karen's octogenarian parents were reportedly tickled pink by the serendipitous revelation shared by their son-in-law. Steve was over the moon when he stumbled upon more books in his collection that featured his wife's handwritten notes. He exclaimed: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The additional finds included 'Five on a Treasure Island' and 'Adventures of Pip', all adorned with Karen's personal annotations. In his quest, Steve also discovered a note declaring 'I have got 12 of Enid Blytons books' and has set his heart on finding the remaining nine. After sharing his nostalgic discovery on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook, Steve's post garnered a whopping 1,300 likes. Steve reflected: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood." He added, "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book collector finds 50-year-old novel that once belonged to wife in south Essex shop
A BOOK lover from Hockley says he is overjoyed to find an Enid Blyton novel containing 50-year-old hand-written notes from his wife in a charity shop. Steve Mills, 67, is a collector of around 50 novels by the children's author and was going through some new additions when he found the writings from Karen, 60. Steve said the book 'The Naughtiest Girl Again' had been given away by Karen's mum in the 1970s. The book somehow ended up in a charity shop in Rayleigh - more than 160 miles away from where Karen grew up in Staffordshire and before she met Steve. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. The retired civil servant, who has loved Enid Blyton's books since he was a child, said: "We've taken it as one of the universe's strange coincidences. "I had a load of books that I bought together and it wasn't until a couple of months went by that I was rearranging the books on the shelf. Overjoyed - Book collector Steve was thrilled to find his wife's old books (Image: Steve Mills) "I decided to look through them properly, opened one up and recognised the number on the front cover. "It was my brother-in-law and my wife's old address. I jokingly showed it to her and she turned the next page. "There was her name, address, phone number and drawings. "Her parents are in their 80s and they were delighted when we told them." The book has hand-written details from Karen, then known as Karen Larden, as a young girl living in Staffordshire. They include her name, address at the time and phone number - alongside 'stick-figure' drawings of her family. Steve said he then found more books in his collection also with his wife's annotations in them. He added: "Lo and behold, there was a second and third book belonging to my wife." The other books were Five on a Treasure Island and Adventures of Pip - all with Karen's musings scrawled inside. Read more 'I spent 2 months walking through county - this south Essex island blew my mind' Passengers frustrated after Southend flights re-scheduled to different airports New Pilates studio 'with a twist' to transform lives of residents in south Essex Steve has also found a note which reads "I have got 12 of Enid Blyton's books" and is determined to track the remaining nine down. Handwritten - Steve found notes and drawings from his wife's childhood in the book (Image: Steve Mills) He also posted his find on an Enid Blyton Fan Group on Facebook and has received 1,300 likes. Steve said: "It's touched on people's heartstrings and there's a lot of people out there who would love to find things from their childhood. "It was a simpler life and that's why I like them so much."
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Public hearing planned for Spire rate case
Public hearings will be held around the state, including one in Joplin, for a rate increase filed last year by Spire, which provides natural gas to homes and businesses in Missouri. In November, Spire filed a rate increase request with the Missouri Public Service Commission that would raise company revenue by approximately $236 million annually, or about 14%. The utility said in a statement that for the average residential customer, the proposed increase would be approximately 15%, or $14 per month. Spire said its total request is to increase revenues by approximately $290 million, but about $54 million of the proposed increase is already being collected as part of the Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge program line item that appears separately on customer bills. 'We're committed to safely delivering reliable and efficient natural gas service to more than 1.2 million homes and businesses in Missouri and doing so in the most affordable way for our customers,' Steve Mills, Spire Missouri president, said in a statement. 'We want our customers to know that even with this request, they will see bills that are slightly lower or unchanged compared to 2024.' In its statement, Spire said it proposes recovery of 'infrastructure investments, inflationary costs since its last case, increased costs of service, and weather and conservation impacts.' The company said it has invested nearly $1 billion to maintain and modernize service infrastructure, in turn reducing emissions and improving the safety of its distribution system. If approved, the rate increase would take effect this fall. As part of the rate case, the PSC is holding public hearings around the state, allowing customers to ask questions and offer testimony about the rate request. The hearings are attended by both the PSC and the Missouri Office of the Public Counsel, which represents ratepayers before the commission. Virtual public hearings will be held at noon and 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 3. To attend a virtual local public hearing by telephone, at the time of the hearing call toll-free 855-718-6621, listen to the prompt and enter the corresponding meeting number listed. For the noon call, the access code is 2866 775 5885; for the 6 p.m. call, the access code is 2867 463 1122. The password for both calls is 0107. To attend a virtual local public hearing by WebEx video, visit the website Participants also can download the Cisco WebEx meetings application on their mobile device, laptop, desktop or tablet prior to the hearing and join the meeting at the hearing time by entering the corresponding meeting number and password. Anyone wishing to participate in the WebEx question-and-answer session or make comment to the PSC during a WebEx hearing should register by calling 800-392-4211 by 5 p.m. the day before the hearing. In-person hearings will be held next week around the state, including St. Louis, St. Joseph, Kansas City and Joplin. The Joplin meeting will be at 6 p.m. Thursday in Corley Auditorium on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southampton firm honoured for global digital commerce success
An eCommerce company has been recognised for its exceptional digital commerce achievements. Green Snow was awarded the 'Digital/eCommerce Business of the Year' at the Southampton Business Success Awards. The award was presented to co-founder Steve Mills at the Southampton Guildhall on May 14, during the 803rd Annual Mayor Making Ceremony of Southampton City Council. Councillor James Baillie, the newly sworn-in Lord Mayor of Southampton, presented the award. The company was recognised for its exceptional digital commerce achievements and its ability to operate successfully on a global stage while maintaining local roots and values. Steve said: "We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award. "As an eCommerce and fulfilment partner to businesses in a wide variety of industry sectors, we are there in the background making it happen for our clients, so it's nice to have this moment in the limelight and be recognised by our home city." Green Snow is a fulfilment and distribution partner that provides customised eCommerce solutions to help brands scale and succeed in the competitive eCommerce marketplace. The company provides end-to-end eCommerce and logistical support to brands across lifestyle industries.
