I was walkin' in the neighborhood when I came across a teener. The guy happened to be outside and we talked. Long story short he showed me the old cancer in the rear boot. To my amazement he opened the boot without opening the bonnet first!!! This is the original design? You can do this. Is this somethin' else I need to fix? Is there a basic adjustment I don't know about?

Yes, you're supposed to be able to do this. What's preventing your's from doing so?

If I go to open the back boot only it'll catch the bonnet and have a moment of scrap and tug (on the bonnet) then open. Didn't think that was correct, so I always open the bonnet first then the boot. There is a gap between the two, However the drivers side gap is a tiny bit larger then the passenger.

I'd suspect your "bonnet" hinges and/or your trunk hinges are suspect, which is a pretty common thing. The engine lid hinge brackets on the firewall frequently crack (easy to see with the lid up if you tug on the bracket any). The trunk lid hinges are a frequent rust and break spot, particularly the one near the battery.

It could also just be from old crash damage. In any case, the rear trunk lid should open fine with the engine lid closed, and vice versa (though the engine lid can't be opened after the trunk lid...).