Community

Spoiled for three days; quite a bit of television; news from Germany; Jane safe home; a new coat; the Rome Olympics; a small boy’s delights; friends of Jane’s wed and emigrate, and a letter from a famous author.

Book 88

Gran takes the train to London on her way to Chipstead, in Surrey, to visit the Rowsells on August 12th 1960.  “The train was very full’, she writes:

… and in my compartment was a family of four delightful children, one of whom, Margaret, became very friendly almost at once and I was soon involved in a game of “snap” which lasted until we reached Waterloo.

The Rowsells apparently intend to “spoil” their guest, for Gran is met at Waterloo by Mrs Rowsell and whisked off, by taxi, to Fortnum and Mason, for refreshment, before another taxi takes them to Charing Cross and their train to Chipstead.  There, Gran finds “Hollymead Cottage” awaiting her, with “spacious gardens and trim lawns”.  And, surprisingly, she pens this:

[The sun-room] was occupied by Tou-tou, quite the prettiest cat I have ever seen, soft grey her paws; underparts and face so pale as to be almost white, and the rest of her body “tabbied” with darker grey.  A gentle animal…

So much for Gran’s furiously written wish of just a few months past, to throttle every cat she sees!

A great longing satisfied; Princess Margaret weds, and so does Mike Harper; flowers for the Pendennis Castle; neighbourly comfort; kindly nursing at St Paul’s; Diana is twenty-one; a fox in the fridge; Jane goes to Italy; Firecrests in Southampton and a kind invitation.

Book 86

“A most important event this morning.  The first of Barry’s leautieri caterpillars hatched and was soon feeding on the macrocarpa I provided for it.  Let us hope it thrives!”  Thus writes Gran on April 21st 1960, and she is also given another moth-related task by her son – the gathering of fallen sallow blossom:

…presumably for lurking larvae, so this morning, I went up the road to where I had noted a lot on the ground two days ago.  I was gathering it up into a polythene bag when a lady approached and was most interested in what I was doing.  So I told her.  Whereupon she explained that she and her husband were interested in wild flowers, and photographed them in colour, and I said I was also, and painted them.  At this, she said, “Are you Mrs Goater by any chance?”  She had been told that she should meet me, so we exchanged addresses and she ran for her bus.  She is Mrs Edwards, and lives in Malibres Road.

Bicentenary celebrations; caterpillar-rearing; to Dorset for Spring Crocus, Peter Katin’s “sensitive, wonderful hands”; the fate of “Fig Cottage”; pressed flowers and a first day cover in the post; cycling with Jock; news from Scotland, and still no Nightingale.

On February 21st 1960 Gran writes:

This evening I went to a lecture and Reception at Taunton’s School, in Southampton, the first of a series of events to mark the School’s bicentenary.  The Lecture, “Content of Education”, was given by Lord James of Rusholme, an old boy of Taunton’s, former Assistant Master at Winchester College and now High Master of Manchester Grammar School.  It was an extremely interesting and thought-provoking talk, told with a quiet humour and great clarity of speech…

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 101)

Editor’s note: Huge congratulations to Rick on completing 100 articles in this beautiful series – what a massive achievement! You’ve taken all your readers on this exciting adventure with you and your Gran since January 2017. This series has formed such an important record in the history of Chandler’s Ford. We love these stories. Thank you for your contribution, your perseverance, and your hard work – you’ve brought us so much joy every Sunday morning with Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater. Thank You.
[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 100)