We meet some of Bill Goater’s family; gracious passengers on board ship; Gran receives a florin; painting autumn berries; soloist Cyril Smith leaves her breathless; spiders in London; Dartford Warbler at last; a gown cunningly cut, and the Queen’s “wonderful composure”.
On August 20th 1955, Gran plays tennis in the heat in Eastleigh and enjoys an evening at home listening to a Promenade Concert with much music by Gilbert and Sullivan, which she loves. She records that:
At the end of the concert, after Suppé’s “Poet and Peasant Overture”, which was encored, Sir Malcolm was presented with a Peter Scott bird picture in recognition of his sixtieth birthday in April and his work for the Promenade Concerts, by a representative of all Promenaders, both at the concert in person, and listening in at home. Unfortunately we did not hear Sir Malcolm’s response.
Four days later:
I came home on the one o’clock bus, and this afternoon finished painting my Goldenrod. I also listened to a charming little radio play, called “The Little Flautist” – rather old-fashioned perhaps, but gentle and entirely lacking in the present-day banalities and over-loud humour. I enjoyed it.
A moth, which I caught in a pill-box in order to identify it, proved to be one of my favourites – a Burnished Brass. I released it out of one of my windows – whereupon it promptly came in the other one again. Now it has gone to rest somewhere behind the bookcase near my bed!
