Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 10 — May and June 1949

Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.

Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).

May 1949 The Farm in Full Bloom

As May arrived, the countryside around the farmhouse had fully awakened.

The fields were green again, the garden was beginning to bloom, and the farmyard was alive with movement and noise. After the long winter months and the hesitant start to spring, May always seemed to bring a new energy to everything.

The month began quietly enough with tea at Joan Buckett’s with the family in Allington Lane Fairoak. Later that evening Joan and Les called in at the house to collect a few potatoes, and before long the house settled into an early night.

But the calm of early May never lasted long.

The following days were filled with the ordinary work of the house and farm. Washing and ironing filled the kitchen for much of one morning while a bitter wind blew outside, cold enough to make the whole day feel more like March than May.

After tea I went for a walk with Joan and the dogs, the two of us enjoying the fresh air despite the wind.

Trips into town were still necessary now and again. One morning John and I went into Eastleigh to collect a new tennis racquet. Mother kindly looked after Heather while I went off dancing at the St Boniface Hall later that day.

Meanwhile John called in to see Tommy Parker, who had was in bed with and not very well at all, I believe the talk was all about football and The Saints and I went opposite to Oak Cottage and stopped by to see Mrs St John and talk about the Children’s schooling and their futures

Village life carried on in its usual rhythm of visits and errands.

One afternoon I went to see young Malcolm West, who had just returned home after having his tonsils removed. It seemed that half the children in the district were having their tonsils out that year.

The house itself was in some disarray for a while as painters arrived and began work, leaving everything rather upside down.

There was plenty happening on the farm too. One day Tommy Parker’s pullets were sold, and Joan and Les came up with Cross to help move them.

Not long afterwards Joan and I made a small journey to take Roger back to school. On the way home we stopped at Betty’s house for tea.

Later that same day we went to collect a batch of young chicks from Mr Chalk — the poultry yard growing noisier by the week.

Visitors continued to come and go.

Cross appeared most mornings for one reason or another. Nora and her family called in during the afternoons. There was always someone passing through the farmhouse kitchen.

George Bazeley was recovering from his tonsil operation, and neighbours came asking after him.

Joan, Tommy and Lorna called by one evening looking for a bantam cock which we gave them.

Even on quieter days there was rarely a moment without some small task to be done.

John found time to play tennis at The Chalks on Kingsway , while I spent a day nursing a dreadful cold that left me feeling thoroughly miserable.

Gradually I began to feel better again.

Once recovered I planted marigolds in the garden and finished ironing before lunch. Later I walked round to see Mother, and by evening Joan and Les had called again, with Cross staying on for supper.

The garden continued to demand attention.

John built a rustic fence along the front of the garden, which improved the look of the place no end. I finished digging the bed where the gladioli were to be planted.

The weather, however, remained stubbornly dry.

Day after day passed with warm sunshine but no rain, and the ground was beginning to need it badly.

One afternoon I went up to the school to teach the young “Princesses” their dance, while John played tennis at Chalk’s.

The following evening brought a little excitement. After leaving the children with Mother and Bella, I went with the Deans to a dance at the Polygon. It turned out to be a very good evening.

The next day the house filled with visitors once again. Veronica and Judith came for the day, and there seemed to be callers arriving all afternoon.

John went to his Lodge meeting at Hursley while I walked round to the Beetons for supper.

Then, at last, the weather changed.

One morning the rain began to fall — real steady rain after weeks of dry weather.

It seemed to do the land a great deal of good, though everyone agreed we could still do with more.

That evening the Beetons and the Parkers came round for supper, and there was much talk of the rain and what it might mean for the crops.

The following day remained damp, but the garden work continued. I planted gladioli and chrysanthemums in the front beds.

Later that day we all went together — the Beetons, the Parkers and ourselves — to watch the Eastleigh Parade. Afterwards we finished the evening with supper at the Parkers’ house.

The Hall was busy again as well. I spent time helping prepare the dancers for a display, while John visited the Mr & Mrs Tanner.

A lot of my evenings were often spent mending clothes, the darning basket never seeming to stay empty for long.

But the greatest excitement of the month came quite unexpectedly.

One day John and I returned home as we had been out and bought a horse for Jennifer.

A lovely pony named Smoky.

Jennifer was thrilled, and I secretly hoped I might ride him myself from time to time as well.

Smoky soon became the centre of attention around the house.

Before long we were making trips to buy the things he needed. A visit into Winchester produced a saddle for him, and Jennifer later took him to  the Blacksmiths in  Hursley, Mr Eades to have his shoes fitted.

He seemed a good-natured pony, and everyone quickly grew fond of him.

Life around the house continued with its mixture of chores and small pleasures.

I went into Eastleigh one morning and bought white shoes for the girls, and even treated myself to a pair of tennis shoes.

Another day Joan and I went into Southampton as John was at the cricket was being played at Northlands Road, and I bought myself a second  pair of white shoes.

Meanwhile we collected more day-old chicks when they arrived at The Chandlers Ford Railway station and were quickly put under the heaters in the carriage, adding to the already noisy poultry yard.

Mr Cross me helped plant out sweet peas in the garden.

And at long last one evening I finally finished the mountain of darning that had been waiting for weeks.

Though, of course, I knew it would start again the very next day.

There were moments of leisure too.

One Sunday afternoon I played three sets of tennis at the Parkers’ house and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Another evening was spent at the Beetons’ with supper and plenty of conversation.

Days often began early with large washes hanging on the line from the granary to the boiler house, followed by hours of ironing.

Jennifer was doing a lot of riding with Janet joining her as well.

The garden continued to grow as the days warmed.

I mowed the front lawn again and again as the grass seemed determined to grow faster each week.

Walks to Beechcroft were frequent, often stopping at Joan’s house on the way.

One day I even successfully managed a ride on Smoky myself, which was great fun.

There was more sewing again as well — this time making new check suits for the girls.

Rain returned occasionally towards the end of the month, and one afternoon I walked all the way to the school in the wet.

Trips into Eastleigh were still necessary too, where I found more pinafore frocks for the girls.

Mother and Bella came for tea that day and the Babysat that evening when we al went to the cinema with the Beetons and the Parkers to see Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House with Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas and The Window which was a huge Box Office Hit starring Babara Hale & Bobby Driscoll. 

They were both jolly good films.

Afterwards everyone returned to our house for eggs and bacon before heading home.

The final Sunday of the month began with pouring rain but cleared beautifully after dinner.

The usual callers arrived through the afternoon.

We prepared a bed for Lassie in the shed, knowing she would soon be having her puppies.

Later Joan came by and we took a walk with the dogs down the gallop to the Camels Hump and back through Ramally. 

In the evening John went off to play tennis again at Chalk’s while we listened to the music from Oklahoma! on the wireless .

The final days of May passed in their usual lively fashion.

Cross came to lunch and afterwards I rode Smoky again before going to the Parkers for tennis.

That evening the Parkers, the Beetons and Simon Hazgold all arrived for supper, turning the house into another cheerful gathering.

And then, as the last day of the month arrived, the weather turned showery again but the washing managed to dry despite the rain.

John went to Hursley deliver some  chicks to Kath Cooper and later we drove up to the village and then back to Beechcroft to see Mother and Bella.

There was dancing again that afternoon at The St Boniface Hall and the class seems to be growing and everyone really seems to enjoy it.

And so May came to its close — a month of growing gardens, busy fields, a new pony in the yard, and the promise of new life once again in the farmyard.

But the real excitement came later that evening of the 31st

Lassie began having her puppies.

 

June 1949

Hayfields and Summer Days

June arrived with the farm already alive with activity.

The very first day of the month brought excitement in the shed behind the house, where Lassie finally had her puppies. Seven in all — four of them little bitches — wriggling and squeaking together in the straw.

It was always a small miracle to see new life arrive on the farm.

That same day John and I went into Southampton, returning with a new mattress for Andrew and a rug for the bedroom. It felt good to bring a few new things into the house after the long winter months.

Later I cycled over to the Parkers with Andrew and ordered some material for new frocks for the girls.

But farm life has its darker moments too.

One morning we discovered that a rat had killed thirty-seven of our young chicks. It was a dreadful loss and a reminder that life on a farm could be harsh as well as joyful.

Still, life moved on quickly.

 

Rain fell steadily one day, keeping everyone indoors. I spent the afternoon making dresses while the weather drummed against the windows.

Visitors came and went as usual.

The Parkers arrived and were able take Mother and Bella home for us , Cross called in, and the new mattress and rug were delivered, making Andrew’s room look very smart indeed.

Soon afterwards there was a small farewell gathering at Joan and Les’s house before they left for their holiday. The evening ran rather late with laughter and conversation before everyone finally drifted home.

The next morning dawned fine and bright.

The Beetons had begun their holiday, leaving the neighbourhood feeling slightly quieter for a while. I spent most of the day working on blouses for the girls, determined to get them finished as soon as possible.

Even The Bank Holiday on Monday the 6th June passed quietly but as usual washing and ironing filled much of the day, along with a trip to the market and cutting the front lawn. Later John and I drove over to Flexford together to check on the hay to see when it might be ready to cut.

Trips into the village were frequent.

One afternoon John and I called at Beechcroft before I went dancing at the Richie Hall. Later we had dinner at the Parkers’ house, and I brought two pairs of nylons from Lorna Parker — quite a luxury these days.

The next day brought preparations for Janet’s birthday.

I made her cake and later walked round to Beechcroft where Nora and George were visiting as well.

In the evening there was tennis at the Parkers’.

 One particularly busy day followed.

Mrs Fullbrook had begun her holiday, which meant even more work in the house. I spent the entire afternoon and evening baking, preparing for Janet’s birthday party.

And what a party it was.

That morning John cut ten acres of hay at Flexford, the first great sign that summer work had truly begun.

Meanwhile the kitchen was full of activity as I hurried to make sandwiches for the party.

By half past three the children had arrived.

Mother and Bella came to help, though Nora could not come because George was unwell.

The party was a great success. There were strawberries and ice cream, which felt like the very taste of summer.

Later that evening John went off to play tennis while I sat listening to a play on the wireless and doing yet more darning.

The following days passed in that familiar rhythm of farm life.

Laundry hung on the lines in the garden, hay was cut across the fields, and the house filled again with visitors and errands.

Jennifer went to Hayling Island with the Deans for a day by the sea.

The weather turned hot — very hot — though sometimes the sky remained dull and threatening rain.

One afternoon a cow fell ill milk fever, and we had to call the vet to give an injection. It was a worrying moment, though fortunately she recovered.

Meanwhile haymaking continued.

Six more acres were cut one day, and the fields at Flexford were busy with men gathering the drying grass.

But June also brought a disappointment.

Jennifer learned that she had failed her scholarship exam.

It was a hard moment for her — and for all of us. But there was little time to dwell on it, as her music examinations were taking place the very same day.

Life carried on.

John continued with the hay harvest while I mowed the lawn again and again as it grew faster than ever.

One day I visited Mrs St John to discuss possible schools for the children. We hoped to try to get them into a school in Southampton.

Soon afterwards I took the girls for interviews at the convent, combining the trip with some shopping in town. I bought cotton material for summer frocks — and even a length for an evening dress.

Back at home I spent the afternoon cleaning the kitchen and tying up the sweet peas in the garden.

The weather remained beautiful.

Another hayfield — the hill field — was cut, and I even sat out there in the sunshine watching the mower making the rows while making buttonholes on the girls’ blouses and John cleared nettles nearby.

Visitors appeared constantly.

Nora and Stanley called in. Doug stopped by. Mr Cross came as well.

We heard that young Malcombe West  had measles.

That evening we listened to the wireless play The Lady Vanishes.

Gradually the girls’ blouses were finished at last, and I began cutting out a new frock for Jennifer.

Though the days were warm, a cold wind occasionally swept across the fields.

Tennis at the Parkers remained a favourite evening activity.

The following week brought half-term holidays for the children.

John continued working in the hayfields while I dug up legumes in the garden and even took a few photographs of Lassie’s puppies, which were growing fast.

Joan and Les returned from their holiday and soon appeared at the house for a cup of tea to tell us all about it、

School matters occupied several days.

I took Andrew to St Mary’s College for an interview, calling in at Beechcroft to see Mother and Joan on the way home.

The dentist Eric Inge, saw the whole family one afternoon, which was never anyone’s favourite outing.

But the month also brought one very enjoyable day.

Norman and Kathleen took us to the Reading Show, where the weather was blazing hot.

It was a wonderful day out, made even better when Norman won first, second and fourth prizes for his wonderful Jerseys.

Back at home the heat continued.

One afternoon Joan and Les came round along with Tommy and Lorna Parker for eggs and bacon, and Joan brought raspberries and ice cream.

Another day I simply sat on the garden bench all afternoon finishing the endless pile of darning.

Nora arrived with her family and even brought George’s old cot for Heather.

Life continued in that pleasant mixture of work and leisure.

John played tennis frequently at Chalk’s while I worked steadily on Jennifer’s new check dress.

The heat lingered through the final days of the month.

John and I made a morning trip into Winchester and later sat in the garden sewing.

Evenings often ended with quiet walks along the lane with Joan and Les.

Gradually the ironing that seemed never-ending was finally finished.

Jennifer’s dress slowly took shape stitch by stitch.

And on the very last day of June I rose early and completed it at last.

Later Joan called in and I walked home with her while John went once again to play tennis at Chalk’s.

And so June slipped gently into summer — a month of hayfields, hot days, growing puppies, birthday parties, and long evenings shared with neighbours… as life on the farm rolled steadily onward beneath the warm June sun.