January and February 1951: Snowdrifts, Snowdrops and a Pig at the Ball

Two winter months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.

By Andy Vining

The new year opened under deep snow. Before February was over, the same fields were producing hundreds of bunches of snowdrops. Between them came family illness, schooldays, dancing, farm work, birthdays, visitors, a tragic accident, young chicks in a greenhouse — and one of Mother’s most memorable diary lines: “Jolly good. Won a pig!”

1–7 January: Snow, chicken arks and the Camel Hump

1951 began with thick snow over Hiltonbury. On New Year’s Day Mother recorded that the chicken arks in the front field had to be dug out again before they could be moved. Even with the farm under snow, the ordinary work of the house continued and she managed to get the ironing done that evening while John went to Tommy’s Lodge with Les and Frank.

The following day the family travelled into Southampton by bus because the snow was still bad. A piano tuner had already called that morning, Janet went to tea with Sandy Brocklehurst, and the day ended with tea at Beechcroft. Hiltonbury life rarely consisted of one event at a time.

On 3 January Mother ordered a new kitchen cabinet from Tyrrells. John, meanwhile, bought a new seed drill and ordered a new car from Hendy’s — two purchases that neatly capture the mixture of home and farm in the diaries. Then came the fun: tobogganing on the Camel Hump, which Mother described simply as ‘jolly good fun’.

The thaw brought rain, but it also brought illness. Jennifer developed a cough, Janet went to bed with a chill, and by Saturday Mother herself woke feeling awful. She still cooked dinner before giving in and going to bed. Heather was ailing too, and Andrew had such a bad cold that his return to school had to be postponed. It is striking how quickly a lively farmhouse full of children and visitors could become a house full of invalids.

8–14 January: Washing, illness and Andrew back to school

By Monday the children seemed better, although Auntie Toss and Uncle George were now in bed. The weather was still too wet for washing, but on Tuesday Mother was up early, completed it and ironed that evening while John attended a Growmore meeting.

Wednesday brought another domestic reshuffle. Cummins was ill, John was out shooting, and Mother spent the day changing cupboards around in the kitchen. She telephoned the Beetons and learned that Les was in bed suffering from a nervous breakdown — a short diary entry carrying far more weight than its few words suggest.

The weather improved enough on Thursday for Andrew finally to return to school. At home, South’s men began putting supports in the upstairs lavatory. That evening Mother called at Beechcroft and found Betty in bed with bronchitis. The next day Bet was ill and there was concern that it might be pneumonia. Mother still went into Southampton with Jennifer for a new skirt, called at the Deans for a cup of tea and finished the day with darning.

The weekend brought the familiar stream of visitors: Mary and Ann, Stanley and the girls, Joan, the Deans and Tommy. Several relations were still unwell, but the house remained sociable. Sunday included a walk with Joan while John later went to see Les, who was beginning to improve.

15–21 January: School labels, Heather’s birthday and the Growmore cup

A lovely Monday allowed the washing to be started early. Mother visited Beechcroft, called on Marjorie West and Malcolm, ironed, washed the girls’ hair and carried on with the normal round of work. On Tuesday she went dancing at the Hall while Jennifer went hunting from a meet at Pitt Manor. That evening Mother sewed name tapes into the girls’ clothes ready for school — one of those tiny details that instantly brings the period to life.

Illness still lingered. Auntie Toss was very weak after bronchitis, although Les was much better. On Thursday Mother and John went to the village to buy some brandy for Auntie Toss. Mother then made and iced Heather’s birthday cake before darning in the evening.

Heather’s birthday was Friday 19 January. Mother went to the village, drew a chicken for Mrs Page, entertained Bunty and Ann for tea, and in the evening went with Win and the children to see Toad of Toad Hall. Her verdict was concise: ‘Quite good.’

Saturday was, in Mother’s words, the ‘usual Saturday’, but even a usual Saturday at Hiltonbury was busy. Visitors called, John went out, and that evening the family attended the Growmore dinner with the Mannings, Bucketts, Deans, Bob and Bunty. John received a cup again. On Sunday Jennifer and Julie organised a scavenger hunt around the fields, followed by yet more callers, tea, drinks and a visit to the Beetons.

22–31 January: Rotten washing days and the first snowdrops

The weather remained a constant character in the diary. Monday 22 January was ‘rotten’, with the washing coming in wet at tea time. Mrs Fullbrook then went down with flu. The next day was better: Mother went to the hairdresser, attended dancing, ironed and welcomed Bet and Fred, with Betty thankfully much improved.

A lovely Wednesday brought an invitation to dance tickets, but Mother decided against them and instead went with the Bazeley crowd to the Mayor’s Ball at Eastleigh. Her judgement was devastatingly brief: ‘Not very good.’

On Thursday 25 January the first snowdrops appear in the diary. Mother was busy cleaning while Mrs Fullbrook remained away, Joan and Les walked up, and Mother picked snowdrops before cutting her leg on a spar. The following day she cleaned the kitchen, entertained Bet and Fred for tea and recorded the day’s egg total: 118.

Frost and snow showers returned on Saturday. John went to football, Jennifer and Janet went to separate parties, and Les and Joan came to supper. Sunday was a clear frosty morning, with calls on Marjorie and the Beetons followed by a quiet evening writing letters beside the dining-room fire.

January ended with another rotten washing day, a cold foggy Tuesday and then a lovely Wednesday. Mother made Jennifer’s birthday cake, welcomed Marjorie, Mother and Auntie Bella for tea, saw Crossy and finished the month, inevitably, with more darning.

1–8 February: Parties, quizzes and Jennifer’s birthday

February began dull and wet. The Sinclairs called after a trip to Swanage, and that evening Fred’s party at Beechcroft was ‘jolly good’. The next day rain lasted almost continuously. John was busy, so Mother went to the village alone before attending a Growmore mixed quiz against the Women’s Institute. She found it ‘very amusing’.

Rain continued through Saturday, when Mother and John went to Winchester for the quiz final. Sunday was worse: wind and rain kept everyone indoors while Jennifer and Janet had colds. Yet by Monday Mother had managed the ironing before lunch and moved her usual dancing session to that day because Tuesday was Jennifer’s birthday.

The birthday itself was hectic. Mother went to the village for ice cream and other supplies, took them to Joan’s, collected Bet from her mother’s and prepared for thirteen guests. The party was a great success.

The following day John spent the day rabbit shooting and Jennifer came home from school with earache. On Thursday came sad news: Ross Smith had been killed in a motor accident. Mother’s diary records the event starkly, surrounded as ever by the ordinary business of hair appointments and work on her rug.

9–15 February: Hundreds of snowdrops

By 9 February the snowdrops had become a small industry. Mother recorded forty bunches that day before going to the village and later to a dance at the Cadena with Kath and Norman, Bob and Bunty. It was ‘quite good’.

Sunday brought more rain, but Mother, Crossy and John went out to pick snowdrops. The children and Auntie Toss tied an astonishing 138 bunches. On Monday, in lovely weather, they picked again and made up another 120 bunches. These were not just pretty flowers around the farm; they were gathered in quantity and formed part of the seasonal rhythm of Hiltonbury.

That same Monday Ross Smith was buried. The next day brought cold wind and rain, both Jennifer and Janet were home, and Mother heard that Phyllis Coates had pneumonia. On Valentine’s Day Janet returned to school and Mother went to the pictures with John and Win to see All About Eve. This time the verdict was emphatic: ‘Jolly good.’ Tea at the Deans followed.

A lovely 15 February took Mother to Flexford for still more snowdrops. She carried some to Joan, Mrs St John and to her father’s grave — a quiet, touching use of the flowers after days spent gathering them by the hundred.

16–22 February: A forgotten diary, a fresh pony — and a pig

Friday 16 February was terrible again. Mother went to the village and then Winchester, where Jennifer bought a paint set and paints. Mother also managed to leave the diary itself in Plummer’s — a wonderfully human mishap in the middle of the very record we are now reading.

Over the next few days she ironed, danced, mended John’s jacket, darned and dealt with still more rain. On a lovely Monday she had all the washing finished before lunch and the ironing completed before dinner. Roger and Mike Bazeley arrived with dance tickets.

Tuesday was rain all day, but Jennifer took Smokey out for a short trot after tea because he was ‘getting very fresh’. Wednesday turned lovely. John was busy putting cinders down on muck, while Mother went with Frank and Win to see Alf Button at Eastleigh Dramatic. It was, naturally, ‘jolly good’, and they finished with tea at the Deans.

Then came Thursday 22 February. Mother went to Winchester in the morning and bought new shoes and underwear. She walked to Beechcroft to collect Heather and called at the Beetons. That evening came the NFU Ball at Winchester.

Mother’s entire review of the night deserves to stand on its own: ‘Jolly good. Won a pig!’

There is no explanation of how the pig was won, what sort of competition was involved, or what happened to it immediately afterwards. Mother simply records the fact and moves on — exactly the kind of line that makes these diaries so irresistible.

23–28 February: Beaconsfield, chicks in a greenhouse and spring on the way

The next morning Clara laid her first egg. Bet and Fred then joined Mother for an early start to Beaconsfield, arriving around tea time. Eggs and bacon for supper were followed by a long talk in the Sinclairs’ kitchen.

Saturday was spent shopping with Mary before Bill took them out by car, almost into London and then to Watford, where Mother bought another pair of shoes. The evening was spent pleasantly in the lounge, with kippers for supper. On Sunday Mr Watson came to lunch with C. Hales before Mother started for home. Everything at Hiltonbury had apparently gone smoothly in her absence.

Back home, Crossy reported that a batch of chicks had arrived and were doing well in his greenhouse. Mother’s diary then returned to its familiar mixture of washing, darning, spring cleaning and dancing. She washed the bathroom curtains while Mrs Fullbrook spring-cleaned, went to the Hall, called at the Deans and saw Bet, Mother and Auntie Bella.

The final day of February was lovely. Mother went down to Crossy’s to see the young chicks and later attended another Growmore quiz with Les and Joan. They came back afterwards for a cup of tea.

So ended two winter months at Hiltonbury. They had begun with the farm buried under snow and chicken arks needing to be dug out. By late February, snowdrops had been gathered by the hundred and new chicks were thriving in a greenhouse. Between those two points came illness, washing, school, shooting, football, birthdays, dances, visitors and the endless cups of tea that seemed to hold the whole social world of the farmhouse together.

And somewhere among it all, Mother went to an NFU Ball in Winchester and came home having won a pig. She apparently thought that one sentence was quite enough explanation.

About My Mother’s Diaries: The series is based on the original diaries of Margaret “Bebe” Vining, recording family and farming life at Hiltonbury Farm, Chandler’s Ford. They are retold by her son, Andy Vining.