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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 122)

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Snow in April; families in tears; Scotland – postponed; a Garganey; a pilgrimage; sorting out Em; Husky Norris; two christenings; another wild place lost; a wet garden party; the gallant Manuel Santana; the “World Football Cup” and a boot and a half.

Book 112

April 9th 1966:

This afternoon, in sunshine, Brother and I went out together, going by quiet ways to the New Forest… We passed the Sounding Arch, across which Florence Nightingale used to pass from her home, Embley Park, to the Church at East Wellow (in which churchyard she is buried) but which was recently struck by a lorry which was too high for it, and it has now had its top removed, so there is no longer a passage from Embley to the Church.

They drive on the Millersford Bottom, where they leave the car and walk:

…joined by a very friendly Golden Retriever, which stayed with us until we returned to the car, sitting down and patiently waiting every time we stopped to watch birds or investigate anything.

April 14th:

A horrible shock on awakening to a white world this morning!  Yes, indeed, snow had fallen in the early hours and lay to a depth of about two inches.  It was 1950 that I last recorded snow in April and I remember a heavy fall in 1908 when I was living in Bassett.

It is National Nature Week mid-month, and Gran spends some time helping at the Natural History Society’s Caravan, set up in Southampton and also stewarding the stand there at Plummer’s store.  “It amazed me”’ she writes:

…that so few of the hundreds of people passing by were interested in Natural History and in one or two cases when children would have liked to stop, their parents hurried them on.  Having lived with Nature all my life I just can’t understand how people get along without it, specially in this age of eternal noise and ceaseless hurry. Without its peace and tranquillity I could not exist.

Cousin Fairlie arrives to spend a few days at The Ridge on April 20th, and the following day they are joined by Fairlie’s sister Marjorie Rae and her husband Jimmie, from Purton near Swindon, and also by Brother.  “We had an enjoyable and hilarious meal”, Gran writes, and in the afternoon they all visit the ailing Aunt Em.

This appears to have been a time when there was considerable government assisted emigration from the UK to Australia, and Gran hints at this on April 22nd:

…I went again to the docks to take a last order to the “Northern Star” and unfortunately met all the people coming off the ship who had been to see relatives away to Australia.  I had to fight my way up the gangway past whole families in tears and some arguing with the Man-at-arms and trying to return on board.  I had the utmost difficulty in getting to the necessary cabin.

Gran and her brother Norris have made some preliminary plans for a trip together to Scotland in the coming Summer, but on April 26th, Gran says:

Brother has to go to London on Thursday to see a specialist about a goitre, which he has acquired, and if this means an operation, our Scottish holiday may have to be cancelled.  But the main thing is to get Brother right.

And three days later: “A message from Brother told us that he goes into hospital at Hampstead tomorrow and his operation will be on Wednesday.  I hope all goes well for him”.  Earlier that day Gran had joined an outing to Nursling Gravel Pit where she heard several Cuckoos and a singing Nightingale, and also saw an uncommon summer visitor: “Standing on the mud of the opposite bank was a beautiful drake Garganey, a bird which I had only once before seen – a pair on Sowley Pond.

“…a beautiful drake Garganey” – an abundant duck in many parts of the Old World but quite rare in Britain.  Image by Nick Goodrum via Flickr.

 

Joan Adelaide Goater - her journal about Chandler's Ford.

May 7th:  “A truly memorable day and an experience I shall never forget”, writes Gran, who pens a long and detailed description of the day, including:

I left home before eight o’clock this morning to go to Winchester where I was meeting a party from Compton.  We were joining the Winchester Diocese Pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, and went by special train from that City.

There were over two thousand pilgrims on our train, each party with their own Rector, and the Bishop of Southampton travelled with us.

We assembled at the north-east corner of the Cathedral and the procession, led by the Bishop of Southampton, was greeted at the Great West Door by the Dean and Chapter.  The Service opened with the singing of the anthem “I was glad…” by the Cathedral Choir.  The whole Service was beautiful and most moving and impressive, with the immense volume of song from so many pilgrims and the lovely organ reinforced with trumpets.

Canterbury Cathedral – a fine building but unlikely to beat Winchester Cathedral in Gran’s eyes.  Image by John Fielding via Flickr.

Norris’s throat operation is a success but notwithstanding this, the planned Scottish trip still does not materialise.  Gran receives a letter from her brother, enclosing another letter, from Scotland, with this news:  “…the woman upon whose farm we were going to stay has to vacate the house and cannot take us, so our much longed-for Scottish holiday is off”.

Parts of many days during the Spring are taken up with visiting Aunt Em, who has moved back to her house in Bassett.  Gran is deeply concerned about her, and says this on May 13th:

After work I went to see Aunt Em and was very worried about her.  She cannot be left alone when Matron goes on Monday, so I went to see Dr Sleat afterwards.  He will probably send her back to a nursing home – I cannot possibly cope from this distance and she needs someone all the time.  I reached home very tired after half-past seven.

And after the next day, during which Gran deals with Aunt Em again, she adds, “This evening I played and enjoyed tennis – it is a lovely relaxation even when I am tired”.

It is a particularly difficult time for Em, and a worrying one for Gran, her neice.  She is taken back from her Bassett house to a nursing home in Portswood, where one evening Gran finds her, “…very cold and miserable – no heating in her room and nothing to do.  We are trying to get her moved to a more comfortable home in Lyndhurst”, she says.

“Brother came in this morning”, Gran writes on the 18th, “and I was pleased to see him looking much better than I expected.  His voice is still husky but he is rapidly gaining strength”.

My Great-Uncle Norris, never lost his husky voice, and it became an endearing and highly characteristic part of his character in the years to come, during which he, and I as a young teenager, often bird-watched together in the New Forest, enjoying bottles of “cherry pop” and Lyons fruit pies, together with sandwiches made by Gran.

By early June, Em has been found a suitable nursing home. Gran is somewhat relieved:

This afternoon I went to Lyndhurst to see Aunt Em and was distressed to find her very poorly indeed, though happy and comfortable in her new surroundings at Rufus House.  She has a lovely room, overlooking the Forest and is being well looked after.  A squirrel came to her window ledge this morning and there were House Martins flying round this afternoon.  The Forest was looking very beautiful except for the campers and caravanners strewn about everywhere.

No longer a nursing home, Rufus House was Aunt Em’s last residence.  When visiting her there, I was too young to understand that she had had a past life!  She lived much of it in Bassett with two of her sisters, Fan and Maud, never married, and taught in a nearby junior school.  Image by Leon Brocard via Flickr.

June 8th gives us more entertainment from grandson Andrew:

This afternoon I watched Show jumping on television and knitted Geoffrey’s cardigan.  I phoned Jane later and was pleased to hear that Andrew [who has been ill] is himself again.  Jane was telling him that he was going to see Julian, Ricky and Geoffrey, and he repeated their names, but when she said, “and baby Robin”, he asked, “In the nest?”  What a wealth of amusement small children afford us!

Natural History outings continue to take up many of Gran’s weekend days, usually with Norris, including to Slimbridge and Portland, and on June 10th she is on Steven Castle Down in the Meon Valley with Peg Eagle.  They enjoy several orchid species, including Sword-leaved Helleborines, past their best, in the wood at East End, but though, “Larks were singing above the Down” she records, “we were disturbed to see that most of it had been enclosed and ploughed up, including the area where the Man Orchids grew”.  Her beloved “wild places” continue to be lost.

Hampshire Sword-leaved Helliborines.  Image by Charlie Jackson via Flickr.

Book 113

Gran’s godson, John Fowler and his wife had produced twins in the Spring and Gran meets them on June 22nd:

…I went to see John Fowler and family who are staying at Ilfra [Tommy and Bob’s house in Bassett] until John takes up his appointment at Cranwell.  The children are delightful – it was my first introduction to the twins, now four months old.

She introduces June 25th as a disappointment:

This afternoon there was a Garden Party at the house where I play tennis by courtesy of Mr and Mrs Chalk and I entered for the tennis tournament.  Play had hardly commenced however, before rain came and it continued throughout the afternoon and evening.  The Garden Party had been opened by the Speaker of the House of Commons, Dr Horace King, and much work had gone into the preparations for it.  It was most disappointing but at least the children enjoyed the trampoline and most of the stalls were sold out.

Gran watches televised coverage of Wimbledon on  June 27th:

…in which the reigning Champion, Roy Emerson, after a heavy fall, was beaten by a fellow Australian, Davidson.  One must not detract from the excellence of Davidson’s game by mentioning Emerson’s fall, but in fairness to the loser one must admit that some of his power and zest were lost.

Two days later though, she couldn’t think more highly of Davidson’ play, writing:

The Men’s semi-finals were played and produced two fine five-set matches, the one between the Spaniard, Manuel Santana and the Australian, Owen Davidson, being one of the best, and certainly the most sporting, ever played in this Championship.  Santana eventually won and now plays the American Dennis Ralston in the Final. Ralston beat the South African, Cliff Drysdale – a good match but not so amazing and sparkling as that of Santana and Davidson, who must surely rank as the best sportsmen in the world.  I hope Santana wins the final.

On the following day it is the Ladies’ singles semi-finals, as a result of which, she says:

…the American Billie-Jean King meets the Brazilian Maria Bueno in the final.  Our own Anne Jones put up a splendid fight against Maria Bueno… In the final set she pulled up from 1-5 to 5-5 and saved eight match points before finally succumbing.  A gallant effort.

And on July 1st, she is much taken by the gracious behaviour of Santana, describing it thus:

…as I hoped, Manuel Santana became the Champion… and was a most popular winner.  A romantic note at the presentation of the trophy by Princess Marina – he kissed her hand as he received it and again as he left her.  A gallant gentleman in every way.

Manuel Santana in 2009 – “a gallant gentleman in every way”, said Gran.  Image by Beth Wilson via Flickr.

Baby Robin is christened on July 3rd at Mill Hill.  Gran and Grampa arrive in Bushey the day before, bearing gifts for Julian and Ricky – some fossils for the latter and a camera for Julian.  Gran had made the Christening cake and had it iced, as usual, by Mrs Cowper at St Cross.  It is a success.  She writes, “…there was a small christening party at which the cake was much admired and, happily, the inside was alright also”.

Back at The Ridge on the following day, it is clear that a Cuckoo has been reared nearby, possibly in the garden:

The Grey Squirrels have been in the garden today and this morning I saw an almost fully-grown Cuckoo being fed by a Hedge Accentor.  It was the incessant squawking of the Cuckoo for food which first attracted my attention.

It’s a long time since a Cuckoo, adult or juvenile, has been recorded from the garden of The Ridge.  Image by Vitalii Khustochka via Flickr.

Another christening takes place on July 17th, while Jane, Katherine and Andrew are staying at The Ridge.  “…it poured with rain”, says Gran:

…and there was one clap of thunder just as Jane and I were getting the children and ourselves ready to go to St Michael’s Church, Bassett for the christening of the Fowler twins, Sylvia Dawn and Wendy Jane.  Bob had decorated the font with white Esther Reid and pink Carol rosebuds…

July 30th:

This afternoon I watched the final of the World Football Cup.  I am by no means a football fan but England was playing West Germany and my patriotic fervour compelled me to watch.  On television of course!  England won, and I confess to a certain mistiness about the eyes as the Queen presented the Cup to the England Captain.  This evening I played tennis…

Celebrationing after the final of the “World Football Cup”.  Image courtesy of German Aczel via Flickr.

On August 14th Gran and Norris drive through a deluge of rain: “On the Lyndhurst – Lymington Road there was about a foot of water and traffic was forced to crawl along”, into the New Forest.  They make their way to Hatchet Pond to look for Bog Orchids, but:

Here I was disappointed for I had brought one size 6 Wellington boot and one size 4, which, of course, I could not get on so I could not possibly cross the drenched heath and pondside to look for the orchids.

Disappointed over the orchids we went next to Beaulieu Road to look for Marsh Gentians and, being a shorter distance to walk, I wore a Wellington boot and a half and went in search.  We found one non- flowering plant but we were so beset by midges and flies that we had to give up and make for home.

The house is being re-wired at this time, the work often continuing late at night: “…hammering from electricians until nearly ten-thirty”, she writes on the 16th, and, on the 21st, while Norris is staying there:

We had an amusing supper-time!  Having been told we must use the kitchen, as the lights were out of action elsewhere, we found them off in the kitchen also and had to use some very old candles, relics of the war!  To my chagrin, having come to bed as there were no lights downstairs, I found no light in my bedroom either so was unable to write at all.

 
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  1. So your Gran watched the World Cup in 1966. So did I and after the match, I drove from my old home in Portishead, Som. to lodgings in Bassett and I have been in this area ever since.
    I was impressed with the amount of wildlife around here, the squirrels, deer and a rookery near my first house where a very young Simon King used to film.
    All the interesting places and plants your Gran knew, I had to discover for myself.

    Reply

    • Good to read your comment Mike. The day of the Final was a major one for me too. Though Gran does not mention it in her journal, after we watched it on next-door’s television in Bushey, I, my Dad and brother, boarded a night train to Aberdeen, from where were we took the “St Clair” to Shetland. This was a holiday that changed my life, introducing me to exciting birds for the first time – Gannets, Puffins, Skuas, and an RAF chap on Unst, who was catching and ringing Wheatears. We camped for three weeks in lovely weather.

      Reply

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