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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 106)

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A Spring day out; a mystery bird; mint stamps from New Zealand; Julian needs stitches; Ladybird books; the maiden voyage of the SS Canberra, and Jimmy Edwards – unintentionally funny.

The absence of Book 91 in the sequence of Gran’s journals brings us to Book 92 and mid-April 1961. It is some time since I included a representative section of the more mundane of her daily writing so I have elected now to include in full, her description of a typical Spring day out – an example of much of the work that I usually heavily edit in order to avoid repetition.

Book 92

April 16th:

Today dawned fine and bright and a Goldfinch was singing in the garden when I went to read the thermometer.  Goldfinches were also singing as I went up Hiltingbury Road to catch the bus for the B.E.N.A. outing at Alresford, and, whilst waiting for it, I was thickly showered with the white petals from the Wild Cherry trees on the opposite side of the road as they fluttered down and were borne across the road by the wind.  They were a lovely sight in the sunshine.  Wayfaring Tree was flowering in the wayside hedge at St Cross and I saw more during our walk at Alresford.  Three Grey Wagtails were chasing over the stream by the Willow Tree Inn at Winchester and I saw many more of these lovely birds also around Alresford.

The Cathedral bells were ringing at Winchester where I changed to the Aldershot bus, which left at eleven o’clock.  A Small White butterfly was seen at Headbourne Worthy and a Swallow at Itchen Abbas.  At Alresford I met a party from mid-southern Branch of B.E.N.A. and some members of Alton Natural History Society, and we soon set off along the river.  Water Figwort was flowering early, but was not, as yet, very tall.  A Chiffchaff was singing, as were Sedge Warblers, and one of these last, far from being typically elusive, perched on the top of a hedgerow Hawthorn beside the river and sang, whilst about a dozen of us stood close by and watched it.  Then it unconcernedly preened itself before leisurely flying off.  Trout came to be fed close by the beautiful little thatched cottage where we had seen them on our visit last year.

A Sedge Warbler in song.  Image by Nick Goodrum via Flickr.

We sat for lunch where a second stream joined the main one, and watched both Grey and Pied Wagtails catching insects, perching on overhanging tree branches and flying out to catch their prey and then returning to their perches much as do flycatchers.  Reed Buntings were seen and a Blackcap was singing, whilst Little Grebes courted on the placid waters of the river.  Once we heard the whinnying cry of the male.  The beautiful Willow moss (Fontinalis antipyretica) was growing completely submerged in the water and I brought a specimen home for Barry.  John Gunningham and I were ahead of the party when a move was made after lunch.

Two Redshanks got up from the meadow as we emerged from a wooded area and Goldfinches were flying about.  Another Grey Wagtail was seen on a little bridge and Larks were singing over downland later on.  Peewits were performing wonderful aerobatics in courtship flight above a herd of Friesian cows among which were some very young calves.  At the far end of a small backwater, which joined the river near the bridge, a pair of Yellowhammers were bathing, splashing and preening on the edge of the water where it ran back and ended in the field.  They looked really beautiful in the pale half-veiled sunshine.  Two Partridges got up and flew across the field with characteristic cries and away beyond the field where there must have been another stream between it and a wood, two Grey Wagtails were chasing, visible only through binoculars.  Crosswort was in flower on the bank.

I was walking slowly along the road above the downland, ahead of the main party, when John called me excitedly from the foot of the downs.  He had found a male Orange-tip butterfly just emerged, its wings still damp and folded upwards, showing the pretty green and white underside.  John photographed it and then I gently opened the wings with a blade of grass to show the orange tips.  John is just “discovering” butterflies and moths, and finds them intriguing subjects for photography.  Salad Burnet was in bloom.  We watched a Kestrel molesting Larks as they sang in the air, but both escaped by taking evasive action and descending.

The “pretty green and white underside” of the Orange-tip.  Image by Ziva and Amir via Flickr.

In a stream, fast-flowing, we found a large-flowered Water Crowfoot, which, I think was Ranunculus pseudo-fluitans; floating leaves were absent.  Beside the nearby lane, some splendid specimens of Great Horsetail were growing in groups, one of which John photographed and I brought a specimen home, in my thermos flask, to paint.  Slight rain fell, but it was not enough to cause anybody any discomfort.  A cock Bullfinch was located in the top of a very tall tree and Swallows were seen resting in trees bordering the lake, upon which were Mallard, Coot, Swans, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.  Mallard had a family of ducklings swimming along behind them and a pair of Coots had one sooty chick with them.  Swallows were flying low over the water, and Marestail was just showing above the surface.

We watched a Reed Bunting disporting itself at the edge of the lake where a garden runs right down to it, and eventually the bird perched on the clothes line, giving us an excellent view of it.  There was just time for a cup of tea before we caught our respective buses, mine back to Winchester, some to Alton and others to Aldershot and Guildford.  Near Kingsworthy I saw a Water Vole swimming across a stream and two Hares in a field.  Silver Birches were showing fully developed catkins at Winchester.  It was extremely stormy-looking here, with ominous masses of black cloud, but no rain fell and it was clearing by the time I reached Chandler’s Ford, tired but well content with the day’s outing.

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

She paints the Great Horsetail on the following day, finding it “an extremely difficult subject but a very interesting and challenging one”.

 

Great Horsetail – which proved to be a difficult subject for painting.

The missing book of her journal apparently includes a description of a pair of unidentified, yellow-hued warblers by the river, presumably the Itchen, for on April 18th, she writes, “After doing the necessary chores, I mounted my bicycle and sped away down to the river to see if my little warblers were still there”. Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps, Reed Buntings and her first Swifts of the year are noted once she gets there and then:

…to my joy, I saw one of my warblers again and was able to watch it intently for over an hour, noting further details of plumage and behaviour.  In addition to the very yellow breast and eye-stripe, and brown back, tail and wings, I noted that the legs were definitely not bluish, as in the Icterine Warbler, and the wings in flight were rather short and rounded.  As the bird did not sing, I was unable to see if it had an orange gape.  It was extremely restless, flitting up and down the river’s edge, catching insects and then flying low down into the reeds.

And when the bird crosses the river to Gran’s side, she observes all these details even more closely:

The crown was high, darkish brown, and the beak not outstandingly broad as in an Icterine.  I saw only the one bird this morning but I REALLY did see this one, and I feel almost certain that it can only be a Melodious Warbler.  I eventually dragged myself reluctantly away.

Did Gran really discover Melodious Warbler along the River Itchen? It seems unlikely, but what else could the birds have been? Image by Francesco Veronesi via Flickr.

Three consecutive days of trips out with Peg Eagle and John Gunningham follow: to Selborne, Exton (for Cowslips), and along the Itchen (in the hope of further sightings of the odd warblers).  The last mentioned outing provides Gran with her first Nightingale of the year and also, near Allbrook, fine views of:

…two pairs of Yellow Wagtails, the cocks magnificent, and, not only did we watch them chasing in territorial aggression but also on the ground, when the bright yellow plumage could be seen to perfection.

The Harding twins’ twenty-first birthday approaches, and Gran, having finished her flower painting for the Rowsells, decides to do one for Jill, and, for Timothy, she says, “I think I shall decide on a long-playing record of Handel’s Water Music, which he wants”.  The number of flower paintings she has done for her own records totals 406 by the last day of April.

Much of April 29th is spent on the downs at Farley Mount, Gran having been invited there at the last minute by Peg Eagle, and writing later, “Though I must admit that I had intended to rest a bit in readiness for my first attempt at a return to tennis after almost a year!”  She is pleased with her performance after tea, writing:

We were just four, three gents and me, and we played two close sets, which Kenneth Chalk and I won, against Mr Chalk (my age) and Peter Parker, by 8 – 6,  7 – 5.  I felt quite pleased – there is life in the old dog yet, and, with some more practice, I shall still be able to enjoy the game thoroughly.

May 8th:

A Mouse’s nest, discovered behind a cupboard in the garage, was found to consist entirely of torn-up scraps of paper, but, most amazing of all, contained in the middle a small celluloid doll!  Goodness knows how long the nest had been there, or where the doll originated.

Later that day, she receives some news of Julian, which I remember as the cause of some consternation at home in Mill Hill:

A message from Jock’s mother told me that Julian had fallen whilst roller-skating and cut his eyebrow, which needed two stitches and necessitated a stay in Edgware Hospital for a day or two for observation.  Happily it is not serious.

May 11th brings a letter from Julian himself,  “…who said he was enjoying his stay in hospital and he seemed mainly concerned with the numerous books he has recently acquired – mainly historical ones!

Julian and Ricky amassed a large set of Ladybird Books like these, including the “An Adventure from History” series with titles such as The story of Nelson, David Livingstone and Stone Age Man in Britain.  Image from The Ephemera Album via Flickr.

Much of the month of May is spent on outings to favourite spots, often in the company of friends, recording plants, collecting some to paint, and noting the arrival dates of migrant birds.  Nightingales are still to be heard in several areas; Wood Warblers are in the nearby pinewood; Turtle Doves and Cuckoos are heard and seen, but all appear to be present in smaller numbers than noted in past years.  Undertaking Evening and Dawn Chorus recording for the Glanton Bird Research Station, as she does every year, the species-list is shorter than it used to be; no Cuckoos, no Woodlarks, no Tree Pipits and no Nightjars being heard.  Watching newly arrived Reed Warblers along the River Itchen, mid-month, Gran is convinced that her mystery yellowish warbler there was not this species.

She continues to derive much pleasure from her stamp collection, writing on the 13th:

This morning’s post brought me an exciting surprise from my brother-in-law Norman, who lives in New Zealand – a complete mint set of the latest stamps, from ½d to £1, depicting native flowers, agriculture and native emblems.  Very beautiful.

Some of Gran’s early 1960s stamps from New Zealand – franked and mint. Image courtesy of Andy Brenan.

And work for Fowlers often takes her to Southampton and the Docks.  On May 25th she sets eyes on a new ship that is to become familiar to many of us:

This afternoon I went to the New Docks deliver on the “Windsor Castle”… and saw the “Canberra”, who sails on her maiden voyage on June 2nd.  I do not yet know what she is like inside but her outward appearance is not, to my mind, very attractive.  She has strange funnels, set side by side and shaped like the heels of a woman’s shoes, which give her an odd, rather undignified look.  But we shall see what her inner appearance is like on June 2nd.

The damaging effects of a late frost on the night of May 27th is clear on Rhododendrons, Azaleas, potatoes and other plants in the garden of Coles House, in the village of Privett, owned by Lt. Colonel Nicholson.  Jane (in the south for work) drives “us”, presumably Gran and Grampa, there on the 28th, when it is open to the public, her mother recording that it was a beautiful garden.  Gran is excited to find, later that day on Exton Beacon, many Man Orchids in flower, “splendid and beautiful ones”, in a place where she had not previously known them.

The afternoon of June 1st and much of the following day is spent first packing flowers for the Canberra’s maiden voyage, and then delivering on board, “This gave me a chance to see over the ship”, she writes:

…and, I must admit, that, in spite of her unprepossessing exterior, she is very nice indeed inside and the cabins are nicely arranged around little “courts” with window seats, where passengers can sit, and very attractively furnished, with divans instead of the usual bunks, which appear only in the three- and four-berth tourist class.  There are eight decks and the stairs become steeper and steeper as one’s exhaustion grows!

I managed to get a Maiden Voyage Souvenir Brochure for Julian whilst I was on board and this pleased me as my visit to Mill Hill this weekend is cancelled.

The SS Canberra – Gran was not sure about her funnels but found her interior “very nice indeed”.

On June 3rd, Jane again takes “us” on a drive, this time to Cowdray Park to watch polo being played.  Gran is amused:

A chukka was already in progress when we reached the polo ground and our attention was immediately attracted by an extraordinarily funny figure on one of the ponies.  Admittedly he was an excellent horseman and a useful polo player but a real figure of fun – rotund, short-legged and bouncing on the pony as if he were weightless. The funniest part of it all was that now he was not meant to be funny and I found him so, yet, when we discovered that he was no less than Jimmy Edwards, the Radio and Television comedian, I realised that in this role I do not find him humorous at all!

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  1. Another delightful and insightful read. I am looking forward to finding out if my dad remembers receiving Handel’s Water Music 🙂

    Reply

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