Snowdon’s treasures; a long drive home – “all honour to Brother”; Tibby brings tickets; Rosewall and Taylor on Centre Court; the Prince of Wales – “a very fine young man”; the Hockridges return; bulldozing on Farley Mount; power cuts, and a rare bird on Portland Bill.
It is June 1969 and Gran and her brother, Norris, are holidaying together in North Wales. We are treated to 78 pages of records, almost entirely of plants and birds seen during a fortnight of daily expeditions into the countryside. Most evenings at their guesthouse, run by Mrs Jones, are convivial affairs, with chat to locals, and to other holidaymakers in the kitchen. The highlight of their time in Wales occurs on June 10th, when they meet Evan Roberts, described by Gran as “the local botanist and Warden of Snowdonia National Park” for a trip up Snowdon itself. The drive to meet him involves, Gran says:
…an enormously steep and rough road to the point where we started our climb. We had allowed a Sunbeam car to go ahead of us and, when we pulled up to park beside it, the driver said to me, “Fancy you getting up here in that thing!”
She, with a smile, tells him not to be so rude!
Snowdon surpassed all my wildest ideas and I was quite unprepared for its craggy, wild magnificence, and surprised that the lower slopes were almost devoid of flowering plants. All that excitement came later… I shall never forget the wonder of the scene around us and the sheer joy of being in such a place with such congenial and kindred companions.
The cliffs were our main objective, for, though from the distance they appeared to be only barren stone, there grew upon them some of the plant treasures of Wales, and we soon found Thrift, looking extremely incongruous in such a setting, Roseroot, and, the main reason for the expedition, the beautiful little Snowdon Lily Lloydia serotina…
A few days later Gran sees her first Black Grouse, and on two occasions she watches Choughs, also new to her, “…and we had a quite fantastic view of one of them as it walked about, probing at small grassy mounds, showing the curved red bill to perfection”, she records enthusiastically. Ring Ouzels, Whinchats and Pied Flycatchers, the latter so recently warranting a special trip into the New Forest, are seen in numbers.
Their time is not entirely spent “in the field”. On the 16th:
We went first to Corwen to get some postal orders to send away to Caernarvon Post Office for first day covers to be sent on the Investiture of Prince Charles… We were very disappointed to find that the Pandy Woollen Mills had closed down a year ago so I was unable to get the skirt lengths of tweed which I wanted for Jane and Jane Elizabeth. However, I was successful in Bettws-y-Coed, and found two very pretty designs, blue for Jane and green for Jane Elizabeth.
They leave Wales on Midsummer’s Day. Gran says, “The parting from Mrs Jones, who had done so much to increase our enjoyment of this incredibly wonderful holiday, was not easy, and had she given way to her obvious emotion, I, too, should have burst into tears!” and as they leave such familiar country, Gran nostalgically writes:
…we saw the old Berwyn Arms Hotel, where we used to have a meal after we had walked over the mountains from Corwen in the old days. We passed the turning to Vivod, where we used to go to sheep-dog trials… we saw old Berwyn Station, so beautifully close to the Dee and well-remembered, and soon we were passing through Llangollen… the way seemed long to Pattingham…
… where they were “to have lunch with Jane and family, before continuing our journey”. On arrival, they “… found Andrew in the garden and Stuart in charge whilst Jane had taken Katherine to dancing”.
Gran and Norris arrive at The Ridge before eight o’clock that evening, Norris extremely tired after all the driving. Gran sums up:
We had travelled one thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine miles, used thirty-two gallons of petrol and all was done with only one slow puncture on the way up to Wales. All honour to Brother, and the dear little old “banger” and thanks to Mrs Freestone, who made this holiday possible.
There is no further information in the journal about this last point. Perhaps Mrs Freestone, Gran’s grateful neighbour a few doors along in Hiltingbury Road, had paid for Greaty’s stay in the Bonhomie Holiday Home, while brother and sister had their time away. Next morning, Gran writes:
Brother and I were not very early rising this morning but there was not very much for us to do. Tommy brought Mother home just before lunch and things were rapidly back to normal – an anti-climax, I fear, but memories of our lovely holiday will long be with us.
It is Wimbledon fortnight. On the 24th:
Barry’s friend “Tibby” brought me three tickets for the Court No 1 at Wimbledon tomorrow, as he could not use them himself. I took them to Tennis with me this evening and Lilian Chalk is taking Annaliese Morgan and me up by car, leaving here about eleven o’clock. What a delightful surprise. Dear old Brother is sitting in for me.
“I have been to the Tennis Championships many times but the excitement never grows less and I have never seen so many cars in the car parks”, she writes upon arrival… “We had quite a long walk to court No 1 but we had excellent seats and saw some wonderful matches”.
They watch singles between Tom Okker of Holland and el Shafei of the United Arab Republic, and between Fred Stolle of Australia and Bob Maud of South Africa. “I sat glued to my seat from just after two o’clock until eight”, she says, then adds, that as they were leaving:
…Annaliese had never seen the Centre Court, so we went up the stairs for a peep. Ken Rosewall was playing Roger Taylor, and when an official told us we could go in and sit down, who could have resisted it? Rosewall won in straight sets.
She watches more tennis, televised, on the following day, as well as some cricket:
…partly with Robert Johns, Barry’s ex-pupil, who came to see me. He has finished his studies at Southampton University and has obtained his degree in Chemistry and will be leaving in a few days, after the Presentation Ceremony.
Robert Johns, at Dad’s suggestion, had visited Gran on numerous occasions during his three years at University, seeming to enjoy the relaxed “comforts of home” at The Ridge, especially when suffering difficult homesickness shortly after starting his course.
That evening, she watches more television: “I saw and heard the Prince of Wales in a Television Interview and realized anew what a very fine young man he is. We can all be justly proud of him”. Prince Charles is to be Invested as “Prince of Wales” in a few days’ time, and on the day preceding this, Gran, the ardent Royalist, says this: “May God bless him and protect him, and all the Royal Family, from the small minority of Welshmen who do not welcome him”.
July 1st:
A memorable and inspiring day, one to be remembered with deep pride and thankfulness always… A set of fine new stamps was issued today to mark the Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in the precincts of Carnarvon Castle, and I obtained my usual number and sent to Australia and Malaysia.
This afternoon was spent entirely watching the gorgeous and moving ceremony in which the Queen invested her son, Prince Charles Philip Arthur George as Prince of Wales, and he pledged his loyalty to her. He also responded in Welsh and in English to the proclamation of loyalty to him of the Welsh people, and the cheers when he was presented to them filled my eyes and heart with tears. The very few dissenting actions and voices were soon drowned and the perpetrators set upon, and there were no incidents to cause any real anxiety.
I join wholeheartedly with the song of the Welsh people, “God bless the Prince of Wales”, and may He always protect this extremely likeable and sincere young man.
Seven of Gran’s journals, which cover the second half of 1969 and all but the final month of 1970, are missing at this point. We take up her story on December 4th, and it appears that she has been feeling unwell:
Book 132
I went to report to the Doctor this morning that so far I have had no further pain, and I am to see him again next Friday. I asked him about one’s greatest fear, cancer, and he said highly unlikely, so I felt somewhat more optimistic.
Her ailment, whatever it is, seems to have caused some concern in the family for she receives kind and sympathetic letters from daughter Jane and also Jane Elizabeth. The latter, she says, “…lifted my sprits tremendously and, combined with the fact that I have felt better these last two days than for several months, dispelled most of my recent depression”.
On the afternoon of December 8th, she and Norris visit Selborne to buy Christmas presents at the shop there, run by Mrs Mallinson, a valued acquaintance of theirs. “…we had a good browse amongst the tempting treasures”, writes Gran, and:
I bought two records of birdsong for Stuart, a guidebook to the seashore for Brother, a nature birthday book for Diana and a Peter Rabbit painting book for Claire. We also bought a book token for Margaret.
“Claire” is Claire, one of the Hockridge family daughters. It appears that Gran’s erstwhile neighbours have returned from Canada to their house next door, for there are several mentions of, not only Claire, but also of her sister Anne, their “Daddy”, and mother, Jean. Gran will have been delighted by their reappearance.
She spends another enjoyable day with Brother on the 9th. They visit Farley Mount, well known to them and loved since childhood. The place rather depresses her now:
Sadly for naturalists, Farley Mount is being made a National Park [sic], and, whilst it has for long been useless to us during weekends in the Summer, today our lovely stretch of downland was being bulldozed and a road cut along its full length leading to a car park by the Ashley turning. Added to this today were army training manoeuvres, with camouflaged soldiers around.
Nevertheless:
Our greatest excitement was when we saw a pair of Cirl Buntings on the top of a Beech tree which had shed all of its leaves, and the birds were in full sunshine. The cock was absolutely magnificent and neither Brother nor I had seen Cirl Buntings for several years.
That evening, Norris takes Gran to Lyndhurst to see, “excerpts from Eric Ashby’s latest films at the Community Centre”. She adds:
We have been having Electricity power cuts owing to a go-slow, work-to-rule or some such, and stretches of the road were without lights so it was with some misgiving that Eric Ashby showed his films…
However, the films are shown without interruption. But, on the way home:
Lights were on everywhere until we reached Chandler’s Ford, where there was a complete blackout and we ran into thick fog on Hut Hill. I cooked our supper by candlelight and we ate it by the same in the kitchen. We then went to bed, there being nothing else we could do, but we did not mind. We had enjoyed another wonderful day…
December 13th:
Ugh!. Wakened at half-past one this morning to find one of my water bottles leaking and the bottom of my bed soaked! I stripped the bed, took my favourite pillow and remaining hot-water bottle with my clothes for the morning and spent the rest of the night in the bed which Brother occupies on Tuesdays.
Norris now routinely visits every Tuesday, at least for lunch, but often staying the night. They visit their Aunt Em, clearly ailing, in Lyndhurst two days later:
Dear Aunt Em was very poorly and vague but very glad we were there. The only coherent speech she managed was, as we were leaving, “Come again soon, I cannot manage without you”. We find each visit more distressing but very worthwhile. This evening I played badminton and enjoyed it as always.
She plays badminton again on the following day and records two other pleasurable moments: “Mrs Doncaster called with some beautiful Pernettya berries, some pink and some red, and these I now have in my room”, and:
I forgot to mention last night that a little girl came carol-singing and was singing the lovely “Silent Night” when I opened the door. I asked her to finish it for me, which she did. She had a very sweet little voice and looked about twelve years old.
“Returning from post” on the 19th, she says:
I spoke to Mr Oury, the florist, and he offered me a part-time job when he extends his shop in the New Year. He told me to think it over. I am very tempted for it would be very convenient, and I could manage an afternoon or two each week and an occasional evening when he was pushed. It would be lovely to get among the flowers again.
December 20th:
Barry brought Julian down from Bushey this morning and they arrived just after eleven o’clock. Soon afterwards, Ricky came in, having cycled from Bushey to Basingstoke yesterday and finished the journey by train because of an extremely strong headwind. Julian had dinner with us but Ricky went to his Mother’s.
A new friend of mine and Dad’s, and a keen birder, Phil Vines, had just given me news of two vagrant bird species in Dorset, and December 21st marks the start of my lust for rare birds. Gran records it: “This morning Barry went up Farley Mount and Ricky set out by train for Portland, where two rare birds had been seen”. And later, “Ricky returned from Portland in high glee, having seen both the birds, a Richard’s Pipit and a Desert Warbler… He had also seen numerous Bearded Tits at Radipole near Weymouth”.
That Desert Warbler was the first record for Britain.
Article series
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 1)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 2)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 3)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 4)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 5)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 6)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 7)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 8)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 9)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 10)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 11)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 12)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 13)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 14)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 15)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 16)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 17)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 18)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 19)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 20)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 21)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 22)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 23)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 24)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 25)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 26)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 27)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 28)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 29)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 30)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 31)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 32)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 33)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 34)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 35)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 36)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 37)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 38)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 39)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 40)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 41)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 42)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 43)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 44)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 45)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 46)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 47)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 48)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 49)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 50)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 51)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 52)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 53)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 54)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 55)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 56)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 57)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 58)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 59)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 60)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 61)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 62)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 63)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 64)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 65)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 66)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 67)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 68)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 69)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 70)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 71)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 72)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 73)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 74)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 75)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 76)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 77)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 78)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 79)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 80)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 81)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 82)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 83)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 84)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 85)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 86)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 87)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 88)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 89)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 90)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 91)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 92)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 93)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 94)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 95)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 96)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 97)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 98)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 99)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 100)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 101)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 102)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 103)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 104)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 105)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 106)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 107)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 108)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 109)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 110)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 111)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 112)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 113)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 113)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 114)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 115)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 116)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 117)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 118)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 119)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 120)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 121)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 122)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 123)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 124)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 125)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 126)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 127)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 128)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 129)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 130)
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