The routines of life; Gran’s first American bird; a friend – not seen since schooldays; a tree planted for Adrian; the Rector makes her day; a royal wedding; an operation for Norris; a fuel shortage and a rush on bicycles; Ricky bucks his ideas up, and Julian – “in a class of his own”.
Book 150
The Summer of 1973 passes for Gran, sixty-nine years old on July 22nd, with little change from a routine that includes an outing with Norris every Wednesday; tennis, at least weekly, which sometime does and sometimes does not exacerbate pains in her various joints – especially one hip; gardening; knitting; letter-writing; delighting in the receipt of stamps and first day covers from overseas; monthly visits from the new Rector of Compton, Mr Ovenden, to administer Communion; preserve-making, including gooseberry, and blackberry and apple jam, and enjoying hearing about the activities of her family. Ricky, she says, leaves school, is awaiting A level results, hopes for a career flying helicopters and will spend some time birdwatching on Fair Isle in September. Julian, amongst many other athletics exploits, qualifies for the final of the 5000 metres in the World Student Games, held this year in Moscow. He finishes fourth and the winner sets a new Student Games World Record.
Jane and Stuart, the Brenans, visit The Ridge and they spend much time with their children, Katie and Andy, down at the Lake. Barry, Jane Elizabeth and their boys, Geoff and Rob, are in Orkney for the summer holidays, from where, Gran writes, “they sent me an Orkney silver brooch – a deer – made by Ola M Gorie, a real piece of native craft which is really delightful”, and they enthuse about finding quantities of Scottish Primrose “which I have never seen”, she adds ruefully.
Her great friend, Mary Harding, who lives in Merdon Avenue, flies to Australia for two months to visit family there, and the Carmichaels, neighbours in Lake Road, whose garden abuts that of The Ridge, take a very grateful Gran to Aberedw in August, where, we learned recently, they are renovating an old mill for their retirement. Of the building, Gran writes, “… the old Critho Mill at Llanfaredd… not much has been done to it yet but the builders are due to start soon”. They “camp” in the semi-derelict building for the four days of the visit and Gran loves being back in Wales. Good neighbour, Ruth Kingston, looks after Mother, ninety-six years old, while Gran is away.
Book 151
Gran does not often see a bird new to her, but she does on Sept 12th. A “Red- letter Day”, she records, at Keyhaven with Norris, where they have apparently overlooked a particular bird that they were searching for:
Several people were sitting overlooking marshy pools where we had spent some time earlier and we could tell from their excitement that the object of our first search must be there now. Indeed it was – my first Pectoral Sandpiper, which had been in the area for ten days and which Brother had seen last weekend. We had excellent views as it fed amongst the grass and mud, eye-stripe and pale legs clearly to be seen. This sandpiper is a rare Autumn visitor from North America… It made my day for me…
A few days later we find a nostalgic reference to her nickname, which clearly dates from much longer ago than I knew, and which, given its spelling, seems to have nothing to do with rabbits. “I went this evening”, she says:
… to Bank in the New Forest, to a short party given by a gentleman whom I had not seen since schooldays, when he was five or six and I about fifteen… When I went into the delightful Vine Cottage at Bank, Jackie Mitchener greeted me as Bunney and told his wife I used to give him rides on my bicycle many years ago. Later, as I left, he said he did not expect I remembered the picture I painted him. I do, and he still has it and reminded me of the message on the back, “To dear little Jackie, with love from Bunney”. “After all”, he said, “you were my first girl-friend”. He was a dear little boy, this tall, elderly man, far too robust now for me to give him rides on my bicycle! The picture, I remember, was of a small, shy Scots boy, with a bunch of flowers half hidden behind his back. How very long ago all this happened and how much water has run under my bridge since then!
On several occasions Gran has recorded various charitable acts bestowed upon her by staff at the shops opposite The Ridge – shops whose presence she hated when they were being built. On September 28th she writes:
Kindness, I think, should always be recorded, and, before nine o’clock, little Anne-Marie Lewis, daughter of the V.G. Grocery manageress, came over with a large piece of fatty bacon for our birds and, when I went to thank Mrs Lewis later, she said she gets it left over every week and I could always have it. I cooked it in the oven, and from it, got a good potful of pure bacon fat for frying!
“Ricky had a wonderful time on Fair Isle”, she notes on October 4th:
… and is writing to tell me all about it, and Barry and family had been to Cley, where Geoffrey was the first to spot the Red-necked Phalarope. Ricky has an interview at Biggin Hill next week regarding helicopters, and later at Portsmouth for the Navy, so I hope he is accepted.
On October 16th, addressing Adrian as always:
It is “Plant a Tree Year” and I have accepted an offer from the Nature Conservancy to plant one on a Reserve of my choice for any particular person. I have sent my donation for a Beech to be planted at Box Hill, Surrey, for you, dear, in grateful memory. Beech was your favourite tree, I remember.
She receives a certificate confirming its planting on the 26th, and says, “… I thought this was a thing which would have pleased you. The Beech… will remain for years as a memorial to our wonderful friendship”.
On the following day:
A very exciting post for me today, from Tristan da Cunha, bringing me the first air letter to be issued there, the stamp, mint and used, to commemorate the fiftieth year of St Mary’s Church, a card from Ken and Jean [Hockridge] from Hawaii, and an announcement from Bob and Jill Andrew (Harding) of the arrival of Katherine Elizabeth. So Mary has a grand-daughter Katherine too.
Mr Ovenden visits The Ridge to give Communion to her and Mother on the 25th, “… an uplifting relief”, she says:
… and my fungus book was in the room and the Rector noticed it and said they were his main hobby. This, of course, led on to Natural History as a whole and his interest in my flower paintings quite made my day. After this, further work on the quince preserve… and the final “potting” at seven o’clock. Near disaster here when Mother came to help with the washing up and sent a bottle flying off the table on to the floor. Mercifully she was not scalded but there was a sticky mess to clear up.
November 4th:
Diana Fowler told me over the phone that the Bewick’s Swans, about two hundred, have returned to Slimbridge, and she asked me if Brother and I would report on those that come to Ibsley. This, of course, we will be pleased to do.
Ten days later: “A truly memorable and wonderful day”, Gran enthuses. She has already received her copy of the official Royal Wedding Programme, which “… will be a delightful memento of this auspicious occasion”, she says of the wedding of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips. She notes too, that it is the Prince of Wales’ twenty-fifth birthday.
I went to the post office as soon as it was open to get the special Wedding stamps and send the usual First Day Covers to Australia and Penang and, after doing the most urgent chores, settled down with Mother, to watch the amazing, beautiful and overwhelmingly touching events surrounding the Princess’s wedding.
The Princess looked very beautiful in her simple gown of white silk, her veil held in place by her Grandmother, Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s diamond tiara, and Captain Phillips, very smart in the dress uniform of his regiment.
Bridesmaids and a kilted Prince Edward, as Page, are described in detail and Gran is moved to tears by the cheering of the crowds as the couple leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace in the famous glass coach. “And all the while the November sunshine shone upon the scene and nothing could have been more perfect” she records.
Norris and Gran have a short outing on November 21st, “conserving petrol owing to the oil crisis”, she says, and the following morning, as Brother leaves for Lyndhurst and the caravan in which he lives, she adds, “… and it will be some time before we have another outing together as he goes into hospital next Wednesday”. We are not enlightened any further on the subject, but some days later we discover that Norris needs an operation for a hernia.
Mary Harding, returned home from Australia, gives Gran the news on November 23rd, that “her sixth grandchild arrived this morning. Antony and Sally have a daughter, Greta Louise, Mary’s fourth Grand-daughter”, and Gran visits her a few days later, watching, “on her colour television”:
… a beautiful film about the Spey Valley and the little railway from Aviemore to Elgin. I did not know that this, which Fairlie and I had so enjoyed in 1959, had been closed for the last six years, but part has been bought by a private company and will be opened again from Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey. What a stupid, short-sighted act to have ever closed this most attractive and convenient way to see the best of the Spey Valley.
On the day of Norris’s operation:
Mr Ovenden came this afternoon to give Mother and me Communion and afterwards greatly comforted us by offering a prayer for Brother’s recovery and has put his name on the list of Intercessions. He is a most sincere and able clergyman.
Gran telephones the hospital for news on the following morning:
… and was glad to hear that Brother was progressing favourably but I was not prepared for the phone call an hour or so later, when I was told that he could leave hospital at three o’clock this afternoon. Frankly, I was amazed and not a little scared, for Brother only had his operation at two o’clock yesterday afternoon! A Long-tailed Tit was about the garden during lunch.
That evening:
I rang Barry to tell him about Brother and he was pleased to hear from me. He is also delighted at a personal triumph! He recently acquired a book on Tortricids, small moths, one of which he had taken at Loch Morlich in the Spring and been unable to identify. He now found it in the book and not only was his only the third record for Britain but, being taken in the Spring, proved that the species over-winters in Scotland.
Book 152
Early December brings news of the family. Andrew has a new bicycle for which he has been saving. His Dad, Stuart, tries seven shops before success, Gran says, and, “There has been a rush on all bicycles owing to the oil crisis. Many garages up north are out of petrol”. A letter from Rick tells her of birds recetly seen in Northumberland, including his first Pomarine Skua. And:
Beverly likes coming to see me because she finds me so interesting in telling her about painting, Rackham, knitting and Old Times! And I thought I was in danger of becoming a cabbage! All very encouraging.
Gran has not noted my poor A level results – caused by too much time spent playing basketball and birdwatching, but she does record, on December 8th having received a letter from Jane Elizabeth, that:
Ricky has been enrolled at Casio College in Watford to work for his Geography and English A levels again and has great determination now and a liking for his teachers so I hope he passes this time. Julian has come down from Oxford this weekend and this afternoon is running for Oxford against Cambridge.
A couple of days later, James Coote writes in the Daily Telegraph, concerning this seven and a half mile race which, Gran tells us, Julian won, two minutes ahead of the second man home, with the headline ‘Goater is in a class of his own’. “Very nice to read by a doting Grandmother!” she says.
Her great friend Tommy Fowler, having recently undergone treatment for breast cancer, is in Germany and now suffering from Shingles. She seems to be having a bad time, and on December 20th Gran writes:
A long letter from Tommy this morning, laboriously written from hospital in Germany with the use of virtually only one eye, and in it the astounding statement that this was to have been a special Christmas and she wanted to give both my young families an unusual gift to the value of about £10 each and a twenty-first birthday present for Julian next month. She asked for my help in choosing these.
Tommy appears to be back home in Bassett on the following day, Gran saying:
Dear old Tommy phoned me this afternoon to talk for a while. She is allowing herself one phone call to a friend each day and I was her first. She is still improving and sounded her own self except that her voice faltered once or twice and she hurried on lest she “cry into the phone and Bob would see when he came in”.
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)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 131)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 132)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 133)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 134)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 135)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 136)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 137)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 138)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 139)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 140)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 141)
Leave a Reply