A rare bird in the garden; Evonne – Champion again; valuable Rackhams; Corwen memories; a cold July; seventy-six years young; “my little Budgie, Peter” – dead; memories of Gilbert; a spectacular opening ceremony; no sign of the Killdeer, and an “adorable” great-grandson.
On June 30th 1980, Gran watches tennis on television with some pleasure, writing:
Play at Wimbledon started at noon again today… there were more excellent matches and results were much as to be expected except that Britain’s last hope, Virginia Wade, was beaten by the American fifteen-year old, Andrea Jaeger.
“But”, she says, “My main pleasure had already taken place!”
We have read once or twice of her encounters with the Wryneck, a rare woodpecker-relative once fairly widespread in the south, and on this day she has another one:
Looking into the garden instinctively from the television, I saw what I at first thought was a juvenile Green Woodpecker feeding on the ground by the Silver Birch on which the nearest nesting box hangs. Closer inspection, however, proved the bird to be a Wryneck, which was feeing in characteristic manner, on ants, I expect. After it flew across the bottom of Kingstons’ garden, down the Kingsway ones, I got out the Handbook and identification was absolute. I have only ever seen three Wrynecks, including this one, so it is a splendid record. I phoned Barry this evening to tell him and he was amazed and pleased. Geoff has yet to see his first!

Wimbledon events attract much of Gran’s interest over the next few days; she is pleased to see “her favourite”, Evonne Cawley reach the final by beating Tracy Austin, and notes on July 3rd that the current Wimbledon Ladies’ Champion is defeated by Mrs Chris Evert-Lloyd, “who has won the title twice herself”. And she is delighted with the result of the rain-affected Ladies’ Final on the 4th:
… Evonne played superbly to win the first set at 6-1… Rain stopped play for nearly an hour when she was leading 1-0 in the second set and when it resumed she seemed to have lost some of her fluency and Chris pulled up to a tie-break. In the end, by 7-6, Evonne was the extremely popular winner. She is a most beautiful and graceful player to watch and is always good-tempered. She last won the title in 1971, and since then has reached the final twice before and is now the mother of a three-year old daughter.
She is not impressed with John McEnroe’s on-court attitude during his Semi-final with Jimmy Connors that afternoon, which he wins, but the five-set, three and a half hour Final on the following day, between himself and Bjorn Borg, she says, was a superb match, with set points saved, incredible “come-backs” and great endeavour. Ultimately, she writes:
Borg won the fifth set and was Champion for the fifth time in succession, a record. McEnroe had behaved in an exemplary manner on court for once. And had fought so gamely that I actually felt sorry for him when he lost, though I had wanted Borg to win.
Wimbledon over by July 6th, Gran returns to more mundane activities; writing letters, making gooseberry jam, and then more jam, with black currants received that day from Ruth next door, and listening to the radio, “until”, she says:
…it was time for the “Favourite Hymn” programme which started with the twenty-third Psalm sung to “Crimond”, which, since Stuart’s funeral, I find almost unbearable though so beautiful. It will be two years on the eighteenth of the month since he was killed in France.
July 8th:
Yesterday Helen Bennett sent me several magazines which included the April edition of “The Tattler”, and this morning I saw an article on Arthur Rackham, which said he was supreme as an artist, his delicate and imaginative illustrations of many books for children and adults bringing him many admirers. I have done this, and collected his books for sixty-six years and the article also contained the staggering statement that his signed editions, which could at first be purchased for about £1., are now worth £1500! I have three, and a much-prized letter from Rackham himself, with a sketch which he told me to stick to my “Book of Pictures” with his best wishes for a Happy Christmas. This was in 1935.

She takes the article and her Book of Pictures to show Barbara Smith, in Kingsway, that afternoon, and she says of Barbara that “She had to go out soon after I saw her, so I have left them for her to look at, at leisure. There are not many people with whom I would leave my Rackhams!”
Ruth Kingston gives Gran more fruit a week later, and Gran writes that she had coffee with her, adding:
Bill and Jamie [father and young son] asked me what I did when I was a child. Amazement all round when I told them of our various escapades in Corwen with the six cousins. How lucky we were and what fun we had! Today’s children get completely bored when there is nothing to watch on television and have little initiative for amusing themselves.
And on the following day:
… I went to see the Kingston family and to take them the old Corwen photos that I had promised to show them. They were much amused by the Highway-men and Scottish soldiers, with which we occupied ourselves as youngsters.
By this, Gran means they dressed-up and role-played, rather than cavorting with real highway-men and soldiers!


She finds plenty to engross herself on television on the 15th, and she has a tear in her eye watching:
… the beautiful and moving Thanksgiving Service at St Paul’s Cathedral for the eightieth birthday of our beloved Queen Mother, whose Day is August 4th. Most of the Royal Family were in the carriages which went from Buckingham Palace to the Cathedral and the Queen had changed the Rule of Precedence to honour her mother by allowing her to leave, with the Prince of Wales, last in the procession and she and the rest of the Royal Family waited on the steps of St Paul’s to welcome her.
Further interest on television is provided on July 19th. Gran watches exciting golf; the Open Championship at Muirfield, and then the opening of the Olympic Games in Moscow. “This last was very spectacular”, she writes:
… but seemed very false in view of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan and the boycott of the Games by several countries. The British team, there against the advice of our Government, did not join the parade and our only representative carried the Olympic Flag instead of the Union Jack. The whole event was a farce and medals won without some of the top competitors will scarcely be worth having and certainly not representative of top achievement. I am glad Julian is not there, though I regret his shabby treatment by the selectors.
Gran continues to record the local weather on a daily basis, but she has more than usual to add on this subject on the 20th, quoting from the newspapers:
… this July may prove to be the coldest for three hundred years and the present weather is blamed on a dust cloud over the northern hemisphere which is blotting out the rays of the sun. Speculation suggests that it arises from the devastating volcano eruption in America. This weather is forecast to continue for the next few days, even with snow on the Scottish mountains!

“I am seventy-six and I feel nowhere near that age, and it has been a lovely day…” she begins on the 22nd. Letters and cards with good wishes arrive, and in the afternoon she is at The Old Folk’s Club for lunch and a whist drive, and she is no doubt pleased yet embarrassed when “Happy Birthday” is sung in her honour.
Barry and Geoff take her out to the New Forest for a long afternoon on the following day. They visit Holmsley to look for Bee Hawk-moth caterpillars, then to Cranes Moor for Great Sundew; towards Brockenhurst for Dartford Warblers, and thence to Ladycross for more caterpillars where the day’s highlight is a Honey Buzzard flying over. Gran sees and records much besides – so much so that she is unable to finish the write-up of her notes at the day’s end.

However, there is poignant sadness for her a few days later:
A fine sunny morning but I was much saddened on coming downstairs to find my little Budgie, Peter, dead in the bottom of his cage. I know Budgies do this, but he was in perfect condition and quite well last night, and I also know that he would have died years ago if I had not found him starving in the snow and cared for him, but the sorrow remains. I buried him in the garden.

That evening she watches the heats of the 5000 metres in Moscow, noting with some satisfaction that “… nobody ran anywhere near Julian’s best time”. And on the following day, looking up her records, she says:
I do not feel so badly about Peter since looking for the date when I found him in the garden and finding that it was March 2nd 1970, so he had over ten years of comfortable life with me. It does not seem possible that it was so long ago.
Book 187 missing.
Book 188
Gran misses but remembers with great gratitude, her friendship with the late Gilbert Whitley and she still writes letters to, and receives replies from, his niece and her husband (Pam and Lazaros), in Greece, and his sister, always referred to as “Marjorie (Australia)”, in her journal. On September 29th, one of Marjorie’s letters arrives, “enclosing”, Gran writes:
Stamps and the cover from the latest publication of Gilbert’s books and papers on “Fish” in one volume. There is on it a splendid photo of Gilbert and a glowing account of his work and a tribute to him saying that he is still regarded as the outstanding authority on Australian fish and still his work is referred to in all “fishy” matters. I am proud to have been amongst his oldest friends.
She continues with more news of her day:
… I walked down to the Art shop near the station to try for Indian ink and blue paper with which to cover more of our journals. I collected my bicycle from Lathams’ where Maureen had left it to get a puncture mended and cycled home, except in Kingsway Lane and the Lake, where cycling is prohibited.
She ends the day’s entry in excited tones, having been told by Barry that a rare American wader, a Killdeer, is at Keyhaven, and he will pick her up tomorrow in order to try to see it.
He arrives after lunch and they end up having a fruitful time on the coast and in the Forest but the Killdeer has departed and is not seen that day. Barry remains at The Ridge until late that evening, having watched two television programmes, one of which, Gran says, “… was about the Blaneau Ffestiniog railway, upon one of whose engines in 1936, he and his cousin Brian Rae had stood, on the footplate at Tan-y-Bylch Station”.

She receives mail on October 1st: a returned pullover, knitted for Ricky, but which is too small for him, a letter from Beverly with his current measurements, “and news of Thomas and their new home at Slimbridge, where, “the first White-fronted Geese have arrived”, she notes.
Golf appears to have become a new interest to Gran, for she keenly watches the televised Dunlop Masters Tournament at St Pierre, on October 5th, saying that it:
… was very exciting and was won for the first time by a West German, the young Bernhardt Langer, with a score of fourteen under par, a record for the course, and our Brian Barnes was second, five strokes behind.
Two days later she attends, as she says, “the first meeting for a very long time, for me, of the Southampton Natural History Society, being taken by David and Madge Goodall. David was giving a talk on fungi…”
The afternoon of the day after that sees her at “The Club”, where she reports:
…the entertainment was most enjoyable. It was given by the boys of Winchester College, sketches – very clever, recitation, piano and singing, the principle singer with a beautiful voice and excellent manner, being Justin Joseph, who also helped to lead the singing in which the audience sang and performed actions and choruses to his direction.
Gran, herself, would certainly not have sung, and I think would have been unlikely to perform the actions either.
“A Red-letter Day!”, Gran enthuses on the last day of October but this is not, for once, because of natural history excitement. She writes at length about her first great-grandson Thomas, who has been brought from Gloucestershire in the company of his parents, his great-aunt Jane and her two: Andy and Katie. She says:
Tom is absolutely adorable and friendly towards everyone, his little face so alert and his great, dark eyes taking in everything around him. For dinner he sat in the family high chair and enjoyed the same as was had by all, and I nearly burst with love for him.

Everybody, adjourns to Farley Mount for a walk after dinner: “a perfect afternoon”, says Gran, adding:
We stopped in Hursley on the way home to buy Lardicakes, which the family always enjoy, and I was glad I had made shortbread because Andrew said he knew it would be here for tea! Afterwards, Ricky and I took Tom round the garden and took him in to see Ruth, who took the little black Rabbit out of his hutch for Tom to stroke… All too soon it was time for them all to go back to Slimbridge, where Rick is thoroughly enjoying his job…
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)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 142)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 143)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 144)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 145)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 146)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 147)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 148)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 149)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 150)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 151)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 152)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 153)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 154)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 155)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 156)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 157)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 158)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 159)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 160)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 161)
- Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 162)
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