Chandler's Ford Today

You are here: Home / Community / Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 165)

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 165)

By Leave a Comment

“Rude” Tracy and “insufferable” McEnroe; a First Day Cover to treasure; The Black and White Minstrels – too loud; Joan Spurgin’s “boyfriend”; Mother’s dress; gifts on her 77th birthday; a Royal Wedding; questioned by the Police, and  Bill’s 80th.

Gran writes on June 20th 1981:  “I finished knitting the waistcoat, ironed the sixty-year old dress of Mother’s which I washed this morning and hope to wear for the Club’s Prince of Wales Party…”

June 24th:

The tour of Israel for the Lancashire Schools Symphony Orchestra has been cancelled owing to the unsettled situation there but the authorities are trying to fix up one in Switzerland instead.  Naturally Katie and Andy are disappointed but I think it is a wise decision.

The Championships at Wimbledon, as ever, provide Gran with interest in June and July, and, also as usual, she passes comment on the behaviour of some of the players.  So, on June 29th, when the number seven seed, Pam Schriver, defeats the number three seed, Tracy Austin, she says of the latter, “… as expected after her rude outburst to the Umpire in an earlier match, [she] was not a gracious loser, but Pam played bravely and deserved to win”.

July 1st:

Post brought my butterfly First Day Cover signed by Peter Scott, which will be amongst my treasures.  This afternoon I walked quickly up to the Club to join the coach for the drive through the New Forest to Bournemouth to see a performance of the Black and White Minstrels at the Pavilion.

To be found amongst Gran’s treasures.  Image courtesy of Andy Brenan.
Gran had received this one earlier. Image courtesy of Andy Brenan.

Gran describes all the flowers and birds she sees from the coach on the journey, and is pleased to note two Fallow Deer, always a reminder of her brother, Norris, resting in a New Forest ride near Brockenhurst.  In Bournemouth, she says:

… we enjoyed a very nice meal; some, including me had ham and salad, and others fish and chips.  There were also bread and butter (buttered on both sides!) cakes and tea.  Then to the show, the Black and White Minstrels, introduced by one of the comedians, who was the Master of Ceremonies… The show was very colourful and the dancing, specially the tap, was very clever; the tenor had a most beautiful voice but the music was so dreadfully loud that I had to cover my ears to make it bearable.  Even that lovely tenor vibrated to such an extent that his words were quite unintelligible.  The jugglers were excellent too, but the comedians’ jokes were mainly vulgar and suggestive and amused me not at all though there were roars of mirth all round me.  Maybe I am a prig!

The ticket for the event is kept between the pages of the journal.  It cost £1.75.

More to her liking, on the evening of the following day:

… I saw the quite wonderful semi-final of the Gents’ Singles at Wimbledon between Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, in which both players were superb and most sporting.  The match lasted three and a half hours and Connors won the first two sets 6-0 6-4, and then Borg fought back to win the next three 6-3 6-0 6-4 and so the match.  The insufferable McEnroe won the other semi-final with his usual outbursts of temper and rudeness.  I hope Borg beats him in the final on Saturday.

She watches the final but is disappointed, recording that,  “… to my annoyance, the objectionable McEnroe beat Borg to win in four sets, including tiebreaks”.

That evening she is again at Rosie’s – the friend of Bill and Ruth Kingston who live next door – for a meeting connected with the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Naturalists’ Trust.  She says: “I met Joan Spurgin again and she asked me to send her love to her ‘boyfriend’ the next time I write to Ricky!”

July 8th:

To the Club this afternoon, walking up past the Lake as always but it is largely spoilt for me, who knew it many years ago in its natural loveliness, by vandals, litter and the filth left by innumerable uncontrolled dogs – yet I feel I might miss something important if I do not go that way.

Much time at the Club was spent by the members going through the items of dress for the Prince of Wales Party there in early August but I have the dress that Daddy gave Mother at the model display in the Hotel Italia in Spitzia [she means La Spezia on the north-west coast of Italy] sixty years ago, and suitable accessories.

The Italian coastal town of La Spezia.  Image by Geoff Young via Flickr.

July 22nd:

Having overslept I was caught on this morning of my seventy-seventh Birthday just before eight o’clock by a gentle tap on the back door, and, going downstairs half dressed, beheld Ruth and Jamie bearing a lovely raspberry and cream flan, a bunch of pink Carnations and fern, and, from Jamie’s garden, a little arrangement of red, white and blue flowers.

Not only does Gran receive a number of presents and cards in the post but a parcel from Mary Harding, given to her a few days ago, and not opened until The Day, Gran says, “… revealed a very nice little Royal Wedding dish and a box of chocolates from Granny Pickford”.  And she adds:

The Royal Wedding stamps were issued today and are very nice indeed.  I bought my usual and also a booklet issued by the Post Office about the Royal Family and Lady Diana Spencer with two mint stamps, under cellophane, on the cover.

Many countries produced stamps commemorating the Royal Wedding.  Some were awful but these, from Vanuatu, Gran would have liked.  Image by Joe Haupt via Flickr.

There is considerable coverage of the Royal Family in the media at this time because the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer is imminent – all enjoyed by Gran – and she writes of a television programme on July 26th; which she calls, “… a splendid account of the Life of Prince Charles and his place in History.  He is a fine Character and will be a splendid King when the time comes”.

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

On the following day:

Ruth brought in a tiny Lizard which she had found in her garden whilst weeding.  It is a long time since I have seen Lizards round here though Barry used to play with them when he was a little boy and the bottom of this garden had not been cultivated.  They used to sit on his hand and we watched the gentle pulsating of their throats.

There is more royal commentary that evening, following an evening whist drive.  Gran writes:

Tommy Fowler was waiting for me at the end and came back with me for tea and to watch some television, mainly previews of tomorrow’s Wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.  They were interviewed by Angela Rippon and were most natural and a very creditable pair of young people.  It was a fine night and I waited up to see the magnificent firework display in Hyde Park at which the Prince of Wales lit the beacon which was a signal for others to be lit over the whole country.

The Queen, Prince Philip and other members of the Royal Family were present, but Lady Diana, as she told Angela Rippon, was “tucked up in bed for an early night”.

July 29th is the day of the Royal Wedding – “A most wonderful and inspiring day but I am at a loss to find adequate words to describe it properly”, writes Gran.

Nevertheless, she does find plenty of words to describe it, over four pages of the journal, starting with: “It left me with a full heart and an overflowing pride in being British”.  She records the “displays of loyalty and love by the thousands of people who thronged the streets”; the Archbishop of Canterbury’s words that “this marriage was of the stuff that Fairy Tales are made”; Diana’s “gown of British pure silk, softly ivory in colour with very full skirt over masses of tulle”; that “the Prince wore the uniform of a Naval Commander”; and that the “two little slips in their responses, one each, betrayed a slight nervousness” – and much more.

Gran is proud that the couple had chosen Broadlands in nearby Romsey for the first two nights of their honeymoon.  “Afterwards”, she writes, “we watched The Sound of Music and I retired to my bed, overwhelmed with emotion at the colour, splendour and pomp of this quite remarkable spectacle”.

The Wedding received worlwide coverage.  Here, the couple are on their way to Romsey.  Image courtesy of Ross Dunn via Flickr.

Grampa, Gran tells us, drives a visiting French family (apparently living in Monique Griffin’s house next door for some time, and possibly related to her) to Romsey the next day, to look around the town.  This occasions a visit to The Ridge by the Police, which Gran discovers on her return home from the Hillside whist drive in the evening.  She explains:

… when I reached home, Ruth came in to tell me that the Police had called, having found the car parked on the by-pass, and would I phone the Police Station as soon as I got home.  This I did, and they wanted to know what the car was doing there.  I explained and assured them that Bill had no intention of breaking into Broadlands where the Prince and Princess of Wales are staying.  This satisfied the Police but it was nice to know how vigilant they are.

Book 194

August 5th is the day of the Prince of Wales Party at the Club.  Gran leaves home early intending to walk to Hillside, “but”, she says:

I had a lift so arrived early.  Which was just as well, for it had been decided that we should get into our costumes before the sandwich lunch.  I was grateful for help in getting into Mother’s sixty-year old Italian dress and was very hot throughout the party.  Some of the dresses were quite fantastic and a pianist, who was also an accordionist, played accompanist to singing and dancing, neither of which appealed to me in the heat.  I changed back into my cotton dress as soon as possible.

After Gran has described tremendous storms in London on August 6th, the news on television saying that mid-day in London was as dark as midnight and “everywhere with lights on and roads and Charing Cross Station flooded”, and “Heathrow Airport operating as at night”, we are given more details of the French family staying next door at this time:

Madame Rega called and had translated for me the French account of Julian’s win in the Paris – Versailles race last year.  She called again later this evening to borrow some of our discarded blue curtains because Mrs Griffin’s are not dark enough and she cannot sleep in the light.  In France they have shutters.

Plans are underway within the family for a celebration of Grampa’s 80th birthday later in the month.  Gran writes on the 11th:

Barry phoned to ask me if I would join in a Family gift for his Dad’s eightieth birthday and this I agreed to do.  Later Jane phoned and told me that Katie and Andy went to France with the Orchestra today.  She is going to Barry on the 19th and then to Jill Brewster [elder daughter of Tommy and Bob Fowler, married to Dennis Brewster] before picking up the children at Heathrow on 23rd, when they will come on here.

“This afternoon”, she writes on the 15th:

… was dominated in my mind with the anticipation of Julian’s participation in the 10,000 metres in the Europa Cup Final in Zagreb… I sat through cricket, horse-racing, the cross country in the Horse Trials, the Emsley Carr Mile at Cwmbran and the first events at Zagreb before the 10,000  was shown, starting just before half-past four.

The first laps were fairly slow and the commentator said Julian would have to instil more speed if he had any chance, and this he soon did.  With three laps to go, with him leading, three runners broke away from the rest, and, at the bell, two passed Julian.

The cameraman focussed on the winner crossing the line, and Gran writes that “Julian, hidden from view, sped past the next man to take second place”.  She is pleased to hear Brendan Foster’s positive comments on Julian’s race and his tactics.

It seems that all of Gran’s Chandler’s Ford acquaintances, many of them by now avid supporters of Julian Goater, the international athlete, watched the 10,000 metres too, for she meets several of them over the next few days, and basks in reflected glory as they enthuse about the race.

There is more athletics on the 23rd.  It is the Inter-counties Championships at Birmingham and Gran, not knowing that Julian was due to run, and not concentrating on the television, suddenly notices:

… alone and running in great style with an enthusiastic commentary, was Julian, winning the 5000 metres in 13:39.76, which was a Championship record, beating the previous one held by Ian Stewart.

Soon after that, into The Ridge walks the Brenan family, “straight from Heathrow”.  Gran learns then that “Katie has passed her three A levels and will be going to Roehampton next month”.

“An Unforgettable Day!” says Gran of August 24th:

This being the day for celebrating Bill’s eightieth birthday with the Family Get-together, Barry and family, all very smart, arrived about eleven o’clock, followed soon afterwards by Ricky, Beverly and the adorable Tom.  Julian and Sue, unfortunately, could not get the day off.

After coffee at home, we left for “The Bell” at Brook for the Celebration Luncheon, provided by Barry and Jane Elizabeth.

At William Cecil Goater’s 80th birthday celebration. Beverly and Thomas walk with Grampa.

It is a hot day.  There is sherry in the garden, a sumptuous lunch followed by further relaxation and family chat in the garden and then a walk in the Cadman’s Pool area of the New Forest.  Most of Gran’s notes for the day concern the birds and flowers she sees.

Article series

^

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 161) Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 164) Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 167) Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 170) Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 175)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.