family

Age Concern chaos; lucky Geoff; a sporting gesture; a good run in Oslo; trouble with bees; troops return; the Fowlers celebrate; peace and quiet at St Cross; Sherborne House School – 50 years old; orchids at Farley Mount; an inscription from 1890, and Spotted Flycatcher – still using the garden.

On Mid-summer’s Day 1982, Gran joins a coach trip to Mottisfont Abbey.  She is not usually one to complain, but the day leaves a lot to be desired in her view, even though she is delighted to find a Southern Marsh Orchid in flower on a grassy pathside when she manages to escape the crowds.  “The outing had been arranged”, she says:

… by Hampshire Age Concern and it was chaotic from the start, far too many old folk having been encouraged to go.  The coaches were not allowed to go into the Abbey car park, so that the approach road was completely blocked by the coaches, and the leading one had to disembark its passengers before the others in the queue could reach that point…  We were received at the Abbey grounds by the blaring of a ghastly hurdy-gurdy but after viewing the small part of the Abbey open to the public, I made for the river.

Lesser Whitefronts and a visit to The Studio; Cambridge – to be rejected; enjoying Torville and Dean; infuriated by the milkman; Eric Ashby and his “little green van”; a long walk; “Jenny’s beastly little cat”; next door has an intruder; “Mrs Hawkeye”, and the end of the Falkland Islands conflict.

A cloudy and mild day and one of great excitement, dawns for Gran on February 6th 1982, when Barry drives her to the Wildfowl Trust at Slimbridge, arriving at Rick’s home there, Moorend Farm Cottage, in time for breakfast with him, Beverly and young Tom. 

Several pages of the journal are dedicated to this visit, Gran enjoying special treatment, in particular access to bird-watching hides normally unavailable to the general public. 

She records a fine array of wild waterfowl including, within a flock of 4500 White-fronted Geese, the Bean Geese that had not impressed Princess Diana earlier in the winter, and also two rare Lesser White-fronted Geese, new to her, “… from a small hide to which Ricky took us, and, when he went to fetch some other visitors who particularly wanted to see them, I came away to make room for them…”, she writes.

Goater and Rono battle it out; a “magnificent doll” – not selected;  a day at Slimbridge; the rarest bird Gran ever saw; a “nice experience for Rick”; Christmas with the neighbours; Gran – path-beater; mittens for the VG manager, and Gran’s “little Wood Duck”.

The two families, Barry’s and Jane’s, depart Chandler’s Ford after the celebrations for Grampa’s 80th and Gran is left feeling lonely.  She says on August 25th 1981, just after the Brenans have left, “I dashed up to my whist drive, missing only the first hand and received a great welcome.  I did not want to be at home with all the family gone”.  However, Barry returns that evening, she says:

… to do some high house painting outside for us tomorrow and lured me down to the New Forest for some moth-hunting.  I was already very tired but I would never refuse such a chance so packed up some supper and left at 7.15.

Mother and son have a fairly unsuccessful time “sugaring” oak trees with treacle at Tantany Wood, attracting few moths and they return home by 10.30.  Gran, as usual, puts out food for the Hedgehog last thing, “after which”, she writes, “I tumbled, exhausted but soul-satisfied, into bed!”

House-painting is delayed until the afternoon of the following day.  Gran admits that, “Though tired, but unwilling to admit it, I accepted Barry’s offer for me to go along the river this morning and it was very beautiful, very warm, and the water clear”.  They also spend a brief time at Shawford Down looking without success for Chalkhill Blues, and Gran notes, “… the area is now so overgrown with coarse grass, the little downland foodplants have no chance”.

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 166)

“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.

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 165)

Wild daffodils damaged; “stupid” in her old age; nostalgia for lost friends; family head boys; Sherborne House School; Easter at Compton Church; Early Spiders at Durleston; a fabulous day in the Forest; a Cornish Squacco Heron; Geoff – the king of whist, and thankful memories of Adrian.

March 23rd 1981 begins badly for Gran when some of her treasured flowers are damaged.  She writes:

On going to the Post Office, I was distressed to see that some devil, human or dog, had torn off a lot of the wild Daffodils on our outside bank.  I brought in those with any stem and put them in a bowl but there were many heads on the ground with no stem at all.

Small signs of the effect of Gran’s increasing age are beginning to creep into her writings these days.  Her penmanship is still almost immaculate; just the occasional page with slightly wayward writing, and spaces left unfilled where she has forgotten the scientific name of a plant, or the surname of an acquaintance.  Sometimes she recognises the effect on her of the advancing years.  So, two days later, she says, and not for the first time, “I am getting very stupid in my old age!”  This because, she relates on the 25th:

New stamps for the year of the Disabled were issued today and I bought my usual, sending off one First Day Cover, but when I later went to stick in my mint set I found I had lost or mislaid them.

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 164)

Floods in Marsh Lane; a scuffle in the garden; “the objectionable McEnroe”; the Royal Family’s intelligence – under-rated; Andy and Katie do well; painting for others; nine mints from Tristan; a stolen painting and a lost pen; Joan Spurgin; top-class cross country running, and coverage in Athletics Weekly.

On October 27th 1980, Gran records local drizzle and says: “But we were lucky.  In Lancashire torrential rain had caused the Ribble and the Wyre to burst their banks and the road above Preston is flooded… I have been anxious about Marsh Lane”.

And later:

This evening my dear Jane phoned, guessing that I should be worrying about the family and, indeed, the Ribble has filled Marsh Lane right across, the Doulton’s house next door to Jane is flooded and water is in Jane’s downstairs in places and the carpets and other things are upstairs.  As usual, Jane said, friends are being a wonderful help, and the piano and other furniture is raised on bricks and the council has taken precautions, but she and the children expect to be baling all night.

Gran discovers the next day that it was not the River Ribble that flooded Marsh Lane but a local stream, whose sluice gates should have been opened to allow flood waters to drain away.  Minor damage is caused to the house and Jane, Andy and Katie had, indeed, been busy dealing with the problem overnight. [Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 163)

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!

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 162)

Nightingale poignancy; a lost necklace; an invasion of Habs; Squirrels at Formby; “greatest admiration and respect”; Great Reed Warbler – an unexpected treat; plates for Katie; an Archdeacon visits; unwelcome changes at Beaulieu, and high class athletics by a grandson.

Book 185

On May 9th 1980 Gran, as always, working in Fahrenheit, records that it was:

… the coldest May night this century (according to the television weather man) with a minimum temperature here of thirty degrees, this morning was clear and sunny though still cold.

Post brought “Athletics Weekly” which informed me that Julian had a good run in the 3000 metre race in the southern Counties A.A.A. representative match at Crystal Palace on April 30th.  His time was 7:58.9 seconds, only just over one second outside Sebastian Coe’s best time of 7:57.4, which he achieved the week before.

“Bird of the week” on radio this morning was the Nightingale and records were played of Beatrix Harrison playing her ‘cello in a wood with a Nightingale accompanying her, of a Nightingale singing with enemy aeroplanes droning overhead, and of the bird on its own.  I was reminded of the war days here, when, after an air raid, the “all  clear” siren sounded and we rushed upstairs to hear the Nightingales singing down by the Lake.  Alas, present day disturbance there has driven these lovely birds away from this neighbourhood.

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 161)

Back in Cornwall; what will Katie do next?; “the insufferable I.R.A.; Grampa does some pruning; an Olympic qualifying time; seeds sown by the Devil; Andy and Katie at “carthorse”; a “pretty little plant” survives; Forster’s Tern – new for Britain; Thomas Goater; cycling – “too much for me”; time wasted at the pub, and a Blue Tit acting strangely.

Book 180

On August 24^th 1979 we find Gran at Coverack, in Cornwall again, sharing a holiday with Barry, Jane Elizabeth, Geoff and Robin.  Barry is running his moth-trap and some of the family’s time is spent sitting on the beach, but on this day, she says, “Geoff and I walked towards Black Head instead of going to the beach again and I must admit that this was more in my line”.

She writes of Barry, ever the enthusiastic schoolmaster, on August 27^th:

Barry has been showing the children from the [nearby] hotel the contents of the trap and an elderly lady has been keeping a list of the species.  Today a small crowd of about fifteen people gathered and the “star” was the Convolvulus Hawk, which allowed itself to be picked up and admired, and when Barry had it he was even able to draw out its very long proboscis to show the company and the moth then curled it up again.

[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 160)