May is a charming name for a lovely month, I think. It was also the name of my maternal grandmother (May Elizabeth).
May Memories
memories
Care in a Time of COVID
We are beginning to think of ending the lock-down. How different will it be afterwards?
That little strand of RNA wrapped up as COVID-19 has altered our behaviour. It has shut our institutions; schools, universities, travel, industries, retail and the legal system. Health, policing, food and pharmacy remain active with some local travel.
Some of us have been able to work from home and found it satisfactory. A friend is wondering why he keeps a London office; a weekly meeting in an office hired for half a day may be sufficient. Others strive to work amid the domestic activities of children and housework. The fashion for open-plan living areas in houses has not helped.
Landmarks With Meaning
What are your favourite landmarks and why have you chosen them?
What’s Your Poison?
What’s yours? A question asked in bars around the country; whisky, gin, beer. In another context, the question is not asked, because most of us are not interested, but the answer is given at length. What’s your disease?
There is no one so proud as the, now recovered, person describing how baffling and serious their disease has been. ‘None of the doctors knew what it was; I even saw the professor and he did not know.’
I eavesdropped on one such conversation at a drinks party. The man described his symptoms well and insisted that the disease was a mystery. I interrupted and asked, did he suffer from diarrhoea and vomiting about two weeks before the illness started? How did I know? He had not realised that this was the start of the illness. [Read more…] about What’s Your Poison?
Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 3
Edited by Allison Symes
Image Credit: All images were supplied by Peter Russell
Hello again. I am Peter Brent Russell and I was a child of the Hook Road hutments from June 1950 to Summer 1955. This is Part 3 of my series on The Hutments and, this week, I will be looking at my recollections of hutment life. I will also share my recollections of the other families there.
Once again, if there are further memories/information people would like to share, I would love to hear from you via the comments section. It would be nice to fill in the gaps wherever possible.
[Read more…] about Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 3
Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 2
Edited by Allison Symes
Image Credit: All images were supplied by Peter Russell
Introduction
I am Peter Brent Russell and I was a child of the Hook Road Hutments for the first five years of my life – June 1950 to Summer 1955. This is Part 2 of my series on The Hutments and, this week, I will be looking at my family background and how we came to be at there at all.
It would be lovely if memories could be shared and if there is further information that people have, please do send in your comments. It would be nice to fill in the “gaps” especially on hutment numbers and family surnames.
[Read more…] about Hook Road Hutments and My Family by Peter Russell – Part 2
Mr Kipling – Exceedingly Good Memories
Channel 5 has recently shown the “Secrets of the Mr Kipling Factory” programme. This has triggered many people’s memories, especially those who used to work at Manor Bakeries in Eastleigh.
Our reader Jill Mayes shared her memories of Mr Kipling with us:
Watching Mr Kipling cakes. Both my parents, myself and lots of friends worked for them at Manor Bakeries at some time or other in Eastleigh. I worked off of cupcake alley and they even made my wedding cake. The test bakery cakes were lovely. My mum got a free box of cakes every Christmas until she died. 🧁🍰 exceedingly good memories.