England 40 Years Ago — November 22, 1981

At the beginning of the week the butcher, Mr. Luf, handed me an envelope that he said they’d had since the Saturday before, hoping Kate would come in. Her face lit up when she saw it after school; she opened it, and her mouth dropped open when she discovered a one pound note with a lovely birthday card. She flew out of the house to go over and thank the two men and a boy who had signed it. [The butcher shop was easy to reach using a footpath. Kate often went with me and occasionally ran over by herself to buy eggs.]

This nation is changing over to the metric system faster than the US. I was looking for shoe laces and found them marked in cm only. I know what 1 cm looks like, but I couldn’t visualize 60 of them end to end. Solution: I found a ruler in the stationery department, and the problem was solved.

I was invited to a coffee to meet two ladies who live in this area. Eileen B had the get-together in Reigate not far from Micklefield school. I don’t know how she got to know the other two, one of whom has a son at Micklefield, and the other with a son in school just down Breech Lane. All three of us visitors had a toddler in tow, so the visiting was at a minimum. Did find out that the husband of one is a builder, and the other a stunt man! At the moment he is working on the Pirates of Penzance.

On a rainy day John $ had his Wellingtons on, and I was able to lure him to town by going from one puddle to another. The rector replied to my martyred air, “You’re only young once. If you jump in puddles when older, they lock you up.”

$ loves to pull cereal out of the cabinet

The day the car was in the garage for servicing was the day the assistant matron of Dunottar called to say Lisa was ill. I don’t believe I’ve ever fetched her from school in the middle of the day. Luckily I was able to call the garage to find the car was finished and return the call to the school to confirm that I would be picking Lisa up in half an hour. Had to get John $ just as he was going to sleep for his nap, walk to town, get the car, and drive to Reigate. Brought Lisa home and helped her to bed before going back for Kate. Lisa felt better soon after getting home, so it wasn’t anything serious.

I’ve noticed that in speaking of kinfolk, English people refer to their “relations.” The friendly girl who pumps petrol in Reigate said, “When I went to visit my parents, my relations drove me down.” To me “relations” conjures up a bunch of people you have to struggle to get along with, as in “keeping up good relations with so and so.” I’d take relatives any day!

When we first moved in, Catherine and Philippa told us everyone in the village is nice except the grump who runs the post office. They told us to steer clear of him whenever possible. I found that he was, indeed, a sour person; and all I do is hand him my Braille work once a month. You can imagine my horror as I went in to buy these funny brown envelopes when Kate marched up to the window. She picked John $ up so he could peer through the grill and told the man it was the first time he’d walked in the post office. I was imagining he’d keep a sharp stick to poke at little people like I’d poke at spiders, but he smiled and asked how old $ is!!! What a shock!!! Kate seems to inspire some people to be friendly when I can’t.

Pre-Thanksgiving Gathering

My brother Bob and Beth had a Thanksgiving party ahead of the official holiday. They have done this for years, so that their daughters could be free to be with other families. There were 26 of us. Since Sarah and grandson Nathaniel arrived shortly after we did, I took several photos to show them and David with Lise.

Lise took this one to include me, along with John on the left and Bob in the middle.

The family magician Rick and his wife Myra let Nathaniel try out some of the sound effects as they were setting up the show.

Rick had an empty wine glass that suddenly had a goldfish swimming around in it. He wanted us to believe he had the second fish in his mouth and appeared to spit it into the glass. I have no idea how he did any of that. The two fish came from a spring on his property and would be returned there.

I turned the camera on a few members of the audience – Julie, Michael, Bob, Nathaniel, Sarah, Lise, and Myra were watching intently.

Rick had a conversation with Einstein, my brother dressed in a white coat, mask, and wild white “hair”. Rick pointed out that wearing a mask helped tremendously when pretending to be a ventriloquist. The dialogue was amusing, enhanced by Rick’s pulling a string to make the mouth go up and down. All Bob did was move his hands.

I took a quick shot of people in the kitchen after the desserts were put on the counter. Those in the background were Martha, Don, Beth, Nathan, Lise, and Kathie. I missed getting a photo of a number of people, but it doesn’t seem to matter much, with all the faces hidden behind masks.

Following is a short video clip of Einstein and Rick:

A Correction and my Apology

Months ago there was a post in which I quoted daughter Lise as saying there were double “l”s in Philippa’s name. I dutifully changed the spelling, although it didn’t look good to me. In subsequent posts, I spelled it with a double l. This week Philippa herself liked the post on Facebook. Attention, Anne! Philippa would spell her own name correctly!!! You’ve got it all wrong!

Philippa, I do apologize for having your name wrong so many times. I’ve been thinking about it, and maybe I have the answer. I wonder if I misspelled it 40 years ago, and Lise made the statement that I used two “l”s. I should have understood two were wrong, and one was correct.

The marvelous part is that Philippa and Lise reconnected on Facebook, and that lovely girl I knew 40 years ago is alive and well in England. In this photo, Philippa is the girl on the far right.

Sadie Welcomes Lise

Sadie jumped all over daughter Lise when we came in from the airport. There was no mistaking her extreme welcome. By the time Lise went to bed, the traveler had been up at least two full days, if not more. The following morning, daughter and dog were together in a much quieter way. Neither noticed when I took the photo.

We have since been for the morning walk, and Lise gave me permission to post the photo. Family members always have veto power.

CAT’s Car Caper

CAT, a neighbor’s animal that often walks with us, had a rather exciting morning. She joined us in front of her house. John turned back at the big bend, still not quite up to walking to the stop sign after his cold. I didn’t look back until I heard him talking to her. She must have had a moment of indecision when we walked separate ways. From now on, I’ll remind John that she chose him over me.

When coming back from the stop sign, I was aware of a car backing out of CAT’s driveway. What a shock to see CAT on top of the car as it came toward me on the road! She jumped off, landing right at my feet. Being a cat, she landed upright, but forward momentum rolled her to the ground. She was up in an instant, casually walking away as if that was an everyday occurrence. The owner got out of her car, saying she hadn’t heard the cat jump off. Evidently this is not an unusual thing! I reassured her that all was well, as neighbor Bob drove down the street. I don’t think Bob saw the action. As I turned to go home, cars resumed moving, and all was right with the world. I coaxed CAT to look at me so that I would have a portrait of her before she gets run over.

England 40 Years Ago — November 16, 1981

Sorry I missed writing last week. Birthday week is always a hectic time. Nine days ago Kate had four friends spend three hours here for a party, including games and lunch. They are of an age to cooperate nicely and eat heartily, so we all had a good time.

Lise with Kate and her friends for Kate’s birthday party

Thank you all very much for all the notice of the girls for their birthdays. They both had all their cards displayed in their rooms. The real birthdays, which fell in the middle of the week, we celebrated by having them choose their menu and by having their dad home from work early.

Lisa had four friends for a slumber party. Two I know quite well – Catherine S and Caroline H – but Emma H and Janet S were new to me. All were so sweet and interesting to talk to. We feel both girls have some lovely friends.

Lise is 13. The girls’ birthdays are one day apart.

Before long I may have to arrange to shop without John $ or find some horse blinders to fit him. After I’ve put a few purchases in my basket that hangs on the handle of his push chair, he peers into it and helps himself to anything he fancies. I bought bananas; he grabbed them, and before I could think “NO” he’d bitten a little of the skin. By the time I got home he’d worked one little finger into the hole and began to fish out the banana bit by bit.

The English believe in charity and start training their children for it early in life. Every Friday at Micklefield they take up a collection for some organization. Last week, of course, was Poppy week – donations for Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day). At Dunottar various groups organize things to bring in money for their favorite charities. There have been Rubic cube contests, a game of net ball between students and faculty, and pony rides at lunch break. Adults, too, are not ashamed to walk the streets and pound on doors to raise money.

Lise, at thirteen, has decided it is the thing to run down her parents. I nearly laughed aloud at the conversation among the girls as we came home from school for Lisa’s slumber party. She was going on about how OLD her father is, and it was absolutely the wrong group to air that. The three other girls who came from Dunottar are the youngest in their families, and two of them have a sibling engaged to be married in the coming year. Caroline said, “My father is 50”, in a placid tone, and the other two said theirs are 51. End of conversation! Lisa knew very well that John just celebrated his 40^th.

Yesterday we drove through the autumn countryside taking back roads toward Arundel Castle (emphasis on the “a” as in “apple”). It wasn’t open – most things aren’t now – but we did see the village and outer walls. It was beautiful and imposing. We drove on to the sea and walked beside the pounding surf with the crisp breeze stinging our faces. Refreshing.

Saturday we invited neighbors Jennifer and Vivian for a quick cup of tea and a taste of carrot cake. When I mentioned the name of the cake, they rolled their eyes slightly, having never heard of putting carrots in cake. They decided it was edible. We were discussing beverages, and they said the reason people put milk in the cup before pouring the tea goes back to the time real china cups from China made their advent here, along with tea. The English people knew china was much more delicate than whatever they had been using, so they put the milk in first to keep the china cups from breaking from being suddenly heated by the hot tea. They pointed out that it has never been the custom to put milk in coffee first; it is always served separately.

That’s all the news for now. I hope to reply to several weeks’ worth of letters that I haven’t gotten around to before.

COVID Test Negative

The day after John and I had our COVID booster shots, he had chills. We thought this was a reaction, even though he had not had a reaction from the other two jabs. During the day he developed symptoms of a head cold that worsened for several days. He felt so miserable that he went to the doctor, who treated him for a bacterial infection and swabbed his nose to test for COVID. Two days later the result was in – negative. Whew! Lise is coming from Denmark to visit, and the virus could have wrecked our plans. I realize millions of people around the world had plans disrupted, many permanently. We are grateful for this great favor.

Meanwhile, I continued to walk with Sadie in the morning. This quirky tree, one I have walked past for seven years, seemed to be grinning at me.

John was waiting at home for results of the COVID test, so David and I drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees were past peak, but the scenery is always beautiful, no matter what the season. As the sun went down, it shown on a mountainside and high-lighted the clouds. It was about that time John texted us, letting us know his personal COVID cloud was not a threat.

New View of an old Cookbook

On Sunday I was concerned about hanging three things about my ears – mask, glasses, and hearing aids. John arranged for me to hide in the balcony to avoid having to wear a mask. For the last few months, I was able to follow the service and see the hymns using cheap reading glasses. I couldn’t see anything close without them, and the world tilted if I looked up. They were on and off my face constantly. That worked well until I added hearing aids. Without my realizing it, the wire tangled with the glasses, digging a hole in the ear. Pain! The throbbing continued to increase after I put the glasses away. Thankfully, it receded so that I could enjoy the afternoon with grandson Nathaniel and Sarah.

Glasses are out now until the hole heals. In order to refer to a recipe, I put a page-magnifying sheet on two plastic containers, with the cookbook flat on the counter. This was even better than pulling glasses on and off. I could read the amounts without touching anything.

The cookbook is 57 years old and also feeling its age. I’m glad I’m not literally falling apart, as it is. Still, we are both somewhat useful, and with care, will last a few more years.

Lovely Autumn Weekend

It was neighbor Bob’s birthday and a time of lovely colors and solid freezes. I took a photo of Bob and Shawn’s burning bushes from our deck, as well as frozen roses in our garden.

We hadn’t seen grandson Nathaniel in ages. On Sunday, John, David, and I drove to Charlotte and had dinner with him and friend Sarah at the restaurant of his choice. Sarah is from North Carolina and is studying hotel management. Conversation was lively and so much fun. The portions were generous, but that didn’t stop every one of us from cleaning our plates.

To prolong our visit, Nate chose a public park with a steam engine for us to walk and talk. The engine shows behind us in the distance, and there is a quick shot of John and David looking closely at it. I asked Sarah if anyone in her family had unusual interests. Without throwing anyone under the bus, she said one is obsessed with Legos and another is restoring an old car. Would you have an easy answer for people in your family?

We sat at a picnic table to chat until we were chilled. The observer behind us was a great blue heron, which flew away when a small child ran toward it.

My favorite photo of the bunch was not particularly good, but it showed enthusiasm and joy in the moment of Sarah and Nathaniel.

Modern Miracles

Two thousand years ago, Jesus said, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Luke 7:22

I haven’t had leprosy yet and haven’t died yet, but I’m living proof of the rest of it. Walking two miles yesterday was easy, thanks to total knee replacements years ago. In September I had 20/20 vision for a day or so. Today I can hear!

After I put the hearing aids in yesterday, I noticed the beginning and end of every word John spoke. For years it was a guessing game. Family knew to laugh with me when my replies made no sense to them. The next revelation was how much noise computer keys make. They say actions speak louder than words, but my words are LOUD as they flow through my fingers!

When my hearing was tested, I was told I needed clarity more than volume. Thankfully, my ears work together. Some don’t. Also, I didn’t know there was a genetic component. It seems appropriate that I could hear again on what would have been my dad’s 107^th birthday. I inherited hearing loss, as well as macular degeneration, from him. Happy birthday, Dad! I’m sorry your hearing aids were not as good as mine and your sight was never restored on earth.

Please rejoice with me that I can hear again. To me it is a miracle.