England 40 Years Ago — November 2, 1981

Kate had last week off for half term, and Lisa got only half Friday and Monday. One day Kate and I set out for Bodiam Castle in East Sussex. This castle was built in 1386, was probably burned during the civil war and gradually decayed for 200 years until it was cleaned up and presented to the National Trust. It’s a compact fortress surrounded by a lovely moat. After we walked through and around it, we tried to get home on small roads. Took forever, but it was fun.

Kate enjoyed being outside working with Mr. Clewes. He was able to get her to practice her violin by telling her he was sure she couldn’t really play a tune. Another day she went to the office with John, staying the full working day. She was really tired when they got home and chose to stay at home the following day just diddling around.

John took Friday off, we pulled Lisa from school, and off we went to Paris for the weekend! The first fun thing was riding on the hovercraft across the Channel. We just looked at each other as our “flight” was called. They always referred to it as flying! The vehicle takes about 25-30 cars and extra foot passengers. The loading is relatively quick. Passengers leave their cars being lashed down by the crew and go to either side cabin to sit in airline type seats. Hostesses ask each adult if they wish to purchase anything from the duty free shop and bring your items to your seat. Kate and I decided to go to the loo and understood why they urge you to remain seated most of the time – it’s almost impossible to walk! The girls who work in the craft are used to it. John says they have their sea legs. They trot up and down the aisle with little difficulty while Kate and I lurched the few steps we walked.

The hovercraft is about as noisy as a prop jet. After the engines rev up, it slowly rises up in the air and slithers off the sloping ramp onto the water. I think all of you would enjoy it, with the possible exception of Julie and Chrissie. The return flight was rough because the sea was not calm, but we just enjoyed being bumped around. It could be compared with flying in an airplane through turbulence. It took half an hour to go over and 45 minutes to return, and the fare has been reduced so that it is the same as going on a regular ferry.

We were surprised at the openness of the countryside on the way to Paris. It is empty land! All is farmed or used for industrial purposes, but there are few towns and only a few houses in sight from the highway. The city itself doesn’t seem to be surrounded by suburbs like most cities we’ve seen; you’re in the country, and then suddenly in the city. The traffic was something else again! It took hours for us to work our way to the hotel near Orly Airport, and this was at 3 in the afternoon. After we settled in the hotel, we decided to take a drive toward the city while waiting for the dining room to open. We figured the traffic couldn’t be heavy on the way in and past rush hour. It was. We found ourselves squeezed along with the crowd before trying to make a block and reverse our direction. One block took half an hour. That is not an exaggeration! We were so glad to find the hotel again, though we’d wanted to eat in an outside restaurant (by outside I mean not at the hotel, not outdoors). We ate, put down a tired little boy and went to bed ourselves.

Saturday we had a later start than planned, but did get in Versailles to see the Palace. What opulence! The innards are all marble, gold, mirrors, chandeliers, and paintings. It boggles the mind that a few people could live in that way when the rest of the country was in abject poverty. No wonder they parted Marie Antoinette from her head!

It seemed a fairly long way to Chartres (pronounced “sharts”, I think). It was worth it for the view of the cathedral from a distance. That church is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world. It sits on the top of a steep hill and seems to be a beacon to the world for miles around. We worked our way up steep lanes seeing what a medieval French town must have looked like. There were times the Peugeot had to squeak between two buildings; an American car simply wouldn’t have made it. All parking places were taken above ground, so we went into an underground car park. It was a marvel – two concentric circles held hundreds of cars, and you’d never have guessed it was there close to that ancient cathedral.

The stones are obviously very old, and the floor from the back up to the chancel is cobbled like an old street. It’s the first time we’ve ever been in a church with such a rough floor. By late afternoon on a cloudy day you could almost not see the ceilings. The windows glowed with a soft light, and the colours were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.

We walked into the shopping part of town to find people scurrying about and business as lively as could be at 5 in the afternoon. Most impressive were the flower stalls doing a brisk business in potted plants. We later found out why. We had forgotten it was Halloween and the next day All Saints’ Day. It seems to be the custom in France to decorate graves with plants for All Saints’ Day. On Sunday EVERY cemetery looked like a flower shop! We saw numerous glowing spots of colour in the landscape on the drive back to Calais (that ends with “lay”), and each one was a cemetery.

We found out that hand-knitted Norwegian sweaters are very absorbing items. I hope you enjoyed the above description because I’ll now tell you how the day started out. $ wouldn’t eat breakfast, whimpered in the car as we drove away to go sight-seeing, so I took him on my lap. You guessed it. He let loose with all the orange juice he’d insisted on drinking. It kept coming and kept coming. Got on the car carpet, my legs, and all over $, mostly on his sweater. The sweater absorbed a great deal. We immediately turned around to go back to the hotel, and I washed out everything by hand while John and Lisa cleaned the car. He and Kate searched until they found Woolite, and soon the sweater was smelling sweet again. We took the ice bucket from the Holiday Inn and started out again. Every time $ looked green, cried, or burped, I shoved his head down that little plastic bucket. Luckily, nothing else happened. We did enjoy our day and got to see much that we’d wanted to.

Sunday we walked around the inside of Notre Dame looking at all the beautiful windows. What a treat to hear the bells pealing and resounding down through the church, though it wasn’t loud at all inside! We stayed for part of the service until $ had had enough. The boy choir was so much better than we’d have thought. Many French choirs sound terrible compared to English or German ones, but this was an exception. People kept streaming in to attend the service. It was very moving.

The Seine flows right by the church, all hemmed in by stone banks. A short way down the street is the Eiffel Tower, and we also drove to see the Arc de Triumph or however you spell it. If I can’t spell English, I know you’ll forgive my French.

This morning (Monday) Kate was supposed to go to school, but threw up three times instead. Lisa has been very kind to her, fetching her drinks, books and such. I washed three loads of clothes, spread Carpet Fresh in the car, and returned overdue library books. I’m so glad Kate can aim at a bucket and not do her thing on me! Tomorrow all should return to normal.

Paris is surprisingly open with very wide boulevards, unlike London’s narrow winding streets. John said the man who helped design Paris also had a hand in the design of Washington DC. Most of the areas we were in came from this period.

Halloween with Logan

Reformation Day started like any other Sunday, with our rushing to go to church. The day veered sharply toward extreme pleasure when neighbor Logan (11) called, asking if he could go to church with us. Logan told us in the car that his mother was ill, and his dad was staying with her. We all sat in the choir loft, because John and David had been asked to sit up there to help lead the singing. At the end of the service, Pastor said someone had made him a hat like Martin Luther would have worn. He modeled it for us, because he said he would not have been comfortable preaching with it on. This was a zoom shot from the other end of the church.

We had planned to go to Tennessee to eat lunch and were glad Logan was given permission to go with us. Bob was taking Shawn to the doctor, so that worked out well. Grandson David and Logan posed with mozzarella sticks that seemed to be sticking out their tongues at me.

Our waitress offered Logan three pieces of candy from a large container . She had already given him a spider ring for Halloween.

John drove us home via a small road beside the Pigeon River. The fellows examined graffiti, picked their way down the steep bank, and skipped stones on the water.

I was standing under I-40 with traffic roaring overhead. Can you see the boys beside the river?

The camera could see David and Logan helping each other find stones to skip on the water.

Camera and I caught a three-skip throw, although he made others skip seven or more times. The stones made it to the middle of the river and beyond!

We took a few seconds to celebrate Halloween at home, pouring candy into a bag for Logan to take home. This was one of the best Halloweens I can remember.

Chess

Neighbor Logan (11) asked to come over to visit, which thrilled us. He and John went straight to the chess board. I took this photo while he was concentrating on his next move.

The whole scene looked like this.

I asked Logan to pose for me, which he always does willingly. I haven’t had a close-up of him in a long time, and he is maturing quickly. In 20 more photos, he’ll probably be driving a car.

I wasn’t paying close attention, but John must have made a bad move. I think Logan offered to let him take it back. John said, “No, I made a mistake. You won.”

I had my phone ready and asked to borrow John’s so that Logan and I could play a fast game of Set. He is terribly quick, so we played two games before he had to go home.

What a wonderful world we’d have if everyone had neighbors like Logan and his parents!

England 40 Years Ago — October 25, 1981

Deviousness comes early to some. $ has decided he doesn’t like milk. When I was caught on the telephone at lunch time, he crawled out of his chair onto the table, lifted the lid of the teapot and neatly poured his milk into my tea, closed the top afterwards and looked as smug as could be.

There was heavy, heavy rain while we were in route to school. Going down the very narrow and steepest part of the back road down the Downs, I saw the car ahead of us go into a skid. Fortunately, it didn’t hit any in the line of cars waiting to get up the hill. Whew!

There was an open night at Dunottar for parents of new girls. It was a free for all in the dining hall – parents and teachers milling about and trying to talk about the school and the girls. The president of the board of trustees calmed everyone down by making a speech mostly on financing and nearly put me to sleep. Rather pointless, I thought, but I was glad to see what a couple of Lisa’s teachers looked like.

Why are weeds so strong? Our telephone was out of order for two days, and the engineer (repairman) found that a vine near the kitchen window had broken the wire!!!

Did you know that ground nuts and monkey nuts are very familiar to all of you? Both are names for peanuts!

I asked the girls if $ had seen people feeding horses on a TV show they’d watched together. The following day he kept shoving food at the mouth end of his wooden riding giraffe.

It was bound to happen sometime. I was so thankful $ had on dry pants and that I hadn’t an important appointment looming over me. In fact, it was leisure time that got me in trouble! I was intent on getting $ to walk happily with me to the butcher shop for fun and exercise and didn’t discover until I returned home that I’d left the key inside. Since thieving is a national pastime, I’d carefully locked and double locked all windows and doors. Mrs. Wilson was home, but couldn’t find her key. Vivian took a look all round but could only suggest breaking a window. Finally Mrs. Wilson made a second stop up here to say she’d at last located Jeremy, who was working nearby, and would come with the key in 10 minutes. They were all terribly kind and understanding. Even had a cup of coffee next door while waiting – a treat I’d not usually allow myself!

When I read this newspaper headline, “Many axed quangoes are still awaiting legal death,” I had to know what on earth “quangoes” were. Even after reading 20 inches of the column it made no sense. On to the dictionary! “Quangoes” – acronym for quasi-autonomous national government organization. Surely they deserve a quick death to put us out of our misery!

Passing the pond, Kate was asking where the young swans were. She said, “Where are the swignets?”

Despite heavy rain we thoroughly enjoyed seeing Warwick Castle. Here in England you just ignore the rain as much as possible. I’ll admit that was a bit hard to do at Warwick Castle. There was a long hike from the car park to the outer walls of the castle, and quite a walk to the barbican.

The buildings on view are arranged around a large courtyard, and you duck in for a bit, then back out in the rain to dash to the next part. It was a bit hard to see with rain streaming down my glasses while outside and the fog that instantly whitened out everything as soon as I stepped inside. In the lower regions, we never knew if the squishing of our feet signaled we were squeezing water out from the last puddle or letting more in from the puddle just entered.

There have been fortifications on that site since the 900’s! The state apartments are impressively luxurious. We saw a handkerchief and a saddle that had belonged to Elizabeth I!!! In the library I was most impressed with the water colours. The picture had been done by members of the Warwick family several hundred years ago. I knew water colour painting was a general hobby among the upper classes, but I never imagined they would be so exquisite. The ones on view were about 9”x12” with the finest brush strokes imaginable and vibrant colours. I would have guessed they were done by a master painter had I not read otherwise.

The tiny tower steps going round and round were both treacherous and steep. The passage way couldn’t have been more than two feet wide, and the sharply curving stone steps were so narrow that our feet wouldn’t fit flat even on the outermost part. John carried $, Lisa held our guidebooks, and I had a camera and pocketbook in one hand, the other holding Kate who was scared to death. There was a warning to the elderly and infirm that more than 200 steps were ahead. After puffing up and holding our breath on the way down, we FELT elderly and infirm! We saw the room high in the walls where soldiers stood ready to run to any part of the wall needing reinforcements.

We easily found a lovely modern motel, but finding dinner was another matter. The motel dining room didn’t open until 7:30, and we had a tired little boy on our hands. We searched three towns to find something that was open, suitable and affordable. Evidently English children are not expected to eat after 4:30 when traveling. We found numerous fish and chips shops, but they had counter only – no where to sit to eat. Fried fish eaten in a car on a rainy night held no appeal. Likewise Indian food and Chinese take-aways. We finally settled for a pizza place. What a lovely surprise! It was newly decorated with lots of light wood, had a menu that included vegetables, a charming waitress who exclaimed over how “gorgeous” $ was, and we had no need to rob a bank before entering.

Sunday at 5 a.m. $ arose ready for a full day and wouldn’t postpone the start of it. John drove him around the countryside before dawn to keep him happy while the rest of us got our beauty sleep. He saw Coventry Cathedral and the massive ruins of Kenilworth Castle by moonlight. After breakfast he took us all to see the towering walls of pink brick that are all that remain of Kenilworth.

John’s timing was splendid, as usual. We found Stratford upon Avon with no trouble, spotted a church, parked the car, and walked in just before the service began. It happened to be the burial place of Shakespeare! After the service we went up in the chancel to see the grave of him and his wife, Anne. Also on display were photostats of his baptism, marriage and burial pages taken from the church records.

I had left church before the sermon to remove $ and walked about the town scouting the historical places and finding a restaurant. While waiting for the service to end, I went behind the church and found the River Avon lined with fishermen. Within sight were waterfalls and locks. While enjoying the scenery, I idly watched a narrow boat being rowed down the river. As it came closer, I realized the five boys in it were very young. The man in a track suit running on the opposite bank was their trainer. He shouted, ran, had them stop, shouted some more, and really put them through their paces. Bet the fishermen loved that!

At the Shakespeare Hotel we ate roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower, swedes (turnips) and roast potatoes. Having amply satisfied our stomachs, we began to walk.

Shakespeare’s birthplace was a fairly large house very simply furnished. The house he bought when he’d retired from London was demolished one or two hundred years ago, but the foundations remain. Adjoining that is the house that belonged to his granddaughter, Elizabeth. The guide commented on how large the house is and how wealthy Shakespeare was. Both he and his wife came from good families, and he’d made very wise investments. Not far away was the home of William’s daughter who had married a doctor, John Hall. It, too, is large.

Shakespeare’s birthplace
Lot where Shakespeare’s retirement home was
His granddaughter’s home
Home of Shakespeare’s daughter

We drove in the car to Anne Hathaway’s cottage – the farmhouse where she lived while Shakespeare was courting her. The guide said they married when William was 18 and Anne 26 years old. Anne’s father was not poor, either; he farmed 90 acres!

Standing near the door, I took the photo below to show the thickness of the thatched roof.

I was glad to see a visual history of plates – an old square wooden trencher with a large round depression for the meal and a small one for salt. That’s where we get the expression “square meal”. The wooden trencher was used in William’s day with only a knife and fingers to eat with! Next shown were pewter plates that came later, and then china. All these had belonged to the family – 13 generations of that family had occupied the house.

The sun had shown all day to spite the forecasters. We hit a few sprinkles of rain on the long drive home, but it wasn’t too bad. We decided the impromptu trips can be more fun than the well-planned ones.

England 40 Years Ago — October 18, 1981

Lisa says she’s quoted the old saying, “Curiosity killed the cat.” The reply came back, “Satisfaction brought it back.”

John $ had such a good time on his second birthday. While I was making his cake, he pretended to be a chimney sweep. As I went looking for him, he slipped upstairs to play with his dad’s pipes. The best mess was the licking of the spatula from his cake batter.

$ opening gifts with Kate holding his new outfit

$ loves real telephones as well as toy ones. He can even have a pretend one in the bath! As the water was going out, he used the stopper on a chain as the ear piece and the over-flow fixture as the mouth piece to send important messages in the Evisneps language.

Loraine (John’s good friend and former secretary from NY whom a few of you don’t know) arrived Tuesday night. She’d had a week’s coach tour of Scotland and told us about the marvelous weather and lovely sights. Wednesday she met some new friends in London for an ALL DAY tour of the city and came back with her tongue hanging out. Sights included Madame Taussaud’s or however you pronounce it and spell it, changing of the guard, a brewery, an embroidery or tapestry works, the Tower, St. Paul’s and Westminster Abbey. Of course, they got out at each place and had a thorough tour with lots of walking.

Thursday and Friday she elected to stay with me to see how daily life moves in the suburbs. We “did” Walton in the rain, going to the butcher shop, green grocer, Cullen’s, the bakery, and looking at everything in between. Friday we went to Redhill to see Co op, Woolworth’s, Boots, and the freezer store. Reigate got a quick walk up and down the high street. When Kate came out of school, we drove to Godstone, doubled back for Lisa, went to Dorking, Box Hill, and home. That night the next door neighbors came for dessert so that we had a nice sit-down visit.

Our children, John, neighbors Catherine and Phillipa and gift to $ from them

Saturday Catherine (neighbor who is Lisa’s age) went with us to Heathrow (emphasis on the “row” of that name) to take Loraine. Kate was at Philippa’s delayed birthday party seeing, or rather crying over, Charlotte’s Web. It seems they were all nine crying when they emerged from the cinema. Beefburgers, baked beans, sausages, chips and a thickly coated chocolate cake soon had them in high spirits again.

We put Loraine to work professionally while she was here. John’s and her former boss called from NY to give John an order, but he couldn’t hear me on the phone, being hard of hearing. I shouted to him that Loraine was here, so he told me to give her a pad and pencil and put her on. I did. She took the message in shorthand which fascinated Kate. I was so glad she was here at that particular moment!

One night the funniest thing happened. I’d prepared a Christmas pudding the week before so that she could have one here with us. I mentioned what was coming, so John put on a Christmas record. As the flames were dying down, Loraine produced the crowning touch with a Christmas gift for each of us! She’d brought Smurf Christmas tree ornaments! What a laugh we had!

Loraine more than earned her keep. She kept $ out of untold numbers of things, refereed several sibling fights, and I found Kate in bed with her one morning reciting poetry for school! As you can imagine, we were very sorry to see her go.

An Adventure Shared with Sadie

Sadie wasn’t allowed in the helicopter, but she was very much a part of the lake adventure. Son John $pencer took a photo of Sadie in the canoe with him, showing Rose standing up on the paddle board in the distance.

Here is a good close-up of Sadie on the board with Rose. They laughed about the danger of falling off. Rose hinted that $ was waiting to see her fall into the cold water and would have laughed. I’m sure $ would have phrased it as being concerned she would take a splash. In any case, it was Sadie who fell in the water. Rose had to pull her back on the board.

This was $’s birthday, which we celebrated much later that day.

Forty years ago, this was the boy with his cake.

John was amused that $ went back to eating olives and crackers after having cake. It reminded him of the family story that after our wedding, his sisters ate dill pickles with wedding cake. I don’t know about you, but I like my cake standing alone!

Rose!

Rose came from Washington state to be with son John $pencer on his birthday. What a glorious reunion it was for him and Sadie! We enjoyed watching the dog run to each of us, so happy to have us all under one roof.

The first full day Rose was here, they set out to go hiking. They came home exhilarated. Hiking was great on a beautiful day, something they have done many times. What happened as they drove home was the very special part. $ noticed a helicopter in Maggie Valley. He had wanted to take Rose up in one for her birthday when he visited her in Washington. It cost $1,000 for an hour’s ride. They found the ride here was affordable.

It was marvelous to see the mountains from above.

Having this adventure together was fantastic.

I asked them to pose with their souvenir – several photos in a booklet. They said a complete set of photographs was being sent to them via email.

I loved sitting and talking with them, hearing about the corn maze they viewed from above, their thrill at being over the mountains, and the excitement of the older woman who was going up after them.

As we talked, they sent me the pictures above, and I put them on the Aura frame. Within a minute or so, Kate texted from New Jersey that she was looking at them on her phone, which is connected to our frame. If Lise had been awake in Denmark, she would have seen the same thing simultaneously. What an adventure this had been, and how easy it was to share it!

England 40 Years Ago — October 11, 1981

There is lots of rain here these days. The way people talk, it is the usual for autumn (NOT fall) weather.

Below is a photo of autumn colour in the town where we lived, Walton-on-the-Hill.

Having said that, I must hasten to add that today, a Sunday, we had a perfectly gorgeous day of sun and brisk breezes that made us want to get up and go somewhere. Catherine and Phillipa went with us to the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court. Those of you who have seen Hampton Court saw the chapel from the balcony. We were invited to park free of charge in a special parking lot and walked around a side way to get into the chapel. We were among the first to arrive, were seated in the congregation, then later invited to go into the choir. The sidesman (usher) said, “Since you are all ladies, would you like to sit on the women’s side in the choir?” John was outside with John $ at the time. They reserve the back row of the choir for women on one side and men on the other.

There were a fair number of people there to worship with the choir of men and boys. The men were fantastic; the boys were not as precise as many we’ve heard, but lovely, nevertheless. I thought the sermon the best of any we’ve heard outside the parish churches we’ve been to. The man took a text, developed it, and didn’t quote any works of fiction or radio broadcasts. After the benediction, we sang “God Save the Queen.” I felt so stupid to know the tune so well and have not the foggiest notion of the words. We wondered if it was sung because it’s a royal chapel.

After the service everyone was invited for a drink in the chapter house. We were intent on finding the car with John and $, but missed our way and ended up following the others. When we came to a dead end and everyone else was going into an apartment, we began to swim upstream. One kindly usher saw us and asked if we had lost our way. He walked back with us, telling us that we were invited for the social hour. I explained we had to find the rest of the family, and he quietly said, “You could tell him about it afterwards.” In any case, we saw parts of the palace that are normally closed to the public.

We had a drink of lemon squash at the car and drove on to Richmond on the Thames. We ate lunch at the Golden Egg, a chain of semi-fast food restaurants. After a walk along the Thames seeing swans, long boats, and ducks, we drove a short way to Ham. Ham House was built in 1610 and remodeled in 1670. Most of the furniture was original to the rooms they were placed in, having been redone by the Duke and Duchess of Lauderdale at the time of remodeling of the building. The whole place overlooking the Thames was gorgeous, especially the carved panels about the stairs. I enjoyed the floors with beautiful designs all in wood. The ceilings were equally ornate.

We often walked right by Mere Pond when running errands in the village.

Lisa laughed at me for feeling sorry for the Queen. I read that when she dines alone or with only family members she eats meat, salad and a vegetable for lunch and dinner. No appetizers, no soups, no desserts. She does have a choice, ticking off desired items the day before from menus sent to her. The day I read that I fixed myself a mouth-watering sandwich of thin home-baked bread, crisp bacon, juicy vine-ripened tomatoes, and layers of snappy lettuce. As this feast ascended toward my mouth, I said, “Poor Queen.”

Warrants are issued to merchants or companies who supply the royal household with any item for over a period of three years. This entitles them to put the appropriate crest on their adverts, delivery wagons and letter paper. The Queen has issued the most because her household is so large – including Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Sandringham, Windsor, etc. The Queen Mother has the next largest number and Prince Philip fewer still. Most of his are on sporting goods. I presume Prince Charles hasn’t issued any up till now since he hasn’t maintained a separate establishment. $’s first pair of shoes had the Queen’s crest on the insole, and it took up the whole heel part of the shoe! This week I picked up a high-class can of baked beans with her crest! I can’t imagine her eating baked beans, can you?, but someone in her household does.

The book also said the Queen always has her favorite blend of tea and an electric kettle that travel wherever she goes. Someone must always remember to pack her favorite soap. I feel sorry for her because I think half the joy of using products is in the trying of new brands. Poor Queen! Crest toothpaste tastes superb to me right now because I bought a really vile one put out by Co-op and wouldn’t let myself throw it away till it was finished. The Queen has probably never had the worst of toothpastes to compare with her best!

Another view of Mere Pond.

Friday night we had gale force winds whipping around. Were we evermore glad to be far away from tall spindly trees!

Yesterday Kate and Phillipa went with George to a charity bazaar. Kate didn’t buy anything, but Phillipa bought a pair of shoes for $ for 30p. She has a good eye; I think he could have worn them a month ago! Had to explain to her that they wouldn’t go on his feet, but I purchased them to give to a friend. I know Paula will be glad to get anything for her baby.

Lisa had a croupy cough and stayed home Thursday and Friday. We strung that guitar that Jeremy has loaned us, and she finished the beginner’s book! She’s enjoying it.

Once, and only once, the pond froze over while we were living there. Lisa and Kate were used to the idea of walking on frozen ponds from being on Long Island. We dressed in our warmest clothing, and the girls stepped onto the ice from the sidewalk in the distance here. Nothing could have been further from our minds the day this photo was taken.

Scared by a Dog’s Poop Bag

Sometimes grand-dog Sadie is eager to walk with me, and sometimes she hugs the bed and refuses to go outside. Today she danced at the front door, then stood still for me to attach her leash. Unlike yesterday, she got past the end of the driveway. I was walking confidently, my plan in place if we met Rosie. Rosie is a year old now and already bigger than Sadie. The last time we met on the road, Sadie almost pulled me off my feet, lunging at our neighbor dog. I recognized that as a danger sign. If I saw Rosie with Lisa or Harmony, I would wave and quickly walk the other way. That would get us out of their way, and we would scurry home.

As we walked, I scanned the road ahead like a radar. Not a human or dog was in sight. When I began to relax, I spotted it – a green poop bag – Rosie’s poop bag!! (Sadie’s bags are red.) That meant she had done her business close to her home, and she was behind me somewhere and eventually heading my way. I dawdled, letting Sadie sniff everything thoroughly. If we took long enough getting to the stop sign, Rosie could slip in behind us and get home before we turned back. Unfortunately, the sign is ON the edge of her property. We turned back, having gone as far as we were going.

Sadie knew we were headed home and trotted quickly to get back to her breakfast. I obediently went as fast as I could, closer to a trot than was comfortable. What was the likelihood of our beating the odds for half a mile? A LONG half-mile? If we could only make it to the top of our street, we’d stand a chance of getting home without incident.

We made it! I released Sadie, and she bounded around three of our neighbor’s yards on the way to our front door. She has no idea why I praised her lavishly.

A question – Would you let a green poop bag frighten you??

England 40 Years Ago — October 4, 1981

If you’re not in the mood to read about one John $, you might as well put this down right now. Absolutely nothing unusual or extremely interesting happened this week; all that is written in my calendar book are incidents with a little imp.

John $ all of a sudden just stepped off into space and down the whole flight of stairs, never touching anything with his hands! He does this now from time to time, but when he’s in a hurry he flops onto his tummy and zooms down.

He is a great one for imitating whatever he sees. If one of the girls chokes at the table, he promptly tries, too. If someone spits out a bit of fat, $ partially chows and spits each mouthful thereafter. However, he doesn’t always get things in the right order. By imitation he has learned to wripe (that’s a cross between wring and wipe) his feet on the mat inside the door. One really rainy day he walked in, wiped his feet, and walked out again. Five times in a row he ran around the hall, carefully wiped his feet, and ran outside again. Guess it helped keep house dirt off the stoop!

$ loves to peek in kitchen cupboards to see what he can see. He found some old hard candy that had cemented itself to the shallow candy dish. Before long he picked it up and tried to extract one piece. Impossible. It didn’t take long for him to figure out what to do – he held the dish and licked the whole mound of sweets. I stalked him with a camera round and round the kitchen. He would grin so wickedly, give a quick slurp on the candy and put the dish down again so I couldn’t get photographic proof of my tale.

Have we mentioned that Lisa is continuing her flute lessons? She started at Micklefield, but Dunottar doesn’t offer instruments other than the piano. We discovered that her teacher lives in the next town, Tadworth, and made arrangements for her to have a lesson on Saturday mornings. John took her and picked her up last week, but yesterday she walked home on her own. It took her about half an hour.

Kate has her group violin lesson after school on Thursdays. It lasts half an hour. I can pick her up and still have time to spare before Lisa is released from school.

This morning I went to St. Peter’ s by myself. It was dedication Sunday; we renewed our baptismal vows as a congregation and after the service processed around behind the church to the grave of the founder of this church where some prayers were said and the Doxology was sung.

John is taking the girls to London to meet Loraine [John’s whiz of a secretary in NY] at her hotel. She flew overnight from NY and is supposed to have time to get settled in before they get there. The plans are for them to go to one of the big churches for Evensong since this is the only Sunday Loraine will be in this area. She leaves on a bus tour of Scotland tomorrow and will be with us in Walton on the 13^th for a few days. We’re looking forward to that.

We think of all of you often and appreciate your letters.