England 40 Years Ago — August 10, 1980

The week started out normally enough with Lisa going to her French lesson and Kate shopping with me. When we came home, we put John in the play pen and went back out to bring in the groceries. Kate didn’t realize I didn’t have my keys with me and shut the door. There we three were locked out and could hear 10-month-old John locked in! We walked around the house twice looking for a way to break in; should have tried 7 times and a ram’s horn. Then we noticed our neighbor’s painter up on a high ladder and went for help. He so willingly carried the ladder over, reached through a window we’d left open to open a larger one and just walked right through from the guest room upstairs to the front door. We don’t dare think what we’d have done had the upstairs window not been open!

John C. came home that day fussing about the ineptitude of British stores. There in the department where 150 different shower curtains were sold, the store had no shower rings to hang them with. He came out with one of his good exaggerations, “A store like that wouldn’t last more than 10 or 15 minutes in the U.S.!”

Things were hopping Tuesday as well. Gardener Clewes was here, and the neighbor children came to play tennis. John $ cried a lot that day until I wrote in the book that he cried tears in his ears! Perhaps he didn’t feel so well because Lisa talked about how his tummy was “extended.”

Clewes brought us some tomatoes he’d grown at some other house where he works. You did pronounce that correctly, didn’t you? Toe-mah-toes. That was Wednesday, the day the push chair lost a hind leg. The poor stroller had had a terrific workout with the girls constantly fighting over it and running at break neck speed over roots, up curbs, etc. We must count our blessings that it wasn’t John $ losing a hind leg.

I knew I was grounded until I bought a new stroller; that baby is heavier than a sack of potatoes and much squirmier. We took Lisa to her French lesson, and Kate stayed in the car with $ until I’d gotten a stroller. Luckily I’d seen them in Boots (a drug store chain) and knew just where to go. Returned to the car and immediately put the stroller to work by going to the freezer center. Have I mentioned that there are stores here that sell only frozen goods? I think it’s amazing since there are many homes that still might not even have a refrigerator! Prices are good, as a rule.

Friday I went shopping while the girls were at neighbor Mary Anne’s. Then we all had lunch there. Alex lit the fire in the barbeque grill and cooked the sausages! He’s only 10!! Mary Anne had a friend staying the weekend, and the two girls were having a war with Alex and his friend from Holland who is staying 10 days. They were hiding hair brushes, setting traps with books on top of doors, and soaping tooth brushes. Carol had had it up to her ears. She had me take the girls here while she went to the library, and then all of us except the boys went for a walk on Reigate Heath. It was a lovely walk over rough terrain, and I began to feel sorry for the new stroller. We had a nice time. Saw a windmill converted to a tiny church where there are services once a month in the afternoon. We also saw a gaily painted gypsy caravan parked there. I’ve seen pictures of them and thought it something unusual, but there it was right before my eyes.

How would you think a weekend would work out when it began this way? I had just worked up a good lather of shampoo when I heard pounding feet and this excited statement, “John just threw up in the hall!” It was Saturday morning, and I knew there would be 10 pairs of eyes looking for full plates that night. I sighed, then yelled to the girls to just keep John out of the mess. I was greeted coming out of the steamy mists with a wail, “Lisa used my face cloth to clean it up!’ Well, I’ll set your minds at ease; we had a great weekend. It was spit-up, not throw-up, and the cloth went in the next wash. Before I could begin preparations for the dinner, I heard in the distance a child’s voice in a messy room, AVALANCHE! Crash! Bang! Bump! Roll! I never investigated that one. There was no loss of life because everyone turned up for lunch.

By 5 p.m. we hardly recognized our home. It was a pleasant time to have company late because we simply sat down and reveled in the neatness. It was such a heady feeling we nearly wallowed in it, but wallowing tends to produce a mess, so we restrained ourselves.

John said he invited Sten H-L and his family as a good deed to give them a rest from the rigors of moving. They had been in the country six days, living in a hotel half the time, and spending their days trying to remodel their home and clean up from the previous owners. I couldn’t help feeling a bit smug because we’d been through it and had a chance to recover. We could afford the luxury of feeling sorry for someone else.

I enjoyed talking with them; they had lived in Florida for years and so knew American English. Gunnbjorn (that’s the way it was spelled to me, not a typing error) said she can understand Americans better than the British. The children are going to school right now to learn English and were not willing to talk, though they seemed to understand much that was said. Helena, 13, has a mouth full of braces. They were told in Norway that England had great orthodontia; we were told that orthodontia was still in the dark ages and don’t dare let an Englishman get hold of Lisa. Wonder what the real story is? The boy Lisa’s age never uttered a sound. I presume he can talk Norwegian. Heidi was cute enough not to need to talk; she’s Kate’s age. After dinner they all played upstairs with the Fischer Price toys until 11 p.m.

I got tickled at the Norwegian views of the British ways of doing things. I presumed that since they are close geographically, they would be close in customs. Not so. They think the workmen are sloppy as well as slow. They were horrified at the tiny milk bottles.

Food is fun here. This week I noticed we had tuna from the Solomon Islands, peaches from South Africa, toilet paper from Finland, pears from France, oranges from the U.S., matches from Sweden, grapefruit drink from Germany, bay leaves from Turkey, and porridge oats from Scotland.

John $ was bad in the creche today. Screamed. Kate calls it the CRUSH, and I imagine that’s what the keeper thought of it today.

This afternoon we drove almost 60 miles to ride a steam train. $ enjoyed the ride and only had the heebe-jeebes when the steam hissed. He kicked his legs and snuggled in tight but did not cry! Kate, at that age, would have been hysterical. Today she just kept her hands over her ears.

John $ and John riding the Mid Hants Railroad

That’s enough of my meandering (me Anne dering). Hope all of you are fine.

Earthquake!

We missed the North Carolina earthquake! I didn’t find neighbor Joyce’s text until we got home from church. She felt her house shake around 8 am, and that’s when we were getting our breakfast ready. My brother Bob felt it in Winston Salem, too. He wrote that it was 5.6 on the Richter scale, the biggest one in North Carolina since 1916. I’m sorry I missed it. Earthquakes in this area of the country tend to be amusing rather than catastrophic. It’s an event for which you compare stories and laugh about the odd things you observed.

The earthquake that amused me the most happened when daughter Lise was away at college in the mid-eighties. It was Saturday morning, a time when John enjoyed sleeping later than usual. I was dozing, not quite ready to get up. The bed began to shake, and I thought, “What is John $pencer up to now???”

Son $ was about seven years old at the time. He was a very active child, though not a destructive one. I realized there was an unearthly hum, low-pitched and barely audible. I nudged John and asked him if he thought we’d just had an earthquake. He grunted. Not getting any other response, I got up and went downstairs to find a radio. If something unusual were happening, I wanted human confirmation of it. The radio was set to a New York station, and in just a few minutes, the announcer said they were getting reports about an earthquake. Aha! I was right! Soon they had details. The epicenter was near Bronxville, 25 miles north of New York City. Lise’s college was in Bronxville! In those days before cell phones, you waited to hear from anyone who might have been in danger. Since $ and daughter Kate were still asleep, I went back to bed. A day or so later we found out Lise and most of those around her had slept through the earthquake. I was left with a tiny, niggling sense of guilt for having blamed my son for an earthquake.

The Egg and the Angel

When returning from our morning walk, we chatted with Shawn and Bob as they sat on their front porch. They laughed as they pointed out an angel among their plants.

When questioned, Logan (10) said he had nothing to do with it. If Logan was not the prankster, who was? Could it have been neighbor Holly, who comes over frequently? I find it hard to believe that she would raid her own refrigerator before going next door. Would neighbors Dawn or Jeff have put the egg there? Using the Holly-logic, I doubt it. That seems to leave chicken Ariel. I have published a photo of Ariel attending Bible study on that porch, so we know she wanders at will during the day. It’s not chickenly possible for her to lay the egg there. Just perhaps, Ariel laid an egg on one of the neighbor’s property, and the nameless, blameless neighbor placed it near the home where it belonged.

Does anyone else have a theory about how the angel came to hold the egg?

Logan at the Pond

Neighbor Logan (10) stayed with us for a few hours, and I know he was pleased that, for once, David was not working. While grandson David and I finished our late breakfast, John did something with Logan having to do with a puzzle of the US. They may have reviewed capitols, but whatever they did, it was mildly educational.

We brain-stormed about what to do next, and Logan said, “Let’s go to my pond and look for frogs.”

That’s certainly the kind of activity everyone would approve. We were outside in the fresh air, interacting with nature, and having fun together. John stayed home to trim shrubs in the garden as David and I walked down the steep hill with Logan. I loved watching Logan search for frogs with a stick to stir the grass and a cup to catch them. It’s too bad the frogs had other ideas and made themselves scarce. Logan had remarkable patience, which was fine with me, since I found a small boulder to sit on.

I waved at neighbor Jeff when he rode his mower within view, and David and I watched iridescent blue dragonflies dart about. Logan gave up on frogging. He called out, “Look! I found a praying mantis!”

He was holding the creature very gently and let it loose to climb up his arm.

I was scrambling to get these shots and did not pick up on the fact that he was very uncomfortable when the mantis got to his neck. David came to the rescue! As I focused on the creature on Logan’s hair, David scooped up the cup meant for frogs and held it for the praying mantis to walk into. Can you see David’s hand with the cup on the left side of the photo?

They set the mantis free, and Logan ran up the steep hill as David hung back to make sure I was safe on the uneven ground. I felt privileged to have been in a boy’s world for a little while.

England 40 years ago — August 3, 1980

August 3, 1980

The question was asked in a letter if we saw the moon. Funny, but so many things are different that it took me by surprise to think we see the moon the same!

We’ve been to Anglican churches until today when we drove into Kent to go to a Lutheran one. It is very small and terribly modern, but they used the liturgical setting we are used to. Nice to have something familiar for a change. The pastor is from Wisconsin and his wife from Canada; been here 25 years.

Someone suggested fired (sic) chicken as American, and I’ve done that – cooked it on a grill here. Fried chicken is beyond me – always greasy and undercooked inside. I’m more busy with housework here: bigger house, no baby food, girls who sleep through first serving of breakfast, etc. We also entertain the gardener twice a week for lunch, run to French lessons, and try to play tennis once or twice a week.

We’ve had a nice week. Went to the library and post office Tuesday. I’ve squeezed in the reading of two books – one about the upper classes and one about Windsor Castle. That afternoon Carol H appeared on our doorstep to introduce herself and her 8-year-old daughter, Mary Anne. Invited the girls to go swimming at the school up the street, but only Kate went. She was asked to stay to tea afterwards, so we picked her up after getting John from the station. She’d had a marvelous time.

Carol was a stewardess for Pan Am 15 years ago and was based in San Francisco. She’s rather glamorous, very slim and wears eye make-up when wearing shorts. Wow!

Wednesday Lisa stayed in her nightgown all day watching TV and reading. That’s probably the last time for that to happen since they are getting to know the children in the street. There is too much going on to be that lazy!

Kate went with me to the hair dresser’s for a hair cut. The lady did a nice job for £1.20. I was amazed at the low price after reading how expensive salons here are supposed to be. I must call the neighbor who suggested this place to tell her how pleased I was. The shop felt about 10 by 10 and was further shrunk by having three customers and three beauticians in it plus Kate and $! I thought she could stroll him about outside, but she wanted in on the action. Didn’t stop talking the whole time I was in there. Maybe that’s why the lady cut hair so fast. I bet next time she’ll stuff hair in Kate’s mouth! Well, she didn’t talk all that much. I had a chance to learn that the owner comes from Germany and that one asks for FRINGE instead of BANGS.

Doubled my dry-power Thursday when I was shown a hook and line (sounds like fishing terminology) outside. Celebrated by doing four loads of wash and getting them all dry!!! I try to refrain from asking the girls to watch for rain because I remember hating being put on guard like that as a child. I felt I should go out to scan the sky and maybe shake an umbrella in its face when I really had no intention of interrupting my own fun for guard duty.

Ran hurriedly to town Thursday to buy swim caps for the girls because they are required at the local pool, and one can’t borrow a cap for two years. Kate again swam as a guest of neighbor Carol. That day Mary Anne and Alexander (10) came here to play after swimming. Both Lisa and Kate swam Friday, and they let us know it is 25p each. I’d much rather pay than be beholden to neighbors. We daringly invited them for tea that day. I say daringly because I don’t really know how to do teas. Bumbled through it in my usual clumsy style. We probably should have gone into the living room, but I don’t allow children to have food in there. Even the dining room would have been better, but $ was awake and wanting to share in the eating. So, we had tea in the kitchen. Only Carol and Mary Anne were here; Alex was playing with a friend. After tea Carol went home to get her racket, and she played tennis with the girls for an hour. She gave Lisa some good pointers. Mary Anne (8) plays as well as I do! I make no moves to play when anyone else is about – can hide behind $ as an excuse!

Yesterday John worked hard resorting things in boxes and got everything extra put in the attic. Mary Anne and Alex were here much of the afternoon playing the game “Life.” I can’t believe how well these four children play together. Amazing.

Late afternoon we went across the street to the home of Gillian and John for a sit and chat in their back garden. It was so pleasant, warm with a gentle breeze blowing, and they had brought out a large carpet for John $ to crawl on! Also had placed three toys on it for him. Such thoughtfulness! Their daughter, Katherine, was away camping, but Caroline (Lisa’s age) was there. They were shy with each other, despite having swum together before and played tennis, so that they didn’t begin to enjoy each other until time to leave. Neighbor John is an identical twin, and Gillian says she can’t tell her husband from his twin on the phone! She says they both have the same peculiar way of walking, too! He is a barrister in London.

After church today went to Knole, one of the largest private houses in England. The outside was impressive, but we weren’t allowed to see much inside.

[Kate was smitten with the deer wandering around near the car park.]

Kate and Lisa with a deer at Knole House

Leftovers in the Neighborhood

Neighbors Shawn and Holly had a fun idea for a street party on Sunday. Early in the afternoon they suggested we bring leftovers to share, and the response was a resounding YES! We converged at the appointed time and began laying out our dishes on a long folding table on Shawn’s lawn. As soon as most of the food was there, a dark cloud moved overhead, accompanied by thunder and raindrops. You should have seen us scramble! I picked up a heavy glass pitcher and two trays that might have slid off, and the fellows lifted the table onto the porch.

Before even thinking of filling our plates, we admired the rainbow in our yards. I’m sure Holly was aiming at her house where half the bow was. I wanted to catch the other end in our yard. That’s when I realized that trees continued to grow after we moved here six years ago. Our ugly tan house was barely visible. It takes a little imagination to see the rainbow in the middle of the picture.

Rainbow in the center. Trucks are in almost every photo from the South.

We settled down to eat, and everyone looked at the camera at my request. What a cooperative bunch! Only Logan and I were missing. Left to right were Jeff, David, Bob, Joyce, Dawn, Holly, Shawn, and John. This is the whole cast of characters who often appear in my posts, residents of the five houses at this end of the short street.

When an adult left the area, Logan sat down to eat. This should have been a video, because Logan was swinging his leg as he ate and the cat wandered by. That was action eating. Logan was very helpful in fetching things, cleaning up, walking Joyce home in the dark, and carrying our chairs back to our porch. He’s always a bright star in the ‘hood.

Logan’s Exuberance

Neighbor Shawn had her hip replaced, and she was back home less than 24 hours after the surgery. I was stunned and thrilled that it was so very quick. Logan (10) stayed with us while Bob picked her up. We didn’t know exactly when things were happening, so we walked to the creek. That’s where we were when Bob called from Sorrell’s (service station on the highway). He brought Logan to us at the fire station, and the fun began. As we started up the steep hill, Logan ran ahead, skipping and twisting in the air. I asked for a repeat to share with everyone.

Logan began to jump the ditch, and the ditch petered out before Logan did.

He had a ball of glow-in-the-dark slime in his hand, and he repeatedly threw it high in the air and caught it. His luck ran out near the top of the steep hill, and the slime landed a short way down a ravine. He could see it and knew he could get it, but it was in a brier patch! Thorny wild rose bushes snagged his clothes and scratched his arms and legs. I tried to suggest ways for John to help him, but he retrieved the ball all by himself. I was impressed that when he lost the ball, he took responsibility for the accident, planned a way to get it back, and did it alone. What a boy! I will also add that this spot scares me. I walk in the middle of the road there, because the slant of the pavement and my trifocals make me feel like I could roll into the deep ravine and never be able to climb out. Logan is responsible, resourceful, and BRAVE!

After breakfast Logan launched himself on the exercise bike. I recorded it about the third time he did it, very impressed that he got on from the rear.

Logan’s energy never flagged. I think if I were his mother, I’d need two naps a day and three on Sunday.

I prefer to write about upbeat, happy things, but we all know life has somber moments. While Bob was getting Shawn from the hospital, they got the news that his brother died in Florida. He had battled cancer for some time, and today was the day he was called to his eternal home in heaven. For those of you who pray, would you please pray for peace and strength for this loving Christian family? Thank you.

England 40 Years Ago — July 28, 1980

We are about to go out to McDonald’s! John treated us to Wimpy burgers last night, and it cost over $10!! That hurts. [It’s a matter of perspective. In 2007 I’d be thrilled to feed fast food to five people for only $10, and in 2020 I’d faint at the low price.]

I wrote before about some of the things we were glad to see when our possessions arrived from the States. Only one set of things seemed to be missing for two days – the hooks that hold up the crib mattress! John carefully wired it up so that $ could sleep in it, since he’d been falling through the holes in the play pen netting. I gingerly set $ in the crib that night, and before I could turn around, half the wires gave way. He had been standing, and after it fell, $ was still standing. That baby has some cool composure! Never cried, just stood there on the floor looking puzzled.

I let down both sides of the crib, pushed the one high end next to the wall, and had an instant cage for him to sleep in. We just left the mattress on the floor. Two days later we found the hooks with Christmas decorations. Where else? Actually, the moving men had labeled it so that we should have seen it, but we missed it in all the hassle.

We’re getting used to the shopping here. After we park and struggle with the ticket system, we drag along two or three shopping bags to the stores. The supermarket is the one where the pressure runs highest to get your things bagged. The check-out girl removes the things from the hand-held basket we lug about the store, punches out the prices, and expects you to have everything neatly bagged when she asks for the money. As soon as you get your change, you are expected to quickly whisk off with your purchases. I can almost hear them swear under their breaths, “Americans!” when I bumble.

The greengrocer in Redhill is marvelous. The ladies there pick out produce for you and add up the total as they go – all math being done in their heads!

Could someone in NY please look in your cupboard and see if you have Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Mix please? That’s the Herb Stuffing Mix I want. Could you jot down the ingredients for me? I have a recipe I want to use that calls for that, but of course, you can’t get it here. I think I can make a reasonable substitute if I know what they use. Thanks.

Yesterday we went to church in Westerham and on to Chartwell, Churchill’s home. We really enjoyed that. [This was the first time we went sight-seeing after moving to Reigate. We learned that it was better to see only one attraction per day, if possible. We had cultural overload at the end of the day.]

We also went to Hever Castle. Entrance fees here means just that – they let you in, but give you no free info! We bought a book about Chartwell, but just bumbled through the castle. We’re not sure whose it was or who lives in it now. [Bumbling idiots! We are now very aware of the famous people who lived in Hever Castle. Let’s wait to see if I write about our enlightenment in a future letter.] I was impressed with all the armor, and John with the high polish on the ornately carved wood. The grounds were beautiful with fancy-cut hedges and flowers.

An Honorable Retirement

The gardening gloves were about two years old and still enthusiastic about working. In fact, they resisted retirement. They were permanently curved, ready to pull weeds at a moment’s notice. They chose to be among plants for their retirement photograph. We would have made a much better team if I had been more than a reluctant gardener.

The gloves did have another life and a different persona. I put them on the handles of the loppers for two reasons. I could always find them quickly, and they would dry between uses. I left them as inanimate objects, but they visually jumped at niece Julie when we went on the porch to eat dinner. Somehow the gloves leered at her and took a threatening stance. I had not seen that side of them, but Julie described it realistically. I’m glad the gloves have left the house for good and will not know I wrote about them. To be threatened by the wicked wisteria AND menacing gloves would be too much.

The replacement pair were made by the same company, and so far, they have behaved beautifully. I will continue to store them on the handles, trusting they will not misbehave.

Have you ever owned threatening garden equipment?

Logan Walks with Us

John and I were walking about an hour later than usual, because we ate breakfast with grandson David before he went to work. As we neared the stop sign, we waved at a passing car that we hadn’t recognized. We heard running footsteps, and there was neighbor Logan (10)! He and his parents were returning home, so he joined us to go to the creek. His sharp eyes see lots of things we miss. Today he pointed out a heart-shaped puddle in the road and nicely agreed to pose with it.

At the creek, he took a different way down to the water. He stepped on a wet rock, but he didn’t get his feet wet.

We observed white morning glory vines, and we found buds on a different vine that I think will open with purple blooms. Going up the steep hill, Logan found at least two four-leaf clovers. Smokey was standing in his driveway and responded to Logan’s running toward him. After the dog got lots of loving, he came down to us for a tummy rub. Having Logan with us added another dimension to our walk.