Filed words

Outings 5

We were all supposed to tell a joke – horrors – I’d picked on one I gave X as I didn’t go:

The Thunder God went for a ride upon his favourite filly.

‘I’m Thor,’ he cried.

The horse replied, ‘You forgot your thaddle, thilly!’

He was compere-ing the concert and his wife sang 3 songs. He’s always cracked her up and she does teach singing but I had previously only heard her in the choir and didn’t like her fruity and melodramatic mezzo-soprano at all. However it wasn’t too difficult when we met her afterwards since we only had to say ‘At last we’ve heard you’ as though it was the climax of years of anticipation.

There was an excellent film on Tasmania too, which interested me as the crowd we went round with pre-war came mainly from there – it’s far bigger than I’d imagined.

Music/theatre/art 3

We went a week or two ago to a most disappointing exhibition of photographs in the National Academy. It would really be difficult to convey how bad it was. Many of the exhibits were only about 5”x4” or postcard size on rather tatty mounts and many with an apparently perverse desire to be disenchanting. One of the more memorable large pictures consisted of the back view of a lady squatting on her heels and bending forward – taken from the level of said heels so that the general impression was of a rather blemished mushroom. By contrast we went to a rival exhibition mounted by a man who resigned in protest from the selection committee of the Nat. Gall. show. He had written around and got together about 300 superb exhibits – including a large number rejected from the Nat. Gall. which were emphasised by large red stickers! … Almost all worth looking at including what I think was the newspaper picture of the year – a little crippled boy on crutches and a clown laughing at each other – the boy with his hand over his mouth as though he wasn’t quite sure that it was polite to laugh at a clown.

I didn’t – or won’t be – taking part in the ‘drama’ – the first time I opened my mouth I was told it sounded like a stock report – then remarks were made about the people he’d wanted couldn’t do it and the line he couldn’t teach an OAP new tricks!

Spelling 2

This holiday I will be going to my firends Tracys. From santa I got a grate big torch which will be very useful. and mummy and Daddy gave me a digital waitch.

thank-you for the lovly look and learn binder its very isefull and now wev got are nearly The hole set in one look and learn binder in one Book I’ve got lots of other yummy presents but I think your one is one of the best. Thank you very much on the families behalf. We all enjoyed seeing that board new look and learn folder. We’ve just been to the G.S and it was realy good because it was the pirates of pensants: Im afraid those have to be my last words Good-buy.

Thankyou very much for the cute little coke money box it really usefull seeing that I have just been broken getting out all the money so I can put it in the bank the dominoes a spewcialy good too the very nice presents. Iam just going tyoo sea this new film raiders of the losty ark it sounds exciting now its holidays Iam being realy lucky becase my freind has just invited me to go too on the ferrie with them and go to the Sounds. I have just got this realy cool gun man from father christmas it fires rubber band and boy is it fast. I also got the game conect four have you heard of it if you havent it realy cool and fun and I had bee wanting for a realy long time have a vere happy new year your sincearly love X

Also children were alowed to be in the Mikado (a play by Gilbert and Sulivan) this year so I orditioned and got in seeings mummy and daddy were in it to and I’ve had a wonderful time hope you’r having one too.

thank you for The Gint Blowing Boble! I mean Bubbel Fing and the Sliy putty and clouring book I can slretch the putty 20 ins. We have deen to star treck and it was very exciting

He wrote a letter about a model aeroplane kit that had somehow got warped, it was so full of exuberance: ‘Yoy shud hav seen it, its wins wos all wigly’

Loneliness

Anyway, the two weeks was a welcome break with different things to do in comparison with just staying home most of the time. I can understand how non-working housewives go barmy – sometimes I have to into the city and walk around just to feel people around me. It is one of the worse things about being unemployed.

I hope she will be able to face her future life without him – it has to go on, but it’s never the same again. At least she has family near her, which is something. It’s awful having no one to chat to – that’s what I have never got used to.

It was sad to hear of X’s eventual death although I’m sure for her it’s a pleasant release. It must be hard for X being the last remaining. A very lonely feeling I should think.

I found I am alone at home in the flat too much, although I don’t mind being alone, but I’m getting lazier! I seem to have made a lot of mistakes in my life and I’m not actually good at making friends.

The postman will think I’m a desolate body the way I’m out waiting for him daily, as soon as I hear his whistle in the distance. (They whistle as they leave mail at the gate, such a good idea, saves endless trips to have a look in the box).

Nuisances of life 7

I thought it was exceedingly unjust: the only person there who didn’t drink because he was driving home had his car crashed into the next morning – makes you sick doesn’t it.

We have been having an unadulterated diet of BSE and CJD on the radio, at every time we hear the news (and how often we do seem to hear the same items during the day). I hope that it doesn’t worry you too much. I must say I have been surprised how many mad cows there are. … Our government here seems to vary in their opinions from day to day, first one day banning all semen from Britain, and then issuing statements that we can’t possibly have any trouble because we have never had a case of BSE, and then the next day demanding that supermarkets remove from their shelves all products which contain any beef product from UK, and so on… It’s a gloomy subject to discuss, anyway, especially when I know so little about it, really!

I had forgotten that we had such heavy rain as to be separately memorable on the day we went to lunch with X, who I agree behaved very badly that day. I think he must have had a couple of quick ones while waiting for us, or something. Anyway, nil nisi bonum… he died a couple of years or so ago.

Last Sunday we had the Annual meeting and this week another issue of the monthly mag is due to the printer (and hasn’t been started at lunchtime Wednesday) so there is still no peace for the wicked! And at the moment my attention is slightly divided because I’m illegally taping bits of the Messiah from some records which are due back to the library with a horrifying penalty if they are kept overtime… PS The tape ran out just before the last chorus!

You’ll never believe what our batty son-in-law has done now, pulling a nail out of the wall with a hammer it came away suddenly and he’s concussed himself; evidently he wasn’t too bad the next day but they went to a party in the evening and ‘had a few drinks’ and the next day he doctor sent him off to have x-rays: all clear there but he had to stay in bed two days. Some mothers do have ‘em!

She got home the day before and found a police car outside, evidently someone had broken into the [student] house and pulled al the drawers out and helped himself to a glass of wine and gone off without anything. I hope they don’t miss things later. The police were very impressed with all their chains on doors and things but made a lovely parting remark which didn’t sink in until after they’d left – one of them said looking at their rather odd collection of house plants – ‘you can get out the rest of your pot plants when we’ve gone’!!

Keeping fit 2

I stopped doing yoga for a while there in the summer, but I started it again just recently. My body really appreciates this. Apart from anything else, I really find my body needs exercise in the winter, because all during the rest of the year I am outside about 90% of the time, and I really feel sedentary when I have to stay inside during the winter so much. I work away at the meditation. X said once, ‘It’s so hard to stop the barrel of chattering monkey inside my head.’ My sentiments precisely!

X went jogging with the dog before breakfast (believe it or not Y and the children have started too, all on Y’s idea after a big ad pushing the benefits).

For the umpteenth time this year he’s home – this time believe it or not because he’s tired and can’t stop sleeping. He slept 19 hours a day for 5 days and was much better for the weekend! and borrowed the car to go and see a house with 1.5 acres miles away on Monday – and now Wednesday is still in bed as he has to go and see the Dr. today to find out the results of all the blood tests he had last week.

Have I written since we went bowling in the hall? Apart from one 17 year old boy who comes with his father I was the youngest. One woman – about 4’ nothing – was 80 and frightfully good – she plays 3 times a week!

My golf (my 4^th round in 5 years) was the expected disaster – 6 holes in 39! The first hole went okay. We bypassed the 2^nd at the suggestion of the people in front, who obviously feared for their life (quite unjustified as I seldom manage to raise the ball above ankle level). The 3^rd and 4^th holes followed my usual pattern of 2 to the green and 5 more to putt. On the 5^th I struck 2 triumphant blows to get to the green before I found myself suddenly surrounded by whizzing balls and irate golfers – I was approaching the wrong green at 90 degrees to the fairway! I beat a hasty retreat to the 7^th hole and completed the next 3 with more speed than skill, anxious to keep well ahead of the vengeance of the indignant ruffled golfers behind me.

Grandchildren 2

I’m having X – I think I’ll be flattened at the end – he’s at the all-go stage – quite adorable tho’ – just like Harpo Marx!

Last week was mostly devoted to maintaining life and sanity through a five day visit by X – well, perhaps that’s overstating the case a bit – but he is a very loud little boy – though equable: his ‘OK’ when bidden not to do something is reason itself and nothing to do with the fact that he will be back doing whatever it was 15 seconds after your back is turned.

We did eventually get an enormous letter from X saying (outlined in three colours) how angry she had been feeling about some remarks Y had made way back last October.

X has been in to see me twice – he’s cut his hair 2” long and had it dyed bright orange – it’s different!

The boys had been warned not to waken me, and their mother heard one get up at 6.30 a.m. so she investigated and found X sitting by the door watching me. About 7 I heard them and kept quiet and hoped they might go away; all went quiet so I opened my eyes and found all 3 of them about 2 feet away watching me!!

X is reported to have another boyfriend – about whom her father did not sound altogether excited on the phone. We only hope that she is not sleeping with them all but don’t suppose we are going to find out.

Our visit to the circus went off well. I only hope they don’t try some of the balancing tricks; they’ve already climbed a tree with the rope I gave them and then tried to hack it down with X’s chopper whilst up the tree!

They were there too and X, with another enormous bruise on her forehead, which has at least produced one new word in her vocabulary: ‘door’, which she apparently ran into.

Fears

She got a birthday invitation today and after looking pleased she suddenly said, ‘No – balloons’ and refuses to consider going, so traumatised is she on the subject! Oh dear. I’ve promise to ask Y’s mum if there’ll be balloons, so we’ll see.

Altho’ sad that yet another old friend has left I feel it was a joy for her – she always worried she would go the way of her mother and aunts with what, I suspect, now is known as Alzheimer’s Disease.

I took the infants to see the animals in the field – poor X strapped in a pushchair nearly went berserk when the 4 calves as high as my hip loomed over her agog to get at our paper bag of goodies – I had to find a young enough couple who knew how to unbuckle the straps to get her out.

I was worried to see from your writing that you look either very tired or not very well at the moment. Try to get a real break in the two weeks off which are coming up. [Amateur graphologist!]

I really think X is fast heading for a full-scale nervous breakdown (to put it politely – my inclination is to say loony bin!). She swears, cusses, kicks and bosses them all and then gives them large unwanted presents so she can claim what she wants from them ’after all I’ve done for you’! Yes, I know I’m a cow but she makes me sick.

We have two couples coming to dinner Saturday night. I’m so bad at entertaining, the very thought of it has removed all my nails on one hand tonight.

You may be infuriated with your doctor’s ‘well you seem to be all right’, but that’s not as bad as my recent doctor who had the absolutely infuriating habit of listening to my dissertation of symptoms (said in a flat, unstressed voice so as not to give emphasis to those that smell of coronary or whatever) and then asking ‘what would you like me to say is wrong with you?’!

Strikes

We haven’t had any proper letters for two days and I suspect the rail strikers – the last straw was when some little jumped up Union man who looks like that rag and bone father on TV said the public could go to hell – why should 4,000 railway men lose their jobs (reduction is numbers of guards on freight trains because they’re in the red, like most firms). At least he put some of his mates’ backs up so it could be a good thing.

Couldn’t agree more about the strike and I think all the staff everywhere are fed up with it. Our people all seem to have stopped bothering about days of action and such like and even the most militant only just sit and mutter together in a corner of the staff canteen at lunch time instead of doing a militant picket or something!

Trust

The man on the main road has closed down owing me money – but as he’s now been made the executive manager of something he hopes to be able to pay off all his debts bit-bit; he’s so nice, and his wife, and so believable, but I do have expenses plus plus – and he’s lost all the thousands he put into the set-up thinking it was paying for the land, transfer of deeds, etc. All the same it seems incredible that 3 or 4 adults left it all to the lawyer to arrange without checking before some 4 years were up and all the money used by the lawyer who’s gone bankrupt.

We went to see X but she seemed to have gone away, leaving the usual message visible through the hall window, on the floor: ‘Back in five minutes. Come in, Y. Z about somewhere.’ I remember her telling me months ago that they never lock any of their doors, but just keep this message where it is easily seen.