Filed words

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.

Valuables

I was taking two pieces of silver to be valued by a different person as the one who’d done them valued them far less than the last valuation. she told me the [candlesticks] were 1902, and I said I understood they were George III. I was given a long explanation about there not being a King’s head on it therefore… but I pointed out that one of the letters wasn’t what she’d written down and she had another look. Very interesting – she then turned to the date I thought in her fascinating book on silver marks and there for some 50 or more years there were no monarchs’ heads, and we found the maker’s name and that there were a pair of his candlesticks in one of the London museums, can’t remember which.

I don’t mind in the least if you can find a market for the brooch as soon as possible – I would have done the same except that my mother actually had it altered for my 21^st present so that it has some significance in that way. But I can remember her wonderful spirit without it, and she would like you to have the benefit now while you can enjoy it, and so would I.

I saw a bit in the paper about a stamp that had spent some time in the sea and was rescued and v. special, and remembered I had one like that – and as I last ‘did’ my stamps 10 years ago, was faced by a mound of bits ready to be organised. Of course over an hour later I find it in a special book for 1^st day covers etc. Unfortunately it was a different country and some years later, but still…

Alternative medicine

I’m going to a hypnotherapist to try and get rid of my asthma. A chap I met said it completely cured him. X tells me apparently the bloke I used to go to was one and couldn’t hypnotise me but I don’t recall his ever trying to! [Perhaps he did and succeeded!] Anyway I do hope it at least helps.

It’s most odd but he sleeps much better and longer since I’ve had my ioniser, I find it helps me much more if I keep it on all the time, instead of just night, I’ve certainly been better and clearer in the head since I’ve had it.

Have you heard of the virus that if it strikes whilst you’re taking EnteroVioform gives you some horrible disease that withers your hands and feet – nasty. X made me throw all my supplies away.

She was looking very wan, and I’m very worried about her. She’s had another very bad asthma attack, and had to rush off to get an even stronger spray thing. X packed her off to an acupuncturist at $10 a time, with no avail, except she had about 20 needles a time pushed into her, and still he smokes all over her and won’t have a window open.

She went to try and help another acquaintance with the position of her bed, because she has pulled some muscle which is not getting better, and X has a theory about not sleeping where water runs under the bed, as you know.

After death/ news of death 5

I am so sorry – X gave me your news and I hope by the time you get this you will have recovered a bit from this sad and traumatic time – and the long journey. When your mother dies it is the end of part of your life and feels very strange – even at my age I can remember.

I was so sad to hear of X’s death. She was such a spirited and lively person. My oldest sister can recall that at the marriage of my parents she was ‘the most beautiful person there, young, vibrant and full of fun’. Grieving is, of course something that is very important, but I can say in my case, now it is a few years after my own mother’s death, that although I still miss her a lot, the ache and emptiness has faded to be replaced by a gratefulness for having had such a wonderful mother.

I lose track of people’s ages but I’m personally much in favour of getting away before the problems set in.

It’s a pity to have get rid of books – I parted with hundreds and am always wanting them! It must be horrid for you clearing the house out – it’s such a link with the past.

I am so sorry about what happened. But glad that X didn’t suffer long – I am afraid the end comes to us all. In fact I, ten years older than X, am ready and waiting. Even if I enjoy life, I can’t think that I am doing much good.

Pranks 2

They had a great disappointment two weeks ago – a new mutual friend sent an official looking invitation to her birthday tea – neatly written out and looking most ‘properly done’. Luckily, I took them and went in to see the mother – who knew nothing about it (the birthday in question being months away). However, the pair of them were surprisingly grown up about the whole thing (i.e. they didn’t burst into tears till they were out of sight of the house). The child had even been given two presents by friends who were unable to come, which she had hidden in her room. The poor mother was so embarrassed!

A v v odd thing happened to me last week: the phone went and an odd voice assured me I’d won the lottery. I’ve never bought a ticket and I said they had the wrong number. They quoted the right phone number and said, ‘then it must be you – you silly old goat’. If I’d had a ticket, you can imagine how disappointed I’d have been, a mean trick.

X had given the boys a gorgeous length of yellow nylon rope – thick enough to tow a car, and hopefully too thick for them strangle each other. Y took charge of this, tied Z on the other end of it and started a bit of mountaineering up the bank at one end of the playground – ending up ten minutes later with poor Z more or less strung up, lying on his back with the rope round his legs preventing him from getting up again, as it was up round a tree and Y’s weight on the other end. However, we managed to avert panic by talking fast and telling him how well he had managed the rope, and how it had stopped him falling all the way down and what a good rope it was – all of which he accepted after a time! [And from another account] We took the boys down to the park where Y and Z managed to get themselves tangled up with a rope and a tree and a bank – all upside-down. By great reliance on the inability of a 3-year-old for logical thought we persuaded them it was terribly lucky they had the rope since they’d have fallen down the bank otherwise (the fact they’d never have got tangled up didn’t come into it!)

Transport 3

Forgot to tell you of X’s embarrassment last week… We left bridge very late and very dark as usual, having parked the car in a different place to usual. X backed out and with a great flourish turned the car to go down the road – unfortunately he drove down a ditch instead! He got a couple of blokes to help him ‘rock’ it out – all they did was roll the 2^nd wheel into the ditch and car was stuck, almost over. Still more blokes turned up and eventually they managed to push car out of the ditch and to date nothing seems damaged – miraculously!

Apologies

[from a pre-schooler!] I am sorry for being so naughty on Friday. It was a mistake.

Sorry about the erratic typing. This is a new machine just delivered to us and I am trying to break it in a bit as it is very dodgy about the touch and reluctant to move. For a week it just sat and mocked us, as we undid the package and assembled it and found the space bar wouldn’t move. Being a hospital we then had to go through much fuss and bother to get the mechanic to come and fiddle with it. So now we have three typewriters of varying degrees of awfulness plus one that is really round the bend and is reserved for lending to the ward for patients trying to break themselves off some drug or another. But no electric one and my old fingers find it very hard work after a weekend’s intensive weeding!

X seems to be getting into New Age stuff! … She was also fascinated with some ‘art’ by a woman which very heavy ‘magical’ overtones and strange things happened to people who bought it.

I’m not going to read this through – or I’ll miss the post – guess when it doesn’t add up.

It’s not much good saying ‘Sorry I haven’t written for ages’ (tho’ I am) ‘cos it sounds kind of hollow. I do actually start lots of letters, both on paper and in my head! but that’s not a great deal of use as I don’t get around to actually sending them.

Apologies for appalling typing – writing’s worse!

Sorry this is so late – first I didn’t have envelope, then I bought one but couldn’t find your address. I’m also sorry to say the delicious honey we ordered was only available at Christmas, so I’ve ordered an alternative which should arrive within the fortnight – SORRY! I also got some of the photographs I took back and they’re AWFUL! If it’s a ‘good view’ the colour’s wrong e.g. white sky that should be blue! or vice versa. Even those of the kids are not good enough to send.

Temper

I trust your heart rate has settled – I usually feel het up when I speak off the top of my head voicing strong views – in my old age I usually find it safer to write them – and read again in the cold light of day!! I still find people v. difficult and keep much to myself.

So, at all times of the day and night the poor managers are rushing out to fight any fires as the Fire Service is really not up to it. They came to fight one that was surrounding us on three sides and her brother suggested what they should do and in a fit of pique because they were being ‘organised’ they did quite the opposite. In the course of which they backed one of the two fire trucks into the stone stairs and broke the ladders and pumps!!! They are really rather over-officious and very ready to assert their relatively new-found authority. Another night X went to fight a fire on one of his fields and the Chief Fire Officer was supervising as he put it which meant he was in a private car behind the first truck in mufti and with a woman!!! He also was parked in a private estate road in such a manner that X could not get his own fire cart through to the fire and would not move when asked. X is a colossal man of about 20 stone and 6 ft 5 and although charming when he wishes to be (I haven’t seen it fail on any woman yet) has a temper that has I believe got him into trouble in his younger days. However, he restrained himself from actually manhandling the CFO but gave him some good solid curses instead.

She now works on a telephone exchange and at a bible study discussing patience etc X asked her if she had many difficult people on the phone and what she did about them. Evidently one man had just recently been v. abusive, so she plugged him into ‘dial a prayer’. I’d have loved to see (or hear) his reaction!!

The whole trip went so much beyond our wildest hopes of success, my only regret being my clash with X, who I admire so much when I’m not with her!

World Wars I & II (2)

While I have been writing this the post came, and brought X’s annual letter to me. We were amused to see a reference to the Armistice day discussion – but very polite. She said you ‘retired from the argument with grace but entirely undefeated’!!

Thank you for your ALC. They seem to take longer and longer in the post. It’s almost as long as the war when I was in Egypt and letters went round the Cape taking about six or seven weeks. Then they introduced an air mail, which went somewhere across the middle of Africa by flying boat – I expect from Lagos to Lake Victoria and up the Nile – and that took a fortnight, and then they introduced another thing called an air graph, I think, where one wrote on a special sheet which was photographed and reproduced about one quarter size at the other end – and that for some reason only took five days – apart from which one could occasionally send a cable which took 24 hours – we did it once a week. You can imagine what a mess one’s correspondence got in with so many alternatives – little snippets of news were compressed into the quick forms, and then turned up, in extenso, about two months later. It was all very confusing.

Where is Stamford Brook? I can’t remember but suppose it’s miles away in Essex, perhaps. Not that there’s anything wrong with a lot of Essex -apart from having to come to Liverpool Street – once you get away from Dagenham and the other industrial messes along the Thames. I seem to remember some really nice country that I used to drive round in the first few weeks of the war, looking at searchlights (looking for them to begin with, since some of our sergeants weren’t all that clever with a map – though you could always tell when you had got the right place, because there was a telephone connection waiting for you on the nearest telephone pole!)

Now it is nearly news time which means more unpleasant moves from Bosnia, all too reminiscent of the late 1930s it seems to us, and meanwhile I must lay the table.

Siblings

… feeling absolutely exhausted and unenthused for several months. I got v. worried and trotted along to my doctor, had x blood tests done and the outcome was I ought to get more exercise and move away from my sister (she is a very dominating sort of person).