Coronation Day 1953

I have just been reading (with some degree of difficulty) letters to the Radio Times from people describing where they were on Coronation Day 1953.  I know where I was.  I was on a little local Spanish train on my way to Barcelona  A little old lady wanted to know why I wasn't in England.   She took off her hat and as if she was placing a crown on my head kept repeating  "Elisabetta,  Elisabetta" as she lifted it up and down.
Why was I there?  Don and I had read a travel article in the Sunday Times by Elizabeth Nicholas about the Costa Brava in Northern Spain.  She said the best time to go was late May before it got too hot.  So off we went.  I was expecting our first child at the time.  We went by train through France stay ing a couple of nights in Paris.  We ended up in a tiny fishing village called San Feliu des Guixoles.  (I may not have spelt that right, it was a long time ago)  At that time no one had heard of high rise hotels.  There was nothing there but a few fishermen's houses, a Fonda which was where we were staying, two or three shops which were the front room of peoples' houses and a cork factory.   Small steam trains carried loads of tree trunks from cork forests in land to be made into corks for wine bottles.  The last train let off steam about 100 yards from our little guest house, a sort of pub, at 11.30 p.m. and the first train did the same at 5.30 a.m.   We did not need an alarm clock.
We were treated like Royalty and though the menu was limited it was very good.  The only other people staying there were workers from the factory.  We were embarassed to see that we were given rather better food than the others.  I suppose we were paying more.
The British were trusted.  On the way to the beach I saw abasket outside a shop that I thought I would buy but the shopkeeper could not change my note.  I said I would come back the next day with the right money.  She insisted that I took the basket and paid for it next time I was passing!
We took a bus to Palafrugel and while waiting in the bus station for a bus back the whole village took a walk round the bus station to see these strangers!  They had never seen English people before.  Don said he felt as though he had two heads.  We were a novelty.
We did see the coronation.  When we got back home to London we watched the whole thing ata cinema in Penge.

Heating

Oh! How lovely to be warm.   We have been waiting weeks for this weather.  I seemed to have spent a lot of my early life trying to get warm.  When I was little the only heating in our flat was a coal fire in the living room.  your front got really hot but your back was freezing.  The loo which was outside was so cold that you delayed going there until the very last muinute.  Did it make us hardy?  I don't know
In 1948 we moved into a very large old house in West Dulwich.  The lease was owned by Dulwich College.  It had been damaged in the bombing and had a very leaky roof which necessitated variou receptacles being strategically placed to catch the drips.  When we moved in Don said he had never seen so many chamber pots in one place!  The heating was very much hit and miss.  There was a coal fire in the front sitting room, a gas fire in the dining room,  a coke boiler in the kitchen which was supposed to heat the water but often was no more tan tepid.  In the hall was a Valor oil stove whose top was cut out in a flower decoration and cast a pretty pattern on the ceiling.  This latter was inclined to be a bit smelly.  Upstairs my mother's room had a small electric fire, in the other three bedrooms and a walk-in linen cupboard  ,  nothing.. We did, however, have two inside toilets.  There was a long flight of stairs to the landing which then divided,five steps up to the front bedrooms and three to the back.  When my friend came she said  "How grand! You have got wings".
Despite its drawbacks we had a lovely seven years there  We had a lovely girl dental student as our lodger to help with expenses and our son was born there. So we had fond memories of our time there.

Wagner

I thought I would give Richard Wagner another chance.  I had long ago decided he was not my cup of tea despite the fact that millions of people around the world far more knowledgeable about music than I am think he is marvellous.  Antonio Pappano was to explain "The Ring Cycle" so as I thoroughly approve (most of the time) of him I thought I would give it a go.  I watched about three quarters of the programme but, like Omar Kayaam,  "went out by that same door wherein I went".
It seems my musical education has been sadly neglected.   My operatic tastes are obviously down market.  I do like a tune I can la la to.  Except for "The Meistersingers" I must sadly leave Wagner to the more erudite.  I shall happily watch my DVDs of Italian and French opera and Mozartian offerings.  It all started with another Richard,  Richard Baker and "These You Have Loved".  Perhaps I haven't progressed very far from there.  How sad!!
Never mind.  I have a row of DVDs to enjoy and can always fall back on Gilbert and Sullivan for a good tune.

Mass Observation

Yesterday's post was the bare bones of a diary entry I sent on line to the Mass Observation Archives at Susse University.  Many years ago I read a book by Naomi Mitchison called "Among You Taking Notes"  which was a wartine diary of WW2  that she wrote at the request of  MO Project so I was interested to read their request to record the diary especially as May 12th was a day of family celebration.  It all started in 1937 asking people to write about their day in Britain.  It stopped after a few years but has now been revived.  It had the reputation for being left wing.  Politics apart I found it interesting.  I have always had an interest in diaries.

Sunday 12th May 2013

Woke this morning at 6 a.m., took my pills, made a cup of tea and went back to bed.  Set the alarm for 8 a.m.  Didn't hear it though everyone else did.  A came down and took the clock away to turn off the alarm.  I woke again at 8.40 and couldn't find the clock despite pulling out the bed and searching underneath.   All resolved later.    Missed the morning service on the radio.
Drew the sitting room curtains.  A dull grey day.  Breakfast cereal and another cup of tea. Tried to finish Friday's D.T. crossword.  Failed! Can't read for long as my eyes get tired.
Coffee and 2 biscuits at 11 a.m.  Sun came out  Sat in my 19th century conservatory reading a 19th century book  -  Three Men in a Boat- in large print on my Kindle which was my birthday present from the family.  This book has been a favourite of mine since I was about 10 years old, introduced to me by my brother Frank.
My daughter comes in to clean the kitchen as I have no domestic help this week.   I think I have said I call her the Food Inspector as she checks on my fridge and throws away anything out-of-date. Having lived through the war and rationing, like many of my generation I don't like to waste food.   Today it was eggs that had to be consigned to the bin.  I bow to her superior judgement.
Lunch at 1.30.  Cheese and pickle sandwich and two nectarines and a cup of tea. Listened to Classic FM.  dozed in warm sunshine.  M did some grocery shopping for me.  Knees a bit painful.
Today is my second grandson's 32nd birthday, also my granddaughter's 1st wedding anniversary.  I sent an e mail to her also to friend Phil whose birthday itis.  While at the computer I checked the blog of my English friend in Tokyo.  She is a professor at Tokyo University.
At 3.40 I prepared a chicken and vegetable casserole for my supper.
4 p.m. tea and a slice of homemade Madeira cake.  I peeled an apple on my new apple peeler and corer.  Then I watched Songs of Praise and Midsomer Murders (or Barnaby as it is known abroad) and the News.
7 p.m. supper and some rather dull Tv. Soon after nine I listened to my Audio book.  This week it is the autobiography of Katherine Whitehorn.  Very good.
11.30  Small glass of milk and bed.

Apres l'Anniversaire

Everything had gone a bit flat since my birthday until I start to remember the advantages of being old.
There are a lot of things I no longer have to worry about.  For instance,  I know now that I can safely look at mountains without being expected to climb them,  no one is going to persuade me that I should do a parachute jump or fly in a balloon.  I have done my share of hazardous adventuring with Don.  Walking to the shops is exciting enough for me.
I will continue to look for comfortable shoe, no longer the silver sandals with high heels that I wore in my dancing days.  Despite the installation of the Protestant work ethic tried out on me by my mother and my husband I will no longer regard sitting down doing nothing as a sin.  I shall probably continue to make lists of jobs I ought to do but if I don't do them today there is always manana.
Hooray for 90!