Blackfriars

Looking through some photos for a picture of Miss Annie Smith I found a postcard sent to my mother in the 1930s signed A Westley.  This was mother's friend I called Auntie Alice.  We children were never allowed to call grown-ups by their Christian names as is the custom now.  That would have been considered extremely impolite.

Auntie Alice was completely blind as was her husband, Uncle Bert.  He earned his living as a piano tuner.  He was a small, slight man with a surprisingly strong bass baritone voice.   His singing of popular ballads like  "Asleep in the Deep" , "Because" and  "The Lost Chord"  were well received at the monthly concerts which the local Blind Club held at the Surrey Chapel in Blackfriars Road in Southwark, London  next door to the world famous boxing arena called The Ring.  I think both of these buildings were destroyed in WW2.

I went often with my mother to meetings there.  Sometimes we had a solicitor called Mr. Dettmer who would read aloud short stories from Dickens or some such.  I remember him because if someone had the temerity to cough he would stop reading, extract a tin from his pocket and ask a boy to take the offender a cough sweet.

Enter Baby Jack

Last Friday my first great grandchild was born.  Holly sent a picture of  Jack.  He is a beautiful little boy and why would he be otherwuse with two such good-looking parents. I look forward to meeting him.  The  birth of one little human being into a happy family  never ceases to be the most  wonderful, the most delightful and the most miraculous of events.

This was the highlight of a week of ups and downs that all ended happily. I seem to spend a lot of my time these days searching for things.  Perhaps it is because I can't see at once where I put things or more likely I am just careless.   After shopping for some shoes I could not find my debit.card. It was not in my purse I felt convinced it must be in the pocket of my blue jacket..  After fruitless searching' involving A & M,  I remembered I was wearing my pink jacket and there it was in the pocket!    An even more mysterious affair was the disappearance of my hearing aid.    I t vanished from the bedside table.    I was in anguish and set the whole house by its ears once again involving A & M who turned the bedroom upside down, moving all the furniture but to no avail.  Finally, last night as I opened an almost empty  small jar of skin cream  which was on my bedside table I heard something  rattle and lo and behold there was my hearing aid.  It had fallen into the jar.  You are never too old to learn.  I shall keep this vital aid to living in its box in future!

At the Doctors

There has been much talk about doctors prescribing too many antibiotics.  Taken too often they may stop being effective.  I was being given a short course after every eye in jection.  This is no longer the case.  Apparently some patients were demanding antibiotics for sore throats and colds.  They are not a cure for these conditions.

In the days before the National Health when one had to pay good money to see a doctor my mother said people felt cheated if they came away without a bottle of "physic".  She said the doctor had three cures.  White mixture for the stomach, brown cough mixture for the chest and green liniment for the back.  I once heard a little old man ask the chemist for a box of them head back and stomach pills.  That pretty well took care of everything.