Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt

An item on the radio programme "Today" held my attention this morning.  Alison Skilbeck was interviewed about her One Woman show about Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the former president of the United States.  The actress talked of Mrs. Roosevelt's visit to London in 1942.

During the Second World War, I worked as a Clerical Officer on shift duties in a small room in the basement of the Home Office in Whitehall.  This was the hub of Civil Defence for the U.K.  There were seven people on each shift, three C.O.s and a shorthand-typist (all girls) and three male Officers of the Watch.

We had many important visitors.  King George VI, Winston Churchill, John Winant, the U.S. ambassador and Chiefs of Staff, who came to discuss the bombing with the O.O.W.s.  I particularly remember Mrs. Roosevelt as she made a point of coming round to talk to me and to the other girls to ask us about our work and how we travelled to work in the air raids. Nobody had asked us this before. We were just expected to turn up regardless. I thought she was a most kind and gracious lady.

Baby Jack and his two Uncles

Last Saturday was a Red Letter Day.   My daughter-in-law had come from France  with my two young grandsons to stay in Folkestone for half-term and to visit my granddaughter and baby Jack  They all came to Hove for the day, which was lovely.

Today is a bright Spring morning with a promise of warmer weather to come.  We have seen the end of February Filldyke, as my mother used to call it!

I  was listening to a man talking about the people he  had met while travelling across America and finding, as we did, that not everybody is like the Americans as portrayed by Hollywood.

We had been invited by friends who lived on Vancouver Island to spend some weeks with them on a sailing holiday.  After a fortnight of mixed joys sailing round the many islands and inlets there was a family crisis.  A grandchild arrived prematurely and mother was called on to help so we decided to take ourselves off .

Don and I flew to San Francisco.  A bustling city with all sorts of exciting things happening on the Waterfront.To my disappointment the famous streetcars were off the road as they were all being refurbished or something.   After a few days we decided to make our way back to Vancouver by Greyhound bus.  Funds were running low so we spent all one night on the bus saving on hotel .  We made friends with fellow passengers.  At one stop a small boy aged about five was put on the bus . He was on his way to his Grandmom he said and had a large label pinned to his coat with an address  printed on it in large red letters.  The driver talked to him all the way and waited when he got off to make sure he was met.  I got the impression he was a regular traveller.   We thought we would look for a place to rent for a week and a lady recommended a place called Seaside and we got off the bus with her and she helped os find a flat over a grocery shop.  A bit ramshackle but O.K/

We spent a lovely week, walking along the broad sandy beach and watching the birds.  A huge flock of pelicans nested at one end of the be ach We found everyone very friendly and interested in us   We were off the usual tourist route for English visitors.  One young girl rushed off saying "I'm going to tell my mum I've met some English people"

We got the bus back to Vancouver after staying a night in Portland, Oregan and resumed our sailing holiday, crisis being over.

Sorry about the breakdown in communications.  Normal service will, I hope be resumed shortly.
In have been proper poorly since before  Christmas with a cold and persistent cough but am much better now.  My failng sight is making it difficult read and write even with the computer but with Amamda's help I shall endeavour to rad and reply to e mails.
A belated Happy New Year to you all.

Winter

I realised winter had finally arrived when Mike had to scrape the frost off the car windscreen this morning.  We have been spoilt by the sunny , long, mild autumn.  To add to our discomfiture the central heating gave up the ghost for a couple of days.  Thankfully the man came amd fixed it this afternoon.

I have been back to my Knit & Natter group.  Not a lot of knitting but plenty of nattering!  This is [receded by an excellent lunch beautifully cooked and served by delightful volunteers.   Mike takes me annd brings me back.  I am a bit tottery and can't manage on my own.

Must start making preparations for Christmas.  Have made a start on my cards with help from above ,  Above stairs I mean in case you think I have a direct line to heaven.

I hope there aren't too many mistakes.  The computer is very faint

Courage

People have said I am brave to have 16 eye injections but it is easy to be brave when there is no alternative.  There have recently been what I call real instances of courage.  The first on Remembrance Sunday when the Queen laid her wreath.  She stood alone in front of the cenotaph with her head bent despite talk of an attempt on her life determined to do her duty.  As she lead the Royal family back through the door of the Home Office (a door which I went through hundreds of times during the war) there was a spontaneous round of applause from the waiting crowd.

The second instance was the male nurse who was flown back from Africa to recover from Ebola.  Having recovered he has returned to Africa although he does not know if he has immunity against the disease or. if so, for how long.  That takes courage.

Health Report

I have been laid low with a nasty cough for three weeks but am better now.  I bought a bottle of cough mixture to take at bedtime  It proved to be not only childproof but Grandmaproof as well.  I gave up and went to bed.  I woke next mornng feeling much better so what does that prove?
I have just had an eye injection.  Only my third in over a year!.  This new Eylia is certainly an improvement.   My sight is no better but the injections don't come round so often.

I have been looking at the suffix "able."  Quite use ful.  We have  marriageable, unthinkable, unwatchable, unteachable  But  unpackable ?  I have only just come to terms with  doable.  Yesterday I heard on the radio"But we have not sorted it out".  To which the reply was  "It will be sortable outable in time".  !!!