My mother--Beautiful arms and hands...

This photograph dating from 1920 or so is of my mother. She survived three wars, the Boer 1899-1902, the Great War as it was then dubbed, 1914-1918 & WW2 1939-45, two marriages.
She had two sons. It was a life sometimes easy and often hard,especially the latter part. Trained as a tailoress, she could make any clothes; do expert embroidery and had enormous patience. She dressed well belying our poor circumstances, a wretched second husband who locked us out of the house when I was
4.He sued her twice for custody of the child which anyway he did not want and fortunately lost both cases. He disappeared and we were never able to contact him except through a bank. He paid two pounds a week for maintenance with half a crown a week "for the child". He died in the fifties having lived with a woman who changed her name by deed poll to be respectable.
My parents were legally separated and never divorced. The court case was in 1939/40, the beginning of the war. Considered a single woman although having a young child, she was called up to make munitions working nights in the war effort. I was boarded out at night. When the Wellington bomber dropped incendiaries on Berlin as the Allies fought back, she used to say with pride: :"That's my work.". She was a welder.
Prior to 1939 she worked as a volunteer for the Conservative party. After the war she became a socialist. We took the Daily Worker, the Communist newspaper.

It was a different life to the one she had expected, the one where she had beautiful arms and hands and was a subject of photography.
She was a pretty woman. What a shame I can't see her again & only have these memories. Ah well.....

Anent: Dame Ninette de Valois

Years ago I worked at Expo "67 in Montreal.I was deputized to take Sir Frederick Ashton, head of the Royal Ballet Company & famed choreographer, round the exhibition. Being British too, we got on very well. Sir Fred. was amusing and charming. He had come from London to perform in CINDERELLA with Robert Helpman (from Australia). They played the ugly sisters. "We never rehearse!" he joked to me. After our tour I said that I would put him in a taxi while I would head back to my office. "Oh," he said, "wouldn't you like to come back to the Ritz for a champagne cocktail?" "You've twisted my arm, Sir Fred, how could I refuse?" My boss would be pleased as good will between nations is cemented by politeness and such actions as having a drink. Remind me to tell you of my experience with the Bolshoi, but that will come later. I saved the day by drinking at midmorning a large plastic cup of vodka to seal an agreement....
Arriving at the Ritz we head to the bar and are just sipping our cocktails when in fly Sir Robert together with John Tooley (later Sir John) head at that time of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The conversation batted back & fore until Ninette de Valois was mentioned. Sir Fred said: I was in rehearsal with her. She was directing us in a new ballet. She said to us all, "Now I want you all to go da-da, da-da, da-da." Well I said to myself one word. DISASTER!
It was a most memorable chat.

Peter Flinsch Another picture

This picture is entitled MANGIONE.

Peter Flinsch Artist

Dear M:
What think you of this picture by Peter Flinsch? It dates from the 1960s. Mr. Flinsch was born in Leipzig, Germany. He emigrated to Canada in 1955 where he became well known as an art director with CBC TV. He is also known as an artist, having had many exhibitions both in the US and in Europe as well as in Canada.

There's nothing out there, Darlings......

Dearest M:
Yesterday I was interviewed as a senior on my hopes & dreams. I said I was more practical nowadays, pragmatic, somatic if you like. Hopes&Dreams are for the young. As one ages one gets more practical. But I was game for it and spoke for half an hour into a camera to one Stephanie. All this is to be collaged, mixed & shown on large vertical screens at the Beijing Olympics. I'm one of many round the world being thus interviewed. We'll see. My final message was: Be at peace, make your gardens grow, educate your children and avoid the spirits. Concentrate on the noetic Abjure the numinous, for Darlings, there's just nothing out there.....Well I didn't exactly use those red rag words but that's what I feel.Such a waste of time say I: all this religious talk. Have you noticed when asked about their religion many say SPIRTUAL. What catch-all rubbish is this? I would have more respect for someoone who wrote NONE or even added CARNAL. Of course it is forbidden to tell the truth.
We have had in NYC an exhibition (or exhibit as they say in the US) called BODIES. Not at all gruesome it is wonderfully and clearly presented. I would send every school child there to understand how the body works. We should know. They centainly should know. The body should not be a mystery. The body is a machine and works like this. Teachers should concentrate on what and how and not on who and why. But I am on my hobbyhorse aren't I? But it's a good one isn't it?
I found out today I am on a web site for my assistance in translating some Chinese poems into English. Actually my friend translates them, she does the hard work and I rewrite in good English. It is so interesting to do it.
I had a wonderful and quite moving email from an old school friend with pictures of the recent reunion, a bunch of grey haired gentlemen now. I sent my picture off to join the festivities. We're not quite complete anymore as a couple of us have died. Ah well.
This is a quite a good way to write isn't it? Sort of DEAR DIARY...not quite Mrs. Dale but a record and why not?

Letter to M.

Dear M.
Greetings from NYC.
Yesterday we were all warned of a big snow storm approaching, that the morn would be white and gleaming. Need I say, not a toilet roll nor plastic bottle of milk left in the convenience stores. Of course nothing happened of course and we awoke to a dreary rather damp and depressing day. The newscasters who justify their existence by chattering on and on about Mrs.Clinton's hair do and tears and then the weather do have to fill the news up 24/7 but alas it is so much hot air, mostly waffle, even the even handed Jim Lehrer show. One has seen so many, heard so much that patterns emerge and nothing new is uttered. It is sad. No wonder the general populace here looks blankly at the old lags and young hopefuls,Katie Couric and that blond one who never seems to age. Small wonder that people turn to reality TV to escape the monotony, the tiresome youth all speaking at once demanding attention when they have so little if anything to say.Have you noticed in your area how ugly many youth are? Deformed faces with pins & rings, tattoos and wild hair. Many are horribly overweight or skinny enough for Belsen. Mark you one does see some beautiful people chattering on cell phones; dark swarthy New Yorkers, girls hoping to catch up by becoming male ball breakers. Poor dears they do have to fight for attention don't they?.

Sorry to learn that Antony's wife has left him. How sad. And ironical no? that you and he should spend Xmas together, both of you left by your spouses. As you say what is the world coming to? The answer is it is not actually coming to anything. It goes round in circles never leaving and never arriving.An infinity like this year 2008.
See ATONEMENT. It is a very beautiful film with stellar performances. A straight friend of mine said the dress should get a nomination. Keira Knightly who by the way went to the Lady Eleanor Holles school next to Hampton wears it to perfection. Did you know incidentally that Aunty Blodwen had one like it, in cream crepe de chine edged in scarlet. Of course she wore it in her other life before I appeared on the scene.In that halcyon perion in England between the wars, as seen in ATONEMENT.
The story by Ian McEwan is very good & extremely sad.Romola Garai as the middle Briony, V. Redgrave as the elder one in a wonderfully restrained performance.
Had a panic earlier on today as I could not find my cell phone. I asked someone to call me but it was off & so I could not hear it. Anyway I found it in a pair of jeans. Not much appetite today, not sure why. Anyway does one have to eat huge meals?