A Little Tart

Pheasant

This morning the brilliant neck of the pheasant, joining the pigeons and doves scavenging for scraps from the smaller birds’ breakfast table, occasionally emerged from the pieris camouflage and peered expectantly awaiting the next morsel to be dropped.

After our coffee I scanned some more colour slides from 1971. The photographs were all taken in the garden at 76 Amity Grove.Jackie 4.71 002

Jackie 4.71 003

In April Jackie had borrowed my Old Wimbledonians rugby jersey. There was quite a strong  body of opinion that suggested she looked better in it than I did.Michael, Shaun, Jamie & Jay 5.71 001

By May, blossom was clothing the apple tree that featured in ‘Becky’s Book’. Michael and his friends Shaun, Jay, and Jamie, turned it into a tented house which they reached by scaling a ladder. I don’t imagine they all four managed to sit on the seat together.Becky 8.71 006

Becky 8.71 002Becky 8.71 004Becky 8.71 005Becky 8.71 007Becky 8.71 008

Fruit had been produced by August. From the expressions on Becky’s face she may have found her first apple a little tart.Michael & Beccy 8.71 copy

The marguerites were past their best, but Michael had found smaller daisies, and dandelions, thriving. Becky’s pink plastic one needed no nurturing.

This, the last day of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, was the most thrilling of my lifetime. I watched all three matches on television. The championship was wide open, three teams being in a position to win it, and if they all won their contests today, it would be decided on points difference. This meant we were treated to three open games where the teams were all aiming to score as many points as possible. The three sides were Wales, Ireland, and England. Wales beat Italy in Rome 61-20; then Ireland beat Scotland at Murrayfield 40-10. I won’t bore you with the match, but this meant that England, in the final match, at Twickenham, needed to beat France by 26 points. England won the game 55-35. Ireland won the championship.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s luscious lamb jalfrezi, egg fried rice, and vegetable samosas, followed by rice pudding. Her choice of accompanying beverage was T’Sing Tao; mine was Kingfisher.

9 comments

  1. There are some very sweet memories in this lot Derrick – it must be lovely for you to look back to this time. I just watched NZ make the semi’s in the Cricket World Cup and Guptil score 237 not out!! Great fun 🙂

  2. On this occasion I feel no sympathy for my English blogger friend 🙂 Come on Ireland!!!! What an exciting day of Rugby, I actually thought you guys were going to catch us at the death. But the boys in green won the day…all is right in the rugby world!

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