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We were both reprieved from gardening duties this morning by the rain.
I scanned a few more colour slides from 1981/2.
Here Sam enjoys swinging in a hammock at the Drapers’ home in Meldreth near Royston in Cambridgeshire. This was August 1981.
In December that year we had a rare heavy fall of snow in Gracedale Road, Furzedown, South London. Matthew and Becky made the best of it. That was probably the only time in their childhoods that it was possible to create such a magnificent snowman.
Another Cambridgeshire venue was the home of Nigel and Judy Pearson at Pastures farmhouse in Caxton. At a Christmas party there, Sam tucked into his first pheasant. I remember biting a piece of shot. This was also the first time I had sampled such fare.
In September 1982 we spent a couple of weeks at the Vachettes’ chateau at Fontaine in Normandy.
This is the garden in which Jessica basks in a deckchair with Arnoux, Marie-Helene, and the Vachette parents. As can be seen by the colour of the grass this was a very hot autumn.
Lying at Jessica’s feet
is Louisa in her carrycot;
while Sam enjoys the toys she will soon grow into.
This afternoon the sun shone, not only here in Downton, but also in Wimbledon where a tense Gentlemen’s Final took place. I watched it on television.
I will not reveal the winner, but his wife looks on.
Afterwards I wandered around the garden, doing some sporadic dead-heading, whilst Jackie watered some more hanging baskets
containing petunias, mimuluses and lobelia.
She also slaked the the thirst of this urn containing petunias, trailing geraniums, and bidens, with penstemons at the side,
suspended in the Rose Garden.
The hydrangea at the corner of Elizabeth’s Bed is thriving;
as are the lilies and clematises in the New Bed;
and the hebes are coming into bloom.
This evening we dined on Mister Chatty Man’s Hordle Chinese Take Away. Jackie drank a blend of Hoegaarden and Bavaria non-alcoholic beer, while I consumed more of the Carignan Vieilles Vignes.
“I remember biting a piece of shot.” Hard on the teeth!
It certainly was, Weekly. Thank you.
Was this the “fare” you hadn’t sampled before? 🙂
Thank you, Paul. It was 🙂
I was watching the Tennis also Derrick.. 🙂 loved every minute of it.. for the last 2 weeks 🙂 Your photo’s are lovely and those were the days Winter was Winter with snow! .. Your garden is looking so colourful..
Sending thoughts your way
Sue
Very many thanks, Sue
Wimbledon and Silverstone – shame the footballers took (like the rest of the country) an early exit from Europe. 😉
Thanks, Quercus
Matthew’s expression, while standing next to the snowman, is priceless. Love the hibiscus!
Thank you, Jill. He does look pretty chuffed doesn’t he?
Lovely past and present! That top photo of Sam is wonderful–gallery or coffee table book photo. Your garden is just glorious.
Many thanks, Merril
Looks like a drinkin,’ smokin’ snowman… Did they filch one of your pipes for him?
Well spotted. They did. Thank you, Cynthia
Of course I am presently shouting Allez les bleus …. if they win it will end a perfect sporting day for me and I will limp to bed a happy girl 🙂
Thanks, Osyth. At the moment it looks like extra time
Sometimes the perfect day is not meant to be …. I feel sad for France – but hope they will find the strength to hausser les épaules and move on. Well done Portugal, of course … one must always be galant.
Sorry about the football, Osyth. This post, from before I had begun illustrating them, might be of interest: https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/12/i-could-not-lose/
Thank you – I really enjoyed that!
🙂
Beautiful pictures…. I watched The Wimbledon as well..a glorious moment for Murry… once again… 🙂
Thank you, Manaiparna
Say what you like, but little children looked a lot happier back in 1981 than they do now!
Yes, John. Often so. Thanks
Love (a tennis term!) the garden.
Many thanks, Bruce. I’m pleased that the 7th wasn’t your final contact
🙂 🙂 🙂
Everything is looking good Derrick!
Thanks very much, Pauline
You’re both better! Hurray! Hoegaarden and Bavaria non-alcoholic beer, and Carignan Vieilles Vignes 😉
I’ll catch up on the highlights of the match as I couldn’t watch live. Congratulations UK!
Many thanks, Timi. Both players were very good.
Sam in the hammock is my favourite photo.
Thank you, Mary. I have more of these somewhere, including Matthew.
You must be enjoying going through these photos so much, Derek. I know it’s something I always enjoy. How many do you have?
Thanks very much, Val. I’m not sure how many, but there are thousands – negatives, slides, and now digital, covering a lifetime. A few prints from 1942 onwards; slides and negs from the early 60s.
Absolutely beautiful photographs. You’ve lived your life well and continue to do so Derrick. Kudos to you!
Very many thanks, Geetha
Most welcome Derrick
Oh what a fabulous snowman! Even here in the north, we don’t always get a snow fall good enough to build such an impressive sculpture – always great fun though 🙂
Thanks very much, Peggy
As always we love seeing pictures of your garden but now we are getting greedy and would like a panoramic shot. We just want to see what the whole garden looks like in one picture. Would that be possible?
Thank you for asking, Mostly. It isn’t really possible. I have posted several views, like the one in this post: https://derrickjknight.com/2015/07/17/bunting/ from upstairs windows, but there is no vantage point that will take it all in, and we can’t see the 75′ long back drive which, as you know, is all planted up. Several people have asked for a video tour, so I will ask Becky to take me through that next time she visits. 🙂
Sometimes a little rain helps us to do something we need to do. Beautiful memories, Derrick 🙂
Quite right, Monica. Thank you X
Very lovely post Derrick – enjoy seeing the older photos – just wonderful! 🙂
Thanks, Terry
More cute kids and lovely flowers (I am looking at your posts in the opposite direction LOL). I was a little disappointed at the outcome of the tennis final, but our guy did pretty good just getting there.
Thank you, Lydia. He did very well in the match, too.
Is that a real name, Derrick….Mister Chatty Man’s Hordle Chinese Take Away? I would go there just for the name alone.
Mister Chatty Man is Jackie’s name for the proprietor of Hordle Chinese Take Away. Thank you, Ginene
Well, he should have named it that!
It really must be great when you scan those old slides Derrick, and see those captured moments come alive in your memory from so long ago.
Those family pictures will be treasured for generations to come.
Cheers.
It is, Ian. Thank you
That first photo is so sweet!
Thank you, Lynn
I so remember that December. After four years in Europe I was flying back to Australia on a one-week charter flight via Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur (it was cheap . . . very cheap). My very dear friend could not come to Heathrow to see me off, as the black ice was too dangerous for driving up from Margate. Then the plane in front of us skidded sideways on the tarmac and ploughed into a snowdrift. We were five hours waiting for the runway to be cleared, all the time inside the aircraft, as the pilot was ever hopeful of a quick getaway. In the end, the hostesses had to start the in-flight meal service even though we hadn’t gone anywhere. Then when we did take off, the turbulence was so bad that the miniature drink bottles were flying off the trolley, hitting the ceiling, and coming back down again like missiles. Once we hit such a deep air pocket that we dropped for hundreds of feet and then slammed down as if we had hit concrete. By the time we were flying over the mountains of Afghanistan, I had resolved not to use the life jacket if we went down. I figured, “when your time is up, your time is up”. I had no intention of being stuck on the top of a mountain with a broken body waiting for rescue. And here I am, happy and healthy still, after all these years. . . . and you have sparked all that memory with a snowmen and those beautiful photos of childhood innocence 🙂 well done. What wonderful memories to preserve.
Many thanks, Gwen, especially for sharing that never to be forgotten memory
The cheery every-which-way hebes make me think of purple bunny ears, for some reason–never mind, all I really mean was this was another enjoyable post. 🙂
Many thanks, Cynthia. every-which-way is good 🙂