Ian, whom Becky had collected to join us yesterday, drove off early this morning to bring his father Peter and stepmother Ally to join the party in time for lunch.
Knowing full well that I would want it, Becky asked me yesterday whether I knew anyone who would like:
that had been among the many items of interest Flo had found in their loft at Emsworth.
Beautifully bound, in a split slipcase, stamped with the number 37, this is a portfolio of an edition, limited to 50, remembering:
Four of the reproductions are missing. It is to be hoped that they now adorn someone’s wall.
We have No. 2 ‘Townspeople returning from the country with potatoes’
3 ‘The transfer of food from country to town was prohibited’
4 ‘Evacuation ordeal. People rescued their property by every available means’
5 ‘The seventeenth century type barge was the only means of travel’
7 ‘Lack of coal, lighting and food meant communal kitchens’
8 ‘One small stove in every house for cooking, washing and heating’
11 ‘Strange vehicles were used for transport’
12 ‘Trees disappeared during the night’
13 “Haven’t you got any food us?”
14 ‘Our food: sugar beet and bulbs’
We, in the UK, remember that we were subjected to the blitz, as we term the Second World War bombing, but, by and large, we have no knowledge of what the European occupation was like. This set of pictures is a poignant reminder of life in Holland towards the end.
Before the war Black people were rarely seen in England, and immediately afterwards, judging by the dreadful reception of the first Jamaican immigrants who came over on the ‘Windrush’, we seem to have forgotten those, such as the airmen who had fought on our side. It was the consequent ignorance that enabled the letter N to be featured as it was in another of Flo’s findings: First Alphabet and Jingle Book with pictures by Nora S. Unwin and jingles by H.S. Bennett published by The National Magazine Company Ltd. This would not be acceptable today.
Because of the date written inside the front board, Becky had thought I may have possessed one of these as a child. It was of course possible. The inscription inside this one tells us that it was given to Peter by Joy and Susan for Christmas 1946.
A certain amount of hot-bedding went on this evening, because Mat and Tess returned home this afternoon, making way for Peter and Ally. After getting to know each other we all decanted to The Royal Oak for a drink before returning to enjoy one of Jackie’s sausage casseroles, mashed potato, carrots, cauliflower and green beans. For those that had room, this was followed by Tesco’s ‘Down the Rabbit Hole cake’, in the form of the rear end of a rabbit which had benefitted from additional sultanas provided by Flo.
Only Ian had room for more alcohol, a Peroni, to accompany the meal.