Hello Muriel It is remarkable how many of your memories strike a chord with mine.If my memory serves me correctly there was (and may still be) a law preventing performances on stage before achieving the age of twelve years and I think that it had to be before 10 pm or something like that. Like you I remember young Julie Andrews and saw her introduced to the audience at the Golders Green Hippodrome by her parents Ted and Barbara who for some years had toured the halls singing together, as did Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth and Janet Hamilton-Smith and John Hargreaves. I seem to remember that young Julie could sing in the first half but had to remain silent in the second. What a wonderful source of entertainment those theatres were. We saw the big bands like Ted Heath (I remember one performance with Jack Parnell in the band and Paul Carpenter as MC), the crazy bands like Dr Crock and his Crackpots, the big comedians like Arthur Askey and the up and coming Frankie Howerd. Then there were the seasons of musicals Brigadoon and the never to be forgotten John Hanson in Desert Song. If that was not enough we also saw most of the plays either prior to the West End or as they started their tours and, at Christmas, the Pantomime. And all so very much better than seeing it on film or on television. Changing subject, your grandmother's letter to your father reminded me so much of the family Christmases we enjoyed as children. I can recall the sound of my aunt's piano and the family singing even now. Particularly the year we had several Canadian soldiers in to join us, never dreaming that so many would be lost at Dieppe. I was reminded of the story related by my mother of grandfather and the Christmas turkey. I apologise if I have submitted this to the list on a previous occasion (but if I did I do not remember it ... too recent!). My grandfatherwas a milkman,known universally it appeared as ‘Doctor’, and was quite a character. Not always nice but a character certainly. Take the case of the Christmas turkey. It seems that grandfather had been celebrating Christmas with a drink here and there as he did his rounds finishing up wishing seasonal greetings to his friends at the Police Station in West Hampstead. He then collected his turkey to which he attached a string and proceeded to drag it along in the manner of walking a dog. Almost home and he was apprehended by a zealous young constable new to the beat. The policeman insisted that my inebriated grandfather accompany him to the station. Upon his arrival the station sergeant asked what he was doing back there. The PC was told off and ‘Doctor’ told to go home. Grandfather’s response was to demand transport back to where he had been apprehended. Thus grandfather and his turkey arrived at his front door in a police car causing considerable speculation by the neighbours. Regards to all Len