In a message dated 2/14/2008 6:43:40 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: >>Good morning Everyone, Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I see you all have some connection to the UK. The only connection I have is all of my "Hart" ancestors lived there. The more I research them and all the little towns and villages they lived in the more I want to visit England. I received my new passport in the mail this week so that is a start! Nice to meet you. June<< Good morning June, I am fairly new to discovering my UK connections as well. Despite having several family names that most likely trace back to this region, the only one I am generally sure of are my Earps in Nottingham/Derby. :) My own surname is Watts, and of course that name does originate in the UK, but that family line is very likely Native American, which throws a bit of a monkey wrench into my research! Annalee **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

In a message dated 2/13/2008 8:28:44 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: >>Hello everyone, I live in (North) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. My current interest is working on my family tree and Howard has been extremely helpful and patient helping me understand the Counties etc. in England. As for hobbies I love gardening especially growing roses. June<< Welcome again, June. :) I wish I could garden, have wished so since childhood, but unfortunately our soil in our yard is not conducive to gardening. One of these days, though! I would be thrilled to have a vegetable garden. :) Annalee **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

In a message dated 2/13/2008 8:08:48 AM Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Hey, Trivvies, please welcome June Dugaro to the List. Welcome, June! I'm Annalee in California! :) Annalee **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

Hello Di, Very sorry to hear about Shelly. She was so young. Thinking of you and your family, June ----- Original Message ----- From: Di Di To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;@priv-edtnaa11.telusplanet.net Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:57 AM Subject: [TRIVVIES] Some sad news I have told you all about my son Eddie donating a kidney to a young girl called Shelly....I am sure I told you that she lost the kidney in October. Well I am very sad to tell that Shelly lost her fight for life today. She had become very important in our family and we are very sad to loose her. She was only 22. Di Di http://photobucket.com/albums/d100/didi_45 [email protected] . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Good morning Everyone, Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I see you all have some connection to the UK. The only connection I have is all of my "Hart" ancestors lived there. The more I research them and all the little towns and villages they lived in the more I want to visit England. I received my new passport in the mail this week so that is a start! Nice to meet you. June Burnaby, B.C Western Canada

Hey, Trivvies, please welcome June Dugaro to the List. Hi, June and welcome. Won't you please introduce yourself by telling us where in the world you live and what your interests are? Geo. in Busselton, south-west corner of Western Australia.

Another B.C.er........that doesn't look right...never mind,nice to meet you June I'am also in Duncan....I know all about our "Howie"he found my family for me. I would not have found out any thing but for him,it meant so much to me.(Thank you again Howard) more later........Wendy > > > I do grow Intrigue but don't recognize "Red Skeleton". I also have become > fond of the Austin's and the OGRs (Old Garden Roses) but I don't have that > much room for them. Even though yellow isn't my favorite colour I do like > the Austin, Graham Thomas. > > June > PS. Also have an interest in Bonsai and rhodos. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Jennifer > To: [email protected] > Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:45 AM > Subject: Re: [TRIVVIES] Another new member > > > Hello June . . . from a fellow BC'ite. > > I live across the water on Vancouver Island (Duncan) near a couple more > Trivvies - who will no doubt be stopping by to say hello. Originally > from Hampshire UK my parents and I moved to Vancouver in1968. Met my > husband while working at the Vancouver health department . . . spent > some years in Quesnel before finally moving to the island some 26 years > ago. > > Have been researching my family tree for about 15 years now. Also like > gardening . . . do you have a favourite rose? I love the David Austin > roses for their perfume, but have two favourites in my garden -- > Intrigue (a gorgeous dark purple/mauve) and Red Skelton (a lovely deep > red/orange). > > Jennifer > > > June Dugaro wrote: > > Hello everyone, > > > > I live in (North) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. My current > interest is working on my family tree and Howard has been extremely > helpful and patient helping me understand the Counties etc. in England. > As for hobbies I love gardening especially growing roses. > > > > June > > > > > . > . > "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? > If not, PLEASE change it." > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > . > . > "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? > If not, PLEASE change it." > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Thank you Howard, Hi Di Di, Valerie, Glennis. Not too much has happened since I was last on, I think it was after we moved to the new house and I was very busy making a new garden. I have to say at my age I quite like tranquil, excitement generally means a crisis of some kind. My youngest daughter got married last April and some very dear friends came over from London for the wedding. We were a houseful and it was wonderful, I missed them horribly when they left. Jennifer has since had a baby boy, and as she lives nearby I am able to spoil him as much as possible. The summer before last, 3 friends and I made a trip to UK. We spent a week outside Abergavenny, Wales in Peartree Cottage. It was just as beautiful as it sounds with roses around the door. We then travelled to your part Howard and stayed at Three Ways House Hotel, Mickleton, home of The Pudding Club. Have you ever been there? Needless to say we ate every pudding they offered 7 in all and I have a certificate to prove it!!! After that we moved to Chipping Campden for a week. Unfortunately I was only there for two nights, I became ill and spent 2 weeks in Cheltenham Hospital with pnumonia. My friends went home at the end of the week and I had to stay behind. I have to say that the Nurses in my ward were absolutely the best, so kind to me and everyone in their care. I was in a ward where many of the ladies had cervical cancer, it was very sad but helped me to keep my situation in perspective. Thank goodness we had travel insurance and they flew me home with a nurse all the way to my house. I have not done much genealogy lately, partly because I have hit some high brick walls and also taking care of my Mother is a fulltime job. I am glad to be able to visit you all, is Lizzie still on, I often think about you. Shirley ----- Original Message ----- From: "Howard Fuller" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 3:47 AM Subject: Re: [TRIVVIES] Welcome mat > It's good to hear from you again, Shirley! What were you doing while > you were away? Anything interesting?! > > Bron and I still live in Steventon, 12 miles south of Oxford. No > change there! Most of the 'children' (what else can you call them even > though all of them are now between 44 and 58?) are scattered round the > country, but two of the girls, and two of the grands live in Wantage > only 6 miles away. Which is nice. > > Do stay in touch! > > Howard > >

Hi June, I'm Capt'n John. I'm from the eastern part of Canada, more specifically, I'm from a small village just outside of the town of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. I am retired and find my life occupies with my four favourite things, my wife Brenda, history, biography and genealogy Capt'n John -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Geo. Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 11:51 AM To: Trivvies Subject: [TRIVVIES] Another new member Hey, Trivvies, please welcome June Dugaro to the List. Hi, June and welcome. Won't you please introduce yourself by telling us where in the world you live and what your interests are? Geo. in Busselton, south-west corner of Western Australia. . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it."

Hi June and Jennifer, What kind of climate do you have in BC. Is it good for growing roses? Do you have much black spot. My favourite roses are Constance Spry and Gertrude Jekyl, both David Austin roses. I also like rugosas because they are almost maintenance free and very fragrant I have 2 or 3 Rosarie de l'Hay in my garden. I live in Maryland and in May the roses are fantastic, then the really hot weather comes and its downhill from then on. I also love delphiniums and foxgloves. Has anyone been to Mottisfont or Sissinghurst, they are my favourite gardens in UK. They both have websites if you are interested. Gardening is in my genes, my Father, Grandfather and Gt. Grandfathers were gardeners. My Gt. Grandfather was head gardener at Montrose Place in Petersham, nr. Richmond Surrey. Thanks for bringing up the subject of gardening, Howard I seem to remember you like gardening too.. Shirley, looking out at snow and ice and wishing it was Spring!

Hi Shirley . . . nice to see you back on the list. Please don't mention black spot . . . or mildew . . . or aphids!!! Last year was awful for all three thanks to the cool, wet summer we had. Southern BC's climate is very similar to UK's . . . perhaps a bit colder at times. . . and normally we have roses blooming almost continuously from May until October, with a few hardy stragglers into November -- but by then the winter rains have often done their damage. Love the blue of delphiniums . . . those and foxgloves and pinks (and roses, of course) always conjure up the image of an English cottage garden. The sun is actually shining this morning . . . the roses are budding nicely (won't prune them until the beginning of March, in case we have a bout of cold weather). The winter honeysuckle smells divine . . . the winter daphne is on the verge of opening it's blossoms. . . . Oooh I love that fragrance. There are loads of polyanthus in bloom, as are the snowdrops. The forsythia won't be long . . . nor the crocuses. I shall grab this beautiful Spring-like day . . . cos there's more rain predicted . . . .! Jennifer Samuel Phillips wrote: > Hi June and Jennifer, What kind of climate do you have in BC. Is it good for growing roses? > Do you have much black spot. My favourite roses are Constance Spry and Gertrude Jekyl, both David Austin roses. I also like rugosas because they are almost maintenance free and very fragrant I have 2 or 3 Rosarie de l'Hay in my garden. I live in Maryland and in May the roses are fantastic, then the really hot weather comes and its downhill from then on. I also love delphiniums and foxgloves. Has anyone been to Mottisfont or Sissinghurst, they are my favourite gardens in UK. They both have websites if you are interested. Gardening is in my genes, my Father, Grandfather and Gt. Grandfathers were gardeners. My Gt. Grandfather was head gardener at Montrose Place in Petersham, nr. Richmond Surrey. Thanks for bringing up the subject of gardening, Howard I seem to remember you like gardening too.. > Shirley, looking out at snow and ice and wishing it was Spring! > . > >

Hi Shirley, great to see you back on the list! We have moved from Hawaii to Sedona, Arizona, where it's a little harder to grow flowers.. however, roses do very well here which happen to be my favourite flower second only to the Peony. Glennis Samuel Phillips <[email protected]> wrote: Hi June and Jennifer, What kind of climate do you have in BC. Is it good for growing roses? Do you have much black spot. My favourite roses are Constance Spry and Gertrude Jekyl, both David Austin roses. I also like rugosas because they are almost maintenance free and very fragrant I have 2 or 3 Rosarie de l'Hay in my garden. I live in Maryland and in May the roses are fantastic, then the really hot weather comes and its downhill from then on. I also love delphiniums and foxgloves. Has anyone been to Mottisfont or Sissinghurst, they are my favourite gardens in UK. They both have websites if you are interested. Gardening is in my genes, my Father, Grandfather and Gt. Grandfathers were gardeners. My Gt. Grandfather was head gardener at Montrose Place in Petersham, nr. Richmond Surrey. Thanks for bringing up the subject of gardening, Howard I seem to remember you like gardening too.. Shirley, looking out at snow and ice and wishing it was Spring! . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected]m with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Good morning Jennifer I do grow Intrigue but don't recognize "Red Skeleton". I also have become fond of the Austin's and the OGRs (Old Garden Roses) but I don't have that much room for them. Even though yellow isn't my favorite colour I do like the Austin, Graham Thomas. June PS. Also have an interest in Bonsai and rhodos. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jennifer To: [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:45 AM Subject: Re: [TRIVVIES] Another new member Hello June . . . from a fellow BC'ite. I live across the water on Vancouver Island (Duncan) near a couple more Trivvies - who will no doubt be stopping by to say hello. Originally from Hampshire UK my parents and I moved to Vancouver in1968. Met my husband while working at the Vancouver health department . . . spent some years in Quesnel before finally moving to the island some 26 years ago. Have been researching my family tree for about 15 years now. Also like gardening . . . do you have a favourite rose? I love the David Austin roses for their perfume, but have two favourites in my garden -- Intrigue (a gorgeous dark purple/mauve) and Red Skelton (a lovely deep red/orange). Jennifer June Dugaro wrote: > Hello everyone, > > I live in (North) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. My current interest is working on my family tree and Howard has been extremely helpful and patient helping me understand the Counties etc. in England. As for hobbies I love gardening especially growing roses. > > June > > . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

It's good to hear from you again, Shirley! What were you doing while you were away? Anything interesting?! Bron and I still live in Steventon, 12 miles south of Oxford. No change there! Most of the 'children' (what else can you call them even though all of them are now between 44 and 58?) are scattered round the country, but two of the girls, and two of the grands live in Wantage only 6 miles away. Which is nice. Do stay in touch! Howard > Hi everyone, Thank you for the welcome mat. My name is Shirley and I am actually an old Trivvie who joined when this list first started. I thought I would pop in and see how everyone was doing so a special hello to any of the original members, Howard it is > good to see you are still writing such interesting posts. > Anyway I was born in Lewisham, London in 1937, we were bombed out in the Blitz of September 1941 and moved to Shepton Mallet, Somerset. I think a recurring theme of village life is the freedom of our childhood, being able to roam through the countryside beats video games any day. We moved around a lot from age 8 to 16 when we ended up in Horley, Surrey.I worked in London and then married and had babies. In 1966 my husband remarked on one Sunday afternoon that there was a job in the paper in America. I said "why not write and apply" One small sentence that totally changed my life. In 1967 we came to America and I now live in Maryland on the East Coast about 80 miles from Washington and not far from Camp David. I return to England every other year and became interested in my family history about 10 years ago. My main interest besides my Grandchildren is my garden and this has been curtailed lately because of a wonky knee and other parts not working like they used to! !!! > !!!!!!!! I look after my Mother who is 96 and was born within the sound of Bow Bells. > I hope I can stay a while, and look forward to hearing life experiences!!! > Shirley who still feels like a Brit.

Hello June . . . from a fellow BC'ite. I live across the water on Vancouver Island (Duncan) near a couple more Trivvies - who will no doubt be stopping by to say hello. Originally from Hampshire UK my parents and I moved to Vancouver in1968. Met my husband while working at the Vancouver health department . . . spent some years in Quesnel before finally moving to the island some 26 years ago. Have been researching my family tree for about 15 years now. Also like gardening . . . do you have a favourite rose? I love the David Austin roses for their perfume, but have two favourites in my garden -- Intrigue (a gorgeous dark purple/mauve) and Red Skelton (a lovely deep red/orange). Jennifer June Dugaro wrote: > Hello everyone, > > I live in (North) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. My current interest is working on my family tree and Howard has been extremely helpful and patient helping me understand the Counties etc. in England. As for hobbies I love gardening especially growing roses. > > June > >

Hello everyone, I live in (North) Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. My current interest is working on my family tree and Howard has been extremely helpful and patient helping me understand the Counties etc. in England. As for hobbies I love gardening especially growing roses. June ----- Original Message ----- From: Geo. To: Trivvies Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 7:50 AM Subject: [TRIVVIES] Another new member Hey, Trivvies, please welcome June Dugaro to the List. Hi, June and welcome. Won't you please introduce yourself by telling us where in the world you live and what your interests are? Geo. in Busselton, south-west corner of Western Australia. . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Well hello Shirley. Hey! That was a good disguise ya wore, I could have sworn ya was a bloke. lol Welcome 'home' to Trivington. It's much battered but still going. Geo. Hi everyone, Thank you for the welcome mat. My name is Shirley and I am actually an old Trivvie who joined when this list first started. I thought I would pop in and see how everyone was doing so a special hello to any of the original members, Howard it is good to see you are still writing such interesting posts. Anyway I was born in Lewisham, London in 1937, we were bombed out in the Blitz of September 1941 and moved to Shepton Mallet, Somerset. I think a recurring theme of village life is the freedom of our childhood, being able to roam through the countryside beats video games any day. We moved around a lot from age 8 to 16 when we ended up in Horley, Surrey.I worked in London and then married and had babies. In 1966 my husband remarked on one Sunday afternoon that there was a job in the paper in America. I said "why not write and apply" One small sentence that totally changed my life. In 1967 we came to America and I now live in Maryland on the East Coast about 80 miles from Washington and not far from Camp David. I return to England every other year and became interested in my family history about 10 years ago. My main interest besides my Grandchildren is my garden and this has been curtailed lately because of a wonky knee and other parts not working like they used to!!!! !!!!!!!! I look after my Mother who is 96 and was born within the sound of Bow Bells. I hope I can stay a while, and look forward to hearing life experiences!!! Shirley who still feels like a Brit.

Yes please Howie, hugs to you and Bron Val xx Some of you may remember reading bits of My Story before... Born in south London, and an only child, I was brought up in the Hampshire countryside 4 miles south of Winchester. Our home was a detached house of brick built in 1922, and bought by my father for the very reasonable sum of £660 and we moved there in 1927. It was a typical bit of between-the-wars ribbon development along one side of the main road to Southampton. It had two good-sized living rooms and a kitchen downstairs, and two and a half bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Each room had its fireplace, the one in the living room notably inefficient at heating the water in its back boiler and given to smoking badly, especially when easterly winds blew. Lighting and cooking was by town-gas; electricity didn't come to this rural area until after World War II. There was no television of course, so an electricity supply wasn't seriously missed. Dad made our first ‘wireless' set in about 1930, a cumbersome thing fitted into a narrow cupboard bought for the purpose. It was battery-driven, as were its later boughten successors, and one of my childhood duties was to carry the small glass-cased lead accumulator every week or so the mile over the downs to Shawford, where it seemed all the lead accumulators of the district were re-charged from a dynamo in an abandoned watermill on the River Itchen. Facing us on the opposite side of the road were several much more imposing houses that had been built at the turn of the century and which were now mostly hidden behind tall hedges. Here lived retired admirals, Indian Civil Service wallahs and similar crusty personalities, all moderately wealthy and keeping themselves very much to themselves. Companions of my own age had I none until, in 1929, I started at the little Church of England primary school in the small village of Compton, a mile north of home. The enlarged society in which I suddenly found myself was not easy to adjust to, and this was apparently not helped by my more ‘refined‘ accents. Miss Durrant, the teacher of the infant class, even suggested to my mother that I should try to adopt the more rounded Hampshire vowel forms. (Having since heard myself many times ‘on tape', I do wonder how I acquired my ‘Received Pronunciation' accent — or, rather, how my parents did, for obviously I mimicked them. Yet, even in later years I never heard a trace in them of the London accent which marked my various aunts' tones.) Compton, now a rather up-market commuter adjunct to Winchester, was in the 1930s still largely agricultural. There were a few ‘posh' houses, but two large farms provided the principal employment for the locals. An abiding memory of those early school days was at harvest-time when huge horses hauled the laden carts back from the outlying fields. The school was small — perhaps 40 pupils, in just two classes, almost all the children of farm workers. With an all-through age range of 5-15, the eldest were expected to help teach the juniors. Mine was Norah, a rather large cheerful girl of the great age of 15. Memories of the traditional games learned in the playground were later rekindled by Peter and Iona Opie's famous books. And yes, we called ‘scribs' for a truce. (My mother, a Londoner through and through, cried ‘fainites'.) Amongst other skills learned was how to drink from a tap without getting one's face wet, for the only water accessible at playtime was a tap by the school wall. The toilets were even more primitive; bucket privies for both sexes plus, for the boys, an iron trough filled with peat at the beginning of each term — and expected to last! I walked the mile to school and back every day, alone and mostly alongside the main road. It had little traffic in those days, often not a vehicle in sight for minutes on end, but since transformed into the unbelievably busy M3 which passes just behind my old home. As an alternative for part of my route, I could walk over the Downs, the last chalky escarpment before the gravels and clays of Southampton through which, down at Shawford, the Itchen had carved its valley. These Downs, and their narrower companion strip above Compton, became my playground, a favourite hawthorn tree being in turns a pirate ship and a den. For most of those primary school years, my principal companion was Betty Pritchard, some 2½ years older than myself, who lived with her ‘uncle' and ‘aunt' in one of a short row of workers' cottages just down the road. I say ‘uncle' and ‘aunt', for I now suspect she was in fact the child of one of their own daughters, then in their 20s. Betty was, perhaps fortunately for me, a bit of a tomboy and we got up to quite a number of scrapes, thereby incurring sharp words from her ‘uncle'. At the age of 6, I caught a very mild dose of scarlet fever and, in accordance with the health regulations of the time, was promptly packed off by ambulance to spend six weeks at the Isolation Hospital on the downs a couple of miles east of Winchester. Betty had gone there, too, for the same reason. The Hospital was a typical construction of corrugated iron, painted the pale yellow colour of such places. Not feeling particularly ill, we had the run of the place and its bare open grounds. The food was memorably awful, and I owe a life-long distaste for custard from the cold stiff yellow goo they served there. I also learned one shouldn't chew ones nails, for “the bits could turn into worms in your tummy”.. (True, from the eggs that might lurk under them.) I remember, too, the chuffing and clanking of a huge steam excavator nearby that was making a start on a deep cutting for the Winchester bypass, now part of the M3. As a family, we were fortunate — and exceptional — in having the use of a car. My father, now a sales representative working from the Southampton office of the Anglo-American Oil Company (which became Esso Petroleum Company in 1936), had a company car. He progressed in turn from a tiny canvas-sided Austin Seven to a Morris Ten to a Hillman Saloon. As he was allowed to use it at weekend for family purposes, this could make quite frequent trips into the Hampshire countryside, especially to the New Forest and our favourite seaside at Highcliffe. (“I can see the sea!”) We became a two-car family in 1936 when my mother acquired a Baby Austin Seven and learned to drive, which was an exceptional thing for a woman to do in those years. In 1935, with a bit of special coaching from the motherly head teacher, Miss White, I passed the scholarship examination to attend the secondary school in Winchester. And after the first year, when I travelled by bus, I cycled the hilly 4 miles to and from school... [More if you want it!] Howard . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Yes please Howard .... very interesting Caroline and John Yes please..... Maggie Some of you may remember reading bits of My Story before... Born in south London, and an only child, I was brought up in the Hampshire countryside 4 miles south of Winchester. Our home was a detached house of brick built in 1922, and bought by my father for the very reasonable sum of £660 and we moved there in 1927. It was a typical bit of between-the-wars ribbon development along one side of the main road to Southampton. It had two good-sized living rooms and a kitchen downstairs, and two and a half bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Each room had its fireplace, the one in the living room notably inefficient at heating the water in its back boiler and given to smoking badly, especially when easterly winds blew. Lighting and cooking was by town-gas; electricity didn't come to this rural area until after World War II. There was no television of course, so an electricity supply wasn't seriously missed. Dad made our first ‘wireless' set in about 1930, a cumbersome thing fitted into a narrow cupboard bought for the purpose. It was battery-driven, as were its later boughten successors, and one of my childhood duties was to carry the small glass-cased lead accumulator every week or so the mile over the downs to Shawford, where it seemed all the lead accumulators of the district were re-charged from a dynamo in an abandoned watermill on the River Itchen. Facing us on the opposite side of the road were several much more imposing houses that had been built at the turn of the century and which were now mostly hidden behind tall hedges. Here lived retired admirals, Indian Civil Service wallahs and similar crusty personalities, all moderately wealthy and keeping themselves very much to themselves. Companions of my own age had I none until, in 1929, I started at the little Church of England primary school in the small village of Compton, a mile north of home. The enlarged society in which I suddenly found myself was not easy to adjust to, and this was apparently not helped by my more ‘refined‘ accents. Miss Durrant, the teacher of the infant class, even suggested to my mother that I should try to adopt the more rounded Hampshire vowel forms. (Having since heard myself many times ‘on tape', I do wonder how I acquired my ‘Received Pronunciation' accent — or, rather, how my parents did, for obviously I mimicked them. Yet, even in later years I never heard a trace in them of the London accent which marked my various aunts' tones.) Compton, now a rather up-market commuter adjunct to Winchester, was in the 1930s still largely agricultural. There were a few ‘posh' houses, but two large farms provided the principal employment for the locals. An abiding memory of those early school days was at harvest-time when huge horses hauled the laden carts back from the outlying fields. The school was small — perhaps 40 pupils, in just two classes, almost all the children of farm workers. With an all-through age range of 5-15, the eldest were expected to help teach the juniors. Mine was Norah, a rather large cheerful girl of the great age of 15. Memories of the traditional games learned in the playground were later rekindled by Peter and Iona Opie's famous books. And yes, we called ‘scribs' for a truce. (My mother, a Londoner through and through, cried ‘fainites'.) Amongst other skills learned was how to drink from a tap without getting one's face wet, for the only water accessible at playtime was a tap by the school wall. The toilets were even more primitive; bucket privies for both sexes plus, for the boys, an iron trough filled with peat at the beginning of each term — and expected to last! I walked the mile to school and back every day, alone and mostly alongside the main road. It had little traffic in those days, often not a vehicle in sight for minutes on end, but since transformed into the unbelievably busy M3 which passes just behind my old home. As an alternative for part of my route, I could walk over the Downs, the last chalky escarpment before the gravels and clays of Southampton through which, down at Shawford, the Itchen had carved its valley. These Downs, and their narrower companion strip above Compton, became my playground, a favourite hawthorn tree being in turns a pirate ship and a den. For most of those primary school years, my principal companion was Betty Pritchard, some 2½ years older than myself, who lived with her ‘uncle' and ‘aunt' in one of a short row of workers' cottages just down the road. I say ‘uncle' and ‘aunt', for I now suspect she was in fact the child of one of their own daughters, then in their 20s. Betty was, perhaps fortunately for me, a bit of a tomboy and we got up to quite a number of scrapes, thereby incurring sharp words from her ‘uncle'. At the age of 6, I caught a very mild dose of scarlet fever and, in accordance with the health regulations of the time, was promptly packed off by ambulance to spend six weeks at the Isolation Hospital on the downs a couple of miles east of Winchester. Betty had gone there, too, for the same reason. The Hospital was a typical construction of corrugated iron, painted the pale yellow colour of such places. Not feeling particularly ill, we had the run of the place and its bare open grounds. The food was memorably awful, and I owe a life-long distaste for custard from the cold stiff yellow goo they served there. I also learned one shouldn't chew ones nails, for “the bits could turn into worms in your tummy”.. (True, from the eggs that might lurk under them.) I remember, too, the chuffing and clanking of a huge steam excavator nearby that was making a start on a deep cutting for the Winchester bypass, now part of the M3. As a family, we were fortunate — and exceptional — in having the use of a car. My father, now a sales representative working from the Southampton office of the Anglo-American Oil Company (which became Esso Petroleum Company in 1936), had a company car. He progressed in turn from a tiny canvas-sided Austin Seven to a Morris Ten to a Hillman Saloon. As he was allowed to use it at weekend for family purposes, this could make quite frequent trips into the Hampshire countryside, especially to the New Forest and our favourite seaside at Highcliffe. (“I can see the sea!”) We became a two-car family in 1936 when my mother acquired a Baby Austin Seven and learned to drive, which was an exceptional thing for a woman to do in those years. In 1935, with a bit of special coaching from the motherly head teacher, Miss White, I passed the scholarship examination to attend the secondary school in Winchester. And after the first year, when I travelled by bus, I cycled the hilly 4 miles to and from school... [More if you want it!] Howard . . "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? If not, PLEASE change it." ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Welcome back Shirley!! I too have been on the Trivvies since the first few days. I am now co-owner with Geo of the list but I have to add Geo. is better at it than me. :-) I needed soem brains to help you see and Geo. was a good choice. It is really great to see you back and we all look forward to getting to know you......again. :-) Di Di http://photobucket.com/albums/d100/didi_45 [email protected] > Hi everyone, Thank you for the welcome mat. My name is Shirley and I am > actually an old Trivvie who joined when this list first started. I > thought I would pop in and see how everyone was doing so a special hello > to any of the original members, Howard it is > good to see you are still writing such interesting posts. > Anyway I was born in Lewisham, London in 1937, we were bombed out in the > Blitz of September 1941 and moved to Shepton Mallet, Somerset. I think a > recurring theme of village life is the freedom of our childhood, being > able to roam through the countryside beats video games any day. We moved > around a lot from age 8 to 16 when we ended up in Horley, Surrey.I worked > in London and then married and had babies. In 1966 my husband remarked on > one Sunday afternoon that there was a job in the paper in America. I said > "why not write and apply" One small sentence that totally changed my > life. In 1967 we came to America and I now live in Maryland on the East > Coast about 80 miles from Washington and not far from Camp David. I > return to England every other year and became interested in my family > history about 10 years ago. My main interest besides my Grandchildren is > my garden and this has been curtailed lately because of a wonky knee and > other parts not working like they used to!!!! > !!!!!!!! I look after my Mother who is 96 and was born within the sound > of Bow Bells. > I hope I can stay a while, and look forward to hearing life experiences!!! > Shirley who still feels like a Brit. > > > > > > > > > > . > . > "IS THE SUBJECT LINE STILL RELEVANT? > If not, PLEASE change it." > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >