Re: Diary summary week ending 11th May 2025

[radstockjeff]

Don't remember VE Day except sometimes it was mentioned and I heard and remembered the VE DAY
name. Until much later I always got confused with VE and VJ Days.
Dad was in East Africa and Egypt ,civilian in Air Ministry on airfield maintenance and didn't come home until April 1947.  He was posted back to East Africa (RAF Eastleigh, Nairobi), in 1951 and all the family went with him for a couple of years.
May 8th is also my late wife's birthday (but not until 1950.) So I have special memories of my own then, ( but not forgetting the sacrifices made by all the other brave folk).

[Gillg]

I certainly remember the sound of the air raid warning siren and I also remember that we children and my mother slept together in a big double bed, hearing planes going over.  We would ask my mother " Is it a German plane?" and she would always reply "No, it's one of ours".  We looked out of the bedroom window and saw from miles away the red fiery glow of Manchester after the bombing.  We went down to the cellar during air raids, along with our neighbours, who didn't have a cellar.  They brought their dog with them and taught me nursery rhymes and "Incy wincy spider", I remember.  One night the Air Raid Warden knocked on our door to tell us that we hadn't drawn the blackout curtains properly and there was a chink of light showing.  Years later my mother made me a skirt out of blackout material and decorated it with ric ric braid in many colours.

[Viktoria]

I can remember unravelling old hand knitted jumpers ,the wool in hanks tied to keep it tidy and all together.
Washed and dried and rewound and re knitted .
We wasted nothing ,old clothes that had been unpicked and re made into something else ,eventually being cut into strips and forced into a piece if sackcloth  backing  to make a new hearth rug - a peg rug - ,Dad would mark out a geometric pattern ,different colours of cloth strips made it quite colourful .
Very heavy and Mum had to shake the flipping thing every morning whilst doing the daily clean .
We were not allowed to walk  on the freshly cleaned stone floor!
Mat hopping to keep it clean .
Brass taps were polished —- “ You haven’t touched the taps have you!?”
 

The steel on the big black oven door and range cleaned with emery paper, and the black parts blackleaded.
What a drudgery, but how homely and cosy .
Toast does not taste the same from a grill or a toaster ,not like toast done on a toasting fork at the fire.
Oh memory lane !

Hope all are O.K.
Still sunny but very cold .
Cheerio.
Viktoria.

[Roobarb]

I'm not old enough to have been around in the war years but it's very interesting to hear people's memories about that time. I think the 'waste not want not ' policy of those times must have continued for a long time after the end of the war, I suppose if people had been brought up on those ideas they would naturally continue with them.
We could probably all learn something from that these days.

I and apparently many others were entertained by Prince Louis' antics at the VE day celebrations. 

[Viktoria]

Firstly any thanks forvyour messages re the scooter .
A rep from Muick - Sandy called today,they had sent a brochure  at my request and were nearby delivering a scooter , they phoned to ask if I would like someone to call,so I explained the situation and they said that was mis- selling —- to sell me something I had not seen or had a ride on and not to say what I had ridden was not  the one specific scooter and the  only model I had enquired about .
Their delivery chap called ,and asked to speak to my son , explained he was just in the area and I had agreed it was O.K for him to call ,was that O.K?
They chatted for a while and then he explained they did not did not do part exchanges ,better to sell privately ,a new scooter with  only 0.6 of a mile on it was a good buy and should sell well. I would get better than the company who sold it to me were offering ,and that only if I bought again from them.
So we will see,but it is now almost four months old yet still a good buy .
I will have to put it down to experience .
Enough of that.

Baby Lily is all smiles ,my face aches after looking at all the  photographs and videos, I smile back so much!
I really hope I get down soon.
Heart clinic on 12th, so I will mention travel etc and see.

Grand daughter phoned today but the rep,from the scooter firm was here so
I must  phone her tomorrow.
Sunny but really cold today ,poor little baby birds !
Such a commotion in the Dogwood bushes today, two types of cheeping ,wondered if it was baby birds and adults .I bet the babies had been on their mobiles too long!

Now another war between India and Pakistan ? I have forgotten ,Kashmir in the middle ,as if there are not enough troubles!
Not seen the evening news ,fell asleep!
Look after yourselves folks and thanks again .for your kind wishes.
Viktoria.

[mare]

Scooter has had us all concerned for you I think Viktoria!, imagine it has been a constant on your mind from the beginning and hopefully a better end!

Good to hear your enjoyment of baby Lily images and not too big a wait to be together. We're having a little birthday lunch with our youngest granddaughter on Saturday that her other grandparents are hosting, she turned 3 yesterday and had a lovely day at kindy and with her immediate family. Sang herself happy birthday and recorded by her mother to share with us, very tuneful and clear ... apart from pronouncing the 'L' in her name  and then one line in Maori after that as well.

Mothers Day here this coming weekend, Sunday 

8 May 80 years on and quite a lot of coverage of commemorations here this time. Our ANZAC Day as earlier mentioned 25 April, first formed to mark military action by NZ and Aus WW1,  now commemorates those who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.
Lest We Forget

[louisa maud]

Happy VE  day to everyone wherever you are in the world

LM

[Viktoria]

Another bright but chilly morning ,managed to get most of the willow screening in the garden waste bin.
I had it put along the party fence ,my very old neighbour was too old to be bothered with her old waney lap fencing which was in bad state ,so I just had it screened and it looked nice.
My son who is next door to me now, is having the leaning fence posts straightened and will have tongue and groove like mine so it will look really nice then.
Some plants may be disturbed but it will all get sorted out .

Eldest son’s 30th Wedding Anniversary on 10 th.

In a week or two,my eldest son will pop into Head Office which is relatively near my sister in law.I have just phoned her and so he can drop me off and spend some time there in his way back .
We have always got on and she looked after her and my husband’s mother with great devotion without one holiday or day off ,grandma refused to have help from anyone else , we offered but no- my sister in law never ever complained .
That went on for over twenty years,grandma was 105 when she died!

Flash Harry is nine on Sunday ,I will transfer some money to his savings , he will get so many presents ,and is quite good at choosing things that give long term pleasure like a magnetic fishing line which attracts old rusty tins and other metallic treasures!

Kyra was upset the other day ,the puppy was tired and had gone to its cage ,
the golden rule is it is to be left alone when there as it will be very tired and may  bite if disturbed .Kyra has been shown her little needle like baby teeth and was pushing her luck ,so a tantrum ,ignored by very calm Mummy!
She is so different to Flash Harry, a good boy and very amenable .

Well things to do and garden to tidy,little bits of the old willow screening panels all over the lawn , seedlings to be in the sunshine and a bit  of trimming by the shed ,the Dogwood ,well I can use that to cover up thec. willow panels rolled up in the bin ,They are garden waste but our
 bin men can be “ awkward!”

Look after yourselves folks ,lots of health problems out there I know.
Thanks for your kind wishes.
The list gets longer of where I am lucky not to be ,Gaza,Israel, Ukraine ,and now Kashmir , what madness .
Oh Kashmir —- “Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar “ The Kashmiri Love Songs .
Cheerio.
Viktoria.

[Gillg]

Haha, Viktoria!  I remember an elderly relative visiting us and insisting on singing the Kashmiri love songs, which my mother had to accompany on the piano.  The old lady had a very wobbly soprano voice and we young children found it very difficult to hide our amusement. In earlier times I think they were also called the Indian Love Lyrics, but that was before the partition.