Reminiscences of Mum

These thoughts and memories are in no particular order!

1. Crosswords – still doing the Times crossword every day, typically wanting a bit of help for only the last 5 or 6 clues when we were there. (The Times 2 crossword, I mean – she’d given up the Times cryptic a few years ago!)
2. Tennis – having been a good club player in her time, she would avidly watch Wimbledon and be admiring or critical of the players she was seeing. Mum would play tennis with us on the main lawn at Winchelsey Rise and on holidays as evidence by a photo in the montage to be shown later
3. Mum made the best fish in white sauce, probably my favourite childhood meal. A memory of coming back from hospital after my tonsils operation and that was what she made as soon as I got home
4. Stews – very English home cooking.  She was a typical 1950s/60s housewife – or perhaps today’s better term is home-maker – and she did a huge amount to make our home, Dad being largely away 7.30 to 6.30 pm during the week.
5. Washing – seems quite a bit of a memory – what with cricket, rugby, fives, and a few other sports taking place almost every day at school I’d arrive home and be told – “where’s your dirty kit – I need to get it in the wash!”
6. Her regular presence during my cricketing exploits, both with the Old Whitgiftians and then Midland Bank.  She and Dad were regular fixtures on the boundary in their chairs and they were well known at both clubs.
7. Sunday roast lunches were largely a joint effort between Mum & Dad, but Mum’s roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were always to die for. The lunch normally included the radio shows of the time like the Navy Lark or the Clitheroe Kid, preceded by The World at One. There was a notable incident of the dog running off down the garden with the joint one Sunday, but I cannot remember clearly the outcome or Mum’s reaction.
8. Piano.  She was a good piano player in her thirties and in our Cheam house, we had a small grand piano which she used to play quite often.  I remember her trying to get me to tell the difference between minor and major chords – without much success!
9. Scrabble – when she used to wake early (very early by our standards) she’d play scrabble against herself before breakfast.
10. Christmases which were largely a joint effort by Mum and Dad but the Christmas pudding was Mum’s alone. The recipe was handed down and continues to this day in our house and not just for Christmas!
11. An avid reader, she was one of the best customers from Kennet Court for the mobile library, normally having at least three books at a time from it.  Those literary tastes included TV series such as Morse, Lewis, Marple etc.
12. Card Games.  She (and her Mum) were avid card players, bridge, whist, and canasta – and, when we were young, Pontoon – played, of course, for counters not cash.  She was still playing knockout whist at 99 –and winning!
13. She was still reading the Times every day – and taking in what she was reading!  Only a few weeks ago when we were with her she passed the paper across to me, pointing out a short article which tickled her dry sense of humour (and would certainly have tickled Dad’s too): 

    When the Marquis of Salisbury was asked to be leader of the House of Lords, Lord Carrington (a previous Leader) advised him “All you need to remember is that you are the headmaster of a second-rate public school.” 

14. Mum rarely made comments about friends I brought home, but we did have two boys to stay during the National Fives Schools championship held at Whitgift. Mum was quick to comment on how very nice they were and how obviously well brought up. She remembered them well throughout the rest of her life. The two in question were from Blundells School in Tiverton and one was Vic Marks, who went on to be an England test cricketer and now cricket correspondent for the Observer and a regular summariser on Test Match Special.
    

    (Conclusion)

15. With Mum’s stuff we found a letter which her own Mother (definitely Mother, not Mum!) had written to her in January 1964 but had then remained with her Will so Mum didn’t see it for another 21 years. Her concluding words to our Mum were “My one wish is that you, Tony and the boys (who have always given me such joy) always remain the loving devoted family you now are and always have been.”  Today we want to echo and applaud those words – that foundation which Mum & Dad gave us continues and we value it so much as a memory of Mum.

Mike   -  Black type

Brian   -  Red Type

5 minutes 15 seconds