Wednesday, December 09, 2009

 

47 years on - friends together.

In September 1962 twelve young girls, mostly aged just 18, started training at Maria Grey College.
It might have been assumed that we were the unlucky ones - our home was a small older building and we had to share rooms. All the other first years had single rooms.
The building was called Canada House and we became the Canada Girls.
At the end of that first year just one realised that she had better friends elsewhere and we became 11.
Some arrived on the first day already having the boyfriends they would marry.
Others met their love match during the next 3 years.


Here are 10 Canada Girls - the 11th was me, taking the photograph.
We all became teachers.
Cate, on the left, now lives in Australia. Maureen, on the right, sadly died young.
Two of the others were unable to be with us last weekend.


At Christmas and the end of the summer term The Formal would be held in the college hall.
Here are 7 of us with our boyfriends.
Two of the boys, who became husbands have died. Another I do not recognise and I assume Judy dumped him in favour of Spud who is now her husband.
You can see Bill and I in the middle.
Inga and John are on the left. Kate and Andrew are on the right.
To the left of Bill are Meg and Ian.
Beyond Ian is Mavis, now married to Richard.
I wonder what Sandra and Barry were doing that weekend.
Libby was not at this Formal.
Roger and Helen could not be with us last weekend and neither could Judy (behind Kate) with Spud.

This all seems both a lifetime ago (which it almost is) and also it feels like memories of recent times for the images feel so fresh.
The dynamics of the group remain the same - though we all have a greater confidence that shines through.
Mind you, at the time I thought I was the only one who knew nothing about life and was feeling a bit lost. Now I realise we all have felt like that at times.

And so to last weekend at Inga and John's - a very special time for all of us.
There were 11 of us on Saturday and 13 on Sunday.



Here are Inga and John, our hosts. Thank you both for a wonderful time, for creating a time for us all to feel relaxed and happy.



Later in the afternoon, those staying at bed and breakfast places went off to sort themselves out.
This left a quiet time.
As you see I read the paper for a while.
Then Bill and Libby and I watched a video; not just any video, but one prepared by Inga and John (Inga mostly) in a most professional manner of part of their round the world sailing adventure. In this video we crossed the southern Pacific and landed on many small islands to meet the people. Fantastic.


The whole weekend was about talking, listening and laughing - as well as eating and drinking.


Andrew had been showing me his I-Phone. He would make a good salesman - I instantly wanted one of course!

Catching up on grandchildren and ailments.

Barry and his I Phone. he had just down loaded an "ap" (application) which showed the night sky on any date and at any place. Now that is good because an I Phone is easily portable and you can hold it up above you and see on the screen the stars you can see in the heavens.
But not last Saturday - it was raining.


Before our meal we pulled crackers and just felt good together.





Bill took all these photos. I am glad he turned his screen round so that he could take this one with him in it.


Cracker jokes.
"What do you call a group of professors on the underground?"
Answer at the end.....


Nice picture of Sandra.
I am glad to have all the pictures, but I won't publish those that have caught people just wrong.

Puddings.
I was wise and chose the jelly.
It was a delicious flavour, made with elderflower cordial and with blueberries in.
John joked that they looked like breast implants!
There will be a few more pictures tomorrow of the second day of this splendid weekend.
And the answer to the cracker joke is..... " a tube of smarties"

47 years on - friends together.
posted by Grandma P on Wednesday, December 09, 2009