No sleep - brandy - shopping bags - and shopping
Tuesday 9th February, 2010
Dear Jeremy,
So far I have only mentioned Christopher and Jill, but there was another member of the family enjoying our holiday in England that was Celia who was just six months old. She was healthy, beautiful and very aware of herself and attracted attention wherever she went. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes big and brown and she would have been a Picture Book Baby except she had very little hair. Lovely as she was, Celia, however, did have a fault, she was not a good sleeper and we endured many broken nights.
Finally a very weary Dad went to see the local doctor who said he did not believe in giving a sleeping potion to babies but suggested we do what he did with his children, put a teaspoon or was it half a teaspoon? of Brandy in her bottle at night. Brandy was expensive so we bought the smallest one on the shelf. That did not work either as she thought it was a party and she was more lively than ever. I seem to recall her trying to stand on her head in the cot and being most joyful. So we gave that up and in desperation Dad took the toothbrush glasses and gorgle, gorgle gorgle he divided the rest of the bottle between us. We slept that night, not sure what Celia did
One night we had been watching a programme on TV about accidents in the home. Frequently we checked to see that the children were all right. Imagine our horror, when going up to bed, there was Celia halfway down the stairs yelling furiously. She was not hurt just very angry with us. How she got out of the cot, along the landing and the halfway down the stairs we never quite worked out.
We did take her pram with us but it was not always convenient for shopping so Dad bought a soft plastic shopping basket and cut two holes for her legs to fit through and we carried her between us each holding a handle. Wish you could have seen the looks we got.
Christopher recalls feeling very embarrassed when walking down the street with his Father whose trousers were all wet down the front and one leg. Christopher is convinced Celia had wet him but I think she had knocked a glass of cool drink over and that was where it went. However, you know your Dad he just walked on cheerfully as though nothing had happened and everything was quite normal;.
After Fittleworth we moved to London and stayed in Earls Court in a flat belonging to a New Zealand teacher friend of Elsie Laws. Michael was to broadcast on the BBC Overseas Service and that night Celia kept us awake. Perhaps she was teething. Dad went off to make his recording but after several failed attempts the interviewer took him out for a cup of strong coffee. He was never asked to do a repeat.
While in London Granny Sadler's sister, Aunty Pip (Olive, spent a day with us. It was a happy day and we all got on very well together. We also visited Michael's step-grandmother, Granny Girdler at North Weald. It was there that Christopher was given some pieces of Mother of Pearl by a lady visitor whose husband had been employed to do some decoration on the Titanic. Celia was given the William and Mary jug and two Doulton Candlesticks which had belonged to an ancestor called Celia Chester. Remember Auntie Margaret had said she was to have them when we said goodbye to her in Johannesburg.
We fed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square to the delight of the children. We took the jug and the painting which Grandpa Sadler was sure was a Constable sketch, to the Museum to be valued. They said the painting was a pastiche and the jug would have value if it had its companion jug of William. While we enjoyed the exhibits I placed Celia on her blanket where I could see her and there she entertained the passing visitors or they entertained her.
I have in the photograph album a picture of Hampton Court but I have no clear memory of visiting there.
We also visited Grandpa Sadler's sister, always know as Little Auntie Elsie who lived in a cottage in Berkshire with her cat who only ate rock salmon. We enjoyed a real English high tea.
Our next stop was Oxford where we stayed with Joy and Norman Pollock who we knew in Alice. He was then a Geography lecturer at the university. I do not recall how long we stayed there but I remember going to a theatre one night. I have no memory of the play but it was a thrill to attend an English theatre.
While shopping in Oxford we met the Coopers whom we had known at Natal University they were home on leave from Kenya.
Finally the day came for our departure and return to Africa and to work. We drove down to the docks at Southampton to board the ship, which I think was the Edinburgh Castle, to take us home. Ken Henty was waiting to bid us farewell. Dad handed him the keys of the little car in which we had had so much fun and which we had affectionately called Sally.
It had been a very special time.
Love you, Mum