Page 105 - Through a glass brightly

From Ruth at 11.49
Wow! Jenny you have an amazing memory for detail! I have no such immediate recollections of daily school life, more’s the pity.
I do remember Barbara Castle’s visit. She certainly was an inspiration with her energy and articulacy.
Another special visitor I remember was Donald Sinden the actor who I think lived near Mrs Zabel in Hampstead Garden Suburb – hence the link, though I’m guessing. He was quite young then and seemed a bit nervous standing on the stage in a school hall with an audience of a few hundred girls. (Was it about 400 or 600 then?)
He started by saying, “I was born ---- at a very early age...” At which the whole school exploded with laughter. His first joke, and clearly that reaction gave him enough confidence to carry on. We probably weren’t used to a great deal of humour at school, perhaps usually being rather earnest.
In the last few weeks I saw Donald Sinden performing in a YouTube video of Noel Coward’s ‘Brief Lives’ at the Old Vic. Great fun. But missed the more recent National Theatre’s performance on video. Must try again to see if I can get that too.
Actors are wonderful people, I always think. “The Abstracts and brief Chronicles of our time”. But what’s to become of the arts now? I begin to wonder whether we aren’t all over-reacting to CV19, locking ourselves away, fearful of going out to the shops and becoming somewhat dehumanised. The sooner we all get back to being ourselves the better. Though sometimes I quite like being at home, standing at the kitchen sink, washing up and looking at the bird feeders. Going back to life in the fifties.
Excuse my mumblings, dears. Actually, I had my first Zoom meeting last night – now I have to write the minutes. Oh dear! Have been putting it off all morning. ...
Let us all keep going as much as we can. I do like to hear about everyone else’s walks. Makes me feel healthier too! Vicariously, of course.
From Janet at 16.09
I can remember Silence and the ladders in stockings/tights (and for me getting away with small but not flat heels) but not the ink or being a number!
I also remember Donald Sinden coming to speak to us and thoroughly enjoying his talk - was it on a commemoration day? Also I think we had a lady ?from Palestine who talked about her life and wished us all lovely husbands and babies at the end.
I do well remember Mr and Mrs Philips Jen - with a photo of proud Mr Philips on the wall wearing his WWI uniform. I was only thinking about them last week whilst reading an article in the North London & Middx Family History Society magazine which was talking about New Barnet and mentioned a V2? rocket that landed there - somewhere in the back of my mind I seemed to think that a member of the Philips' family had been killed in that particular raid - does that ring a bell with you? I think we continued visiting them from time to time up until I got married and moved away to Kent. They were a homely couple.
He had been a gardener for Trevor Howard I think - I have only just dug that nugget up whilst typing this so could be wrong.
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