Page 58 - Through a glass brightly

to cellars and boiler rooms. On 11th November I record that we “went up Tudor House attic and cellars just to recall old times. I don’t know how we dared.” Well, we just went on doing it though it now seems to be Cary, Mag Youngs and I who are the culprits. On 17th we are “caught by Miss Gunnery, of all people”. I don’t say what happens and the following day we do it again. Then records just peter out. We find new mischief to perpetrate. The following term after the arrival of Glenda and Ann, recorded on 11th January, I say, “We sang flat in singing, I don’t think Miss Smith likes us.” I can’t blame her really and having made an enemy of her I got what I deserved - her as a form teacher for Upper Fifth and Lower Sixth - being that long in the class of someone with whom you feel no sympathy and who cordially dislikes you is no fun. No wonder it was such joy to be in VIA with Elise Mayer.
I’ll finish this overlong missive - I’m sorry I didn’t do it as an attachment so that you could
choose whether or not to wade through - by saying I found the account of the day that Miss
th
Rotherham died. It was March 11 , 1960 and the news arrived during the morning. She
apparently fell off her bicycle under a lorry on her way to an early morning church service in Chelsea. We were called to the Hall after all the staff had disappeared to an emergency staff meeting. I record how upset everyone was and how the mood of sadness lingered. I do remember liking her a lot and really loving her extra art lessons on Wednesday afternoons - Cary, didn’t you go to those too? I’ve often found art teachers to be more relaxed and approachable than other teachers often are and girls often confide in them.
Sorry this is so long but hard to know where to stop. I didn’t do it as a word attachment because my new laptop doesn’t have word and I’ve taken a look at Pages and thought oh no, loads more new ways of doing things - and left it alone... I’ll probably have to buy word in the end.
Saturday, May 2nd
From Maggie R. at 06.45
Hello to everyone over there in England,
I have enjoyed very much all the emails along with your news, school memories and amusing jokes. There is a wonderful collective memory of many happy times at QEGGS.
Does anyone have the souvenir of The Queen' visit? I have it and I remember lining up close to the dining room where The Queen had made her entrance, and like Maggie, my breath was taken away by her beauty and presence. It was just magical. The class that I was in was with Miss Adams working out a table for netball results or something like that. We did get half day holiday and The Queen made her first unscripted speech.
I do remember staying behind at school while waiting for my bus and having a lot of fun and not really wanting to go home! Val's diary is fantastic. Do you remember the rabbits getting myxomatosis and reporting them to the gardener, and then we had rabbit for lunch the next day?? I remember Judy did not eat lunch before an exam as it freed up her brain!! A group of us used to go the Finchley Swimming Pool on Wednesday afternoons. There was a sweet shop on the way down to the tube which was run by a very old lady and her sweets were so old that they were soft!
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