Smaller group than usuual with one guest Rosemary's sister who came to see what we got up to. Sheila started off with a graphic account of her gall bladder operation. Ann described the various reaction to a group of people who were suddenly brought together when the lift got stuck. I wrote about a plane in trouble while flying in Alaska. Joan gave us a run down on our tradional summer weather. Joan Read all about abuse and in this case the fatal revenge of a desparate wife. Sue told us about the trip she just made to an Island bird sanctuary and the gypsies with their horses.
Next month at Joan & Jack's, "get off"
Two winning stories John and Rosemary's.
Rosemary's story
WERE FEW: I guess nobody relishes being robbed, unless of course they are pleased to be rid of the thing that's been stolen! THEN they would surely heave a contented sigh of relief to see the back of it!
But when our home was burgled some years ago we were absolutely devastated to find that precious totally irreplaceable heirlooms such as watches and jewellery which had been handed down the generations, together with my antique engagement ring, eternity ring and other jewellery had all been taken. That day I'd come home from work, walked in the jemmied front door, and quickly realized what had happened. Then I'd heard bumps upstairs and feared that the burglar was still in the house. It was my instinct to run out of the house, but the police told me to stay on the phone until they arrived. My instinct was STILL to run, because the phone was situated in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs, and this would be the burglar's only escape route if he WAS upstairs!
A few minutes later the police came, searched the house including the loft, but no burglar was found. Some weeks later a police woman brought the one and only item recovered from the robbery. It had been discovered in a pawn shop, and led to the burglar being identified, charged and convicted. The unrecovered items were compensated under insurance, but of course no amount of money could replace their sentimental family value.
As I said I guess nobody relishes being robbed - yet when I was about 6 years old I WAS absolutely overjoyed when someone robbed me whilst on holiday with my parents at the seaside. For no longer would I have to wear that awful itchy hand-knitted woollen swimming costume. Even though there were few people on the beach that day, my costume had been stolen from the rocks behind my Dad's deckchair where it was laid out to dry. Oh the joy to be rid of that hated swimsuit which when it got wet in the paddling pool or sea became heavier and heavier until eventually the bottom of it sagged and stretched down to cover my knees, and the top ended well below my waistline!
That for me was a very fortuitous robbery indeed, for when we got home my Mum drew a rough pattern, bought a length of plain green material and several cards of fine shirring elastic, and on her old hand-operated sewing machine made me a waffle-like swimming costume which was the height of fashion back then in the mid 1940s. I guess not many people relish being robbed, but I'll NEVER forget how thankful I was to have that horrible, itchy, woollen swimming costume stolen all those years ago!
John's story
WERE FEW
JIMMY CAME FROM A LONG LINE OF FISHERMEN, WHO SPENT THEIR LIVES FIGHTING THE ELEMENTS IN THE COLD UNFORGIVING SEAS AROUND THE NORTH ATLANTIC. THEIRS WASN'T A GLAMOROUS LIFE BACK IN THE FIFTIES. IT WAS ALL ABOUT BRINGING HOME THE COD. HE WAS NOT THE BRIGHTEST AT SCHOOL, BUT HE KNEW THAT THE LIFE OF A FISHERMAN BECKONED AND HE DIDN'T REALLY NEED TO LEARN MUCH WHILST HE WAS THERE.
HIS DAD GOT HIM HIS FIRST BOAT, "THE SPIRIT OF THE SEAS", WHEN HE LEFT SCHOOL, AND WHILST IT WAS SUMMER TIME, HE SOON BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH THE HARDSHIP OF LIFE ABOARD. IT WAS TOUGH FOR A BOY OF 15 TO HAUL HIMSELF OUT OF BED AT 30'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, FEELING, AND BEING SEASICK , BUT OF COURSE THAT WAS THE LIFE STRETCHING OUT BEFORE HIM. SURE, IT WAS GRIM, BUT THE COMRADESHIP MORE THAN MADE UP FOR THE HARDSHIPS HE WAS TO SUFFER IN THE FUTURE. COMING HOME AFTER A WEEK AT SEA FELT GREAT FOR JIMMY. HE TOOK PART IN THE UNLOADING, AND SECRETLY, A SENSE OF PRIDE ENVELOPED HIM, KNOWING THAT THEY WERE ALL HELPING TO PUT THE FISH ON THE TABLES OF ENGLAND. BUT THE BIG BONUS FOR HIM WAS WHEN THE CAPTAIN CALLED THEM ALL INTO THE BRIDGEHOUSE, AFTER THE FISH WAS AUCTIONED, AND PAID THEM ALL THEIR SHARE OF THE CATCH. JIMMY COULDN'T BELIEVE, THAT HE WAS HOLDING £200 POUNDS IN HIS HANDS. YES, THIS WAS HIS FIRST BIG PAY DAY. THE TRIP HAD BROUGHT IN A BIG CATCH AND AS A VERY JUNIOR DECKHAND, JIMMY GOT HIS PROPORTIONATE SHARE.
WELL, HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET HOME TO SEE HIS MUM, AND SURE ENOUGH SHE WAS WAITING, NOT EXACTLY WITH OUTSTRETCHED HANDS, BUT CERTAINLY WITH AN EXPECTATION OF A SHARE OF HIS WAGES. THE BOY SETTLED ON GIVING HIS MOTHER HALF OF HIS EARNINGS, AND THEY BOTH APPEARED HAPPY WITH THAT ARRANGEMENT. HE WAS NOT DUE TO SAIL AGAIN ON THE "SPIRIT" FOR A FEW DAYS SO HE SPENT ALL HIS MONEY ON GOING TO THE CINEMA AND BUYING NEW CLOTHES. MIND YOU, MOTHER MADE HIM SAVE SOME OF HIS CASH, AND THE POST OFFICE BOOK APPEARED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY YEARS.
LIFE COULDN'T BE BETTER JIMMY THOUGHT, AND AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS, HE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A GOOD CAPABLE DECKHAND. HE WAS RELIABLE, HARD WORKING AND WAS THOUGHT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST. THERE WERE FEW BETTER THE SKIPPER TOLD HIM. SO WHEN THE CHANCE OF BECOMING A LEADING DECKHAND CAME UP, HE GRABBED IT WITH BOTH HANDS. THE RESPONSIBILITY INCREASED OF COURSE, BUT WITH THAT CAME A MUCH BIGGER PAY DAY AFTER EACH TRIP, AND JIMMY, BEING QUITE AN ASTUTE LAD, STARTED LOOKING TO THE FUTURE, AND HOPED THAT ONE DAY, HE COULD ASPIRE TO SKIPPERING HIS OWN BOAT.
THE COD WAR STARTED TO AFFECT THEM, BUT THEIR SKIPPER WAS A VERY EXPERIENCED MAN WHO MANAGED TO AVOID CONFRONTATION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, ANS BY AND LARGE THEY CAME HOME TO HULL WITH PRETTY GOOD CATCHES MOST OF THE TIME.
A COUPLE OF YEARS LATER JIMMY BEING A SENSIBLE CAREFUL LAD, HAD SAVED A SIZABLE AMOUNT OF CASH. HE WASN'T THE SORT OF FISHERMAN WHO SPENT ALL HIS TIME IN THE PUBS. HE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND INVESTED HIS SAVINGS IN A GOOD LITTLE BOAT THAT A FRIEND OF HIS WAS SELLING, DUE TO RETIREMENT, AND WHILST IT LANDED JIMMY WITH A HUGE DEBT, HE CONFIDENTLY WORKED HARD AND MANAGED. HIS BOAT WAS CALLED "THE SUNRISE”, AND WITH A GOOD CREW HE BECAME ONE OF THE TOP SKIPPERS IN HULL. IT WAS FUNNY REALLY BUT HE COULDN'T STAND FISH AND NEVER ATE THE STUFF.
