Aunt Bertha . . . Continued

The M4 motorway - which ended at Thicket Corner on the A4 Bath Road, was extended to Reading - and all places beyond. When a large motorway roundabout – junction 8 – was built, the A404M became a spur off the roundabout to Henley-on-Thames. As my sister had never passed a driving test, although she did have a few lessons as far as JH recollects . . . Ann did not know that, to reach Maidenhead, one had to leave the M4 at Junction 8. So . . . the first time my Brother-in-law motored to Maidenhead, the journey was 30 miles longer than it should have been . . . as the next motorway junction to get off the M4 was, possibly, as far as 10 miles away . . . and then one had to come back the other side! Ann reported to her sister that she had German execrations heaped upon her head by an irate husband and an exasperated older son. This must have been a tormenting experience with all the consonantal German being proclaimed in a confined space!

There was a wide semicircular drive in front of Sandisplatt {AE}Beech trees - before entering the door In Autumn - Eat the beech nuts all over: JH and Family entered by the second entrance and knocked on the tradesmen’s entrance door – JH has no recollection of there being a notice ‘tradesmen’ on the door; furthermore, the door was on the same ‘level’ as the much more imposing front door: so I suppose that JH was not entering ‘below stairs’ but at the bottom of the domestic staff’s stairs, just inside! There was a short corridor – which seemed much longer in times past – off which were to be found Auntie Bertha’s and Auntie Fay’s Sitting Room, various storage cupboards, a toilet, and a cold pantry which JH stepped into down a cold stone step, and in which all sorts of cold pots of all shapes and sizes – with lids or ‘lacy’ covers – were stored on cold marble shelves. [JH does not recollect seeing a refrigerator at Sandisplatt; furthermore, the Hipsey Family did not get one until well after they had moved to Furze Platt.] The kitchen at the end of the corridor contained a huge range – as far as JH can remember – and work tables, and a large stone sink – otherwise known as a butler’s sink, or a Belfast Sink . . .. There was also a room off the kitchen which had a large wooden table in the centre, and various cupboards and whatever was needed for food preparation of all sorts. The coffee grinder fascinated JH who, at first, did not comprehend its use until – as she got older – JH saw the grinder being used! And JH was very intrigued to see a small glass pot of something white – which Auntie Bertha explained was yoghurt, which she had ordered from the milkman:- apparently Mr Parker, in particular, ate yoghurt as being a dietary ingredient which was good for the digestion.

{AE}row of trees - formal Garden at Sandisplatt huge Kitchen garden lawn Tennis Swing on a hill under magnificent Horse Chestnut tree Pretty little house containing tracks for little truck Next door lawn Tennis court remember you with Timmy + me with black doll Topsy Parkers' Christmas tree allowed to look at

Auntie Fay was certainly employed at the Parkers by about 1950. {AE}Fay Curlers! JH’s Mother was of the opinion that Auntie Fay was not suitable ‘companionship’ for Auntie Bertha. JH certainly only met Auntie Fay occasionally over a brief period, and really found her just like any other adult that came in and out of a little girl’s life. Auntie Fay was of a somewhat jovial disposition, and JH remembers her as being of a short and stout build; she wore a green dress which JH now assumes was her maid’s uniform. Auntie Fay showed JH the difference between a ladies toilet and a gents toilet – the latter having a little ‘oblong extension’ of the china toilet pan at the front:- the ladies cubicle was on one side of the main entrance and the gents cubicle was on the other side . . . presumably the Parkers were out! And JH did know that boys stood up to do ‘little things’ and how they did it!

After all, JH had played with Bruce, who was contemporary in age, in his lovely garden just a couple of hundred yards down Waltham Road: we just used to dash into the bathroom together to do little things: JH sat down, and Bruce stood up. Furthermore . . . a young man, whom JH knew as he came to Junior School on the bus from Woodlands Park, ‘importuned’ JH – under the desks in the classroom - with ‘graphic’ demonstrations about how grown ups make babies . . . perhaps said young man was about to be presented with a baby sister or brother, and so – at the age of 8 – the impending arrival had been explained by said young man’s dad!

Susan, Bruce’s sister was several years older than Bruce, and so tended to play with Ann, JH’s sister. For a couple of years before the Hipsey Family moved to Furze Platt, Ann, Susan. and a couple of older children, went around our neighbours' houses mumming [1] the Christmas Story.

{AE}Susan Read - Plays "Black Daffodil" Crime! Invited Parents. Ann told JH that Susan wrote the story herself!

Susan married when she was very young – in her late teens – and went to Australia. Everyone in JH’s Family were very sad to read a report, published in The Maidenhead Advertiser some 25 years later, about Susan’s death. She was found dead in the bath, after having an epileptic fit, by one of her sons. Recollection of Bruce’s father makes JH smile. JH learned to knit whilst at Infants School . . . and knitted a tie for this gentleman . . . JH recollects him attending to his patch of nasturtiums . . . whilst he was wearing JH’s gift. JH noticed the beautiful colours of the nasturtiums. Now . . . JH finds that Bruce’s father reminds JH of Wilfred Pickles, the BBC compeer, whom she used to hear speaking on the wireless, and later occasionally appeared on the Television.

Yet another interesting story:- Bruce told JH that he and his sister spent an hour or two washing the blood out of their father’s car . . . apparently Father had been driving through a street in Reading where a warehouse was on fire; two men threw themselves through a plate glass window to escape; Father took them to hospital . . . JH did not receive a report about the sequelae of the fire and, of course, it was too soon to see the conflagration on TV.

[1] Links to websites with more information about Mumming
www.whychristmas.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.mastermummers.org
www.mummersunconvention.com