Aunt Bertha . . . Continued

Auntie Gert had an opinion . . .
about the Hipsey Family moving into a house with only two bedrooms – which she thought was a bad idea with two daughters who were – shortly – to be no longer little girls. But that was how it was after the War: only one room was heated in the house; bedrooms were cold; there were few homes that boasted of central heating; hot water bottles were put in the bed to warm it, and then cuddled – before the days of electric blankets. My father mopped the condensation up off the windowsills each morning; sometimes he had to leave the frozen condensation to thaw. Also . . . Daddy used to do a few vigorous morning exercises – which ‘hopping about the shop' [1] sometimes irritated the members of his family who were still snuggled up under their bedclothes!

Time moved on . . . at JH’s request, Auntie Bertha gave JH a copy of The Apocrypha and wrote on the reverse of the flyleaf ‘Love to Jeanette from Auntie Bertha . . . Christmas 1962’ which was a month before JH’s 21st Birthday.

Mary had told JH that the Holly Bible given to JH by Auntie Bertha, had now been completely ‘superseded’ by the completely new translation compiled over the latter part of the 20th Century. This conversation arose between Mary and JH when the latter was working as a volunteer in the Oxfam Book Shop in Tavistock: the shop was given many old copies of King James’s Bible which lodged on the shelves until culled [unless they were of special historical value]. So JH subsequently bought herself a copy of The New English Bible in 2001: the New Testament was first published in 1961; The Old Testament was first published in 1971; the two books were subsequently printed together: JH’s edition is the twenty-second impression published in 1992 and has line illustrations by Horace Knowles.

Auntie Bertha moved, with the Parkers, to a much smaller residence in Seaford. JH was about 14 years old. The Parkers were pleased for Auntie Bertha to invite JH to spend a holiday at Seaford. However, there was not a bedroom available in the Parkers’ residence, so Auntie Bertha took JH for a short walk up the hill to her sister’s house. Ethel was a widow, and several years older than Auntie Bertha. The sisters were like ‘chalk and cheese’ in personality – in all its manifestations {as has been said in JH’s ear at times}. JH found Ethel an austere person, her white hair was scrapped back somehow, and somehow she never seemed to smile. She had one son and a grandson: Her grandson – aged about 7 - was staying with Ethel whilst JH was staying . . . JH rather astonished the grandson, when JH went to the bathroom in her underwear which comprised of a vest, but also a most offensive pair of school navy blue knickers! Obviously, Ethel must have reported this breach of etiquette to Auntie Bertha . . . who found a dressing gown for JH to use.

I learnt a lesson of respect to my neighbour, whilst walking up the hill to Ethel’s. The road sweeper with the accoutrements of his job was busy sweeping the gutter with a broom . . . Auntie Bertha said ‘Good Morning’; the gentleman replied with a cheerful ‘Good Morning’. JH has had many conversations with her road sweeper, who has a broom . . . and also a long-handled dustpan so that he does not have to bend down with a hand shovel.

[1] ‘hopping about the shop’: Miss Barnes, one of the teachers at Boyn Hill Juniors School, used to shout at the pupils ‘Stop Hopping About the Shop!’ in great exasperation if we failed to sit down at our desks in an orderly fashion.

Mr Green was the complete opposite to the tantrum-throwing Miss Barnes. But . . . JH was not sure that the best way to manage to keep the class quiet, was to ask the roughest boy from the neighbourhood {whom JH avoided if at all possible} to stand in front of the class and tell Mr Green if anyone was talking Whilst he - Mr Green - snoozed on his chair by his desk.