We called in at Frome. You could say a river runs through it.
We spent quite a lot of time in Costa's ( not sure about the apostrophe - it's in the sense of Costa's shop) watching the world go by. This is the quiet before the deluge of mini- skirted school girls;. How can they afford it? In my day it was two pen'orth of chips with salt and vinegar.
Three generations. On the right Betty the day before her 92nd birthday. In the centre her daughter Jane and on the left her grand-daughter Natasha. The service was VERY slow - we were the only customers but Betty didn't suffer in silence so all was well in the end.
A very old Warminster church. Next time I'll enter.
Jane decided the fence needed a fresh coat and colour. I suggested we did a Tom Sawyer and tried to engage passers-by and allowing them to help. No charge.
This little lot have all been knitted by Jane - all with their own characters. No wonder her grand-daughters think she's smashing.
One of the treats was a film: 'My old Lady' with Maggie Smith. Kristin Scott Thomas and Kevin Kline. How apt I thought. It was even apter. In a nutshell ' he's in the will - she's in the way.'
Mathias quickly learns that the apartment is a "viager" — an ancient French system for buying and selling apartments — and that he will not actually get possession of the apartment until Mathilde dies, and that he, in addition to that, owes her a life annuity of € 2400 a month. All this is a surprise to him, since his father never told him and he had language problems with the French lawyer.
As a life tenant myself there are similarities except in my case - happily - the heirs are caring family.
Worth seeing with that cast. A bit drawn out towards the end but I got the ending I wanted and Paris is always a joy. The film was held in a sort of town hall with tea and biscuits and a jolly chatty audience.
15 comments:
I often ponder the amounts of cash young people have today. Like you, my time in any restaurant or dairy hut was lacking. My biggest thrill was when my dad would give me 10 cents for an ice cream cone at the drug store.
Those dolls are fantastic and there is a best grandma award due her.
Granny Annie: as kids we used to envy your drug stores and all the magical things like ice cream soda you could buy.
Eventually we got similar establishments called milk bars.
I seldom bought anything on my own as a child/teen. Fries and a soda, maybe.
That looks like an interesting old church. do go in next time and take photos.
With a cast like that I'll certainly look out for the film.
I wish we had had Milk Bars... I don't remember what we had!? Maybe we were all slavering ourselves in make up and trying to get into the pub?
Sx
Judy: it shocks me when I remember we bought chips after school and ate them before walking home outside the chippy. That's 'eating in the street' - an absolute no no to me now. How easily we forget our own bad behaviour.
Scarlet: I drool at the thought of a lime milk shake.
What wonderful photos.
I am very envious of the church.
As a child I never had money for extras. Just a small allowance that was saved for gifts for family and possible a trip to 5 and 10.
cheers, parsnip
10 penny mix for me, flying saucers than stuck to the roof of the mouth then choked you with the sherbet, black Jacks and the resulting black tongue and teeth, fruit salads and big white chocolate buttons with hundreds and thousands on. :D
Helen
Parsnip: I don't think our comparative - with today's children - deprivation did us any harm.
Helen: who could resist that?
Funny how on occasion, being in a near empty cafe the service can be worse than a crowded one.
I remember once stopping at a virtually deserted Little Chef. After 20 minutes of being ignored we left. After my friend had written some very rude words in the comments book...
Kim: no comment book but Betty made a few in her rather loud voice (because she is very deaf)
'This needs some ketchup. Have you got any ketchup?'
And we didn't leave a tip.
Those dolls are the best! I remember a little cloth doll my cousin had, a green doll, and how we played and played for hours with it.
Mini-skirt uniforms are not allowed in schools here! Oh my goodness, the teachers / prefects / head-teacher would send a gal home right away.
My friend's husband sold the house they were letting to the their tenant "viager" without discussing it with her. He died soon after and she now lives alone in a huge house while the rather unpleasant ex-tenant lives next door in the small house she would have liked to move into. He's often late with the monthly payments as well!
On a brighter note, i can remember all the sweets Helen mentioned and couldn't you buy a lot for 6d in those days!
GG: I think the dolls are great too. It's amazing how grandchildren can bring out hidden talents.
I feel a bit prudish about the miniskirts and black tights but then I'm Methusela's wife.
Sablonneuse: a pox on husbands who do things like that without discussing it with their wives.
Alastair was faultless in that respect and did everything he could to make my life alone as easy as possible. It's so hard without him nevertheless.
sixpence was a small fortune and as for half a crown - Whoopee!
Ah Pat, those were the days. I remember 2 pennyworth of chips wrapped in a paper cone made from newspaper, and sprinkled with "batter bits" if the chip shop owner liked you.
I just had this picture in my mind of you on the cat-walk with a super ball-gown on and munching on a bag of chips as you walked.
I really must stop drinking all this rum. . . .
Keith: In all the years I modelled I never had to do the cat-walk. It was all done on camera. Quite fortuitous really as to this day I can't walk in a straight line. Even more so now:)
Post a Comment