It's probably fairly safe to say that December 22, 1909, was a bitterly cold, snowy day, probably with a bright prairie sun shining down upon Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, when their first-born child, Phyllis Hilda (Phyl), was born to Harold and Maud Hier-Davies. This intrepid couple had left England in 1906, to respond to the call to settle the west, and had already spent a couple of years in the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan area, before heading west to Edmonton, Alberta. A small house had been erected, and it seems the plan was to stay there for a while before continuing further west to British Columbia and the west coast. However, this was not to be. Poliomyelitis in the early 1900's was still a killer, and that was what took the life of Phyl's father, when she was just 10 months old. Raising a child on her own was not an option for Phyl's mother. so a return to England a year later was the only solution.....
Fast forward one hundred years to Chipping Sodbury, England, where again the sun is shining brightly, 'snow has fallen, snow on snow', and the temperature is chilly (though not Edmonton- frigid). In an hour or so the time of celebration begins for Phyl, the mother of Jim and Di (Diana) on the occasion of her 100th birthday. The staff of 'The Heathers' have been busy preparing - the room is decorated and the buffet is being prepared, the 'birthday girl' has had her hair done, and is taking a 'beauty rest' in anticipation of the afternoon's excitement.....and it's time for the daughter of the 'birthday girl' to head off up the hill to 'The Heathers'!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Hello From SNOWY England!
Sorry for the delay in getting something posted here.... Put it down to the snow and the unexpectedly chilly weather! It seemed that my arrival was timed just right, as it preceded the snow, yet I was greeted by bright sunshine. The flight even arrived a few minutes early at Heathrow, and travelling from the airport to central London was very straighforward by tube, though I was surprised at how many others were making the same journey - we were packed in like sardines!
A red double-decker bus from Kings' Cross then tookalong City Road to Wesley's Chapel, where I was to meet Ruth, a friend from days at The Abbey, whose volunteer shift in the museum was drawing to a close. To ward off the chill of the winter evening, we decided that a steaming bowl of soup would be in order, so we arranged to meet Ruth's daughter, Bryony, in a French bistro in St. Pancras' Station - now transformed into a cosmopolitan shopping destination, since becoming the Eurostar London terminal. Experiencing the aromas and tastes of French cuisine, we could almost imagine ourselves part of the Parisian scene!
Upon arriving in Ely, Cambridgeshire, the place of retirement of Ruth and husband Bern, we were quite surprised to discover everything covered with a dusting of snow - a dusting of snow which, by the morning, had turned into several inches of snow, transforming the green in front of 'Rehoboth' (R& B's house) into a winter wonderland! Plans to drive to Cambridge for some sightseeing went by the board, but the bright winter sunshine drew us oudoors, both for a walk around the neighbourhood to watch the local schoolkids enjoying the rare pleasure of playing in the snow, and to walk into the centre of Ely, to mail the last of Ruth's Christmas cards and to admire the illuminations along the High Street. Even though refreshed by a visit to Starbucks, we were still very happy to have Bern drive by to pick us up... A couple of 'cut-throat' games of nine-tile Scrabble after supper rounded out a very pleasant and relaxing day.
More bright wintry sunshine most of yesterday, which made the cross-country train journey from Ely to Leicester most enjoyable, first across the flat fens - reminiscent of the Canadian prairies on a very small scale - then throgh the undulating fox-hunting terrain of Rutland (smallest county) and Leicestershire, finally arriving only a few minutes late, at Leicester station, where I was met by cousin Gill, able to drive despite on-going issues after her summer knee replacement surgery. We drove to her sisters' home, in the village of Stoughton just outside Leicester, en route passing by the house which had been our grandmother's, where both Gill and I were born - some eighteen months apart. As we gathered around the table at Ann and Judith's, enjoying a 'proper' English tea, we all agreed that Granny Plum would have been very proud to see her four granddaughters carrying on that wonderful tradition!
A
A red double-decker bus from Kings' Cross then tookalong City Road to Wesley's Chapel, where I was to meet Ruth, a friend from days at The Abbey, whose volunteer shift in the museum was drawing to a close. To ward off the chill of the winter evening, we decided that a steaming bowl of soup would be in order, so we arranged to meet Ruth's daughter, Bryony, in a French bistro in St. Pancras' Station - now transformed into a cosmopolitan shopping destination, since becoming the Eurostar London terminal. Experiencing the aromas and tastes of French cuisine, we could almost imagine ourselves part of the Parisian scene!
Upon arriving in Ely, Cambridgeshire, the place of retirement of Ruth and husband Bern, we were quite surprised to discover everything covered with a dusting of snow - a dusting of snow which, by the morning, had turned into several inches of snow, transforming the green in front of 'Rehoboth' (R& B's house) into a winter wonderland! Plans to drive to Cambridge for some sightseeing went by the board, but the bright winter sunshine drew us oudoors, both for a walk around the neighbourhood to watch the local schoolkids enjoying the rare pleasure of playing in the snow, and to walk into the centre of Ely, to mail the last of Ruth's Christmas cards and to admire the illuminations along the High Street. Even though refreshed by a visit to Starbucks, we were still very happy to have Bern drive by to pick us up... A couple of 'cut-throat' games of nine-tile Scrabble after supper rounded out a very pleasant and relaxing day.
More bright wintry sunshine most of yesterday, which made the cross-country train journey from Ely to Leicester most enjoyable, first across the flat fens - reminiscent of the Canadian prairies on a very small scale - then throgh the undulating fox-hunting terrain of Rutland (smallest county) and Leicestershire, finally arriving only a few minutes late, at Leicester station, where I was met by cousin Gill, able to drive despite on-going issues after her summer knee replacement surgery. We drove to her sisters' home, in the village of Stoughton just outside Leicester, en route passing by the house which had been our grandmother's, where both Gill and I were born - some eighteen months apart. As we gathered around the table at Ann and Judith's, enjoying a 'proper' English tea, we all agreed that Granny Plum would have been very proud to see her four granddaughters carrying on that wonderful tradition!
A
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Long Silence!
If you have been taking a look to see what flotsam 'n' jetsam may have been washed up onto the pages of this blog since the Cape Cod accounts, you will have been disappointed.... My apologies!
Since my return from Massachusetts, much has been happening here at Bevan Walk, though. In fact, so much has been happening that there is another blog on the go, giving a blow-by-blow account of what's going on. You may wish to visit www.bevanwalk.blogspot.com to find out all about it!
As seems to be the case these days, I am currently racing against the clock, to try to get my 'To Do' list finished, before I head off to catch the plane to London, Heathrow, in anticipation of celebrating, just with immediate family, Mother's 100th birthday, on Tuesday, December 22. Check back here to read about how the celebration went, and maybe even to see some pictures!! (No promises, though!)
Since my return from Massachusetts, much has been happening here at Bevan Walk, though. In fact, so much has been happening that there is another blog on the go, giving a blow-by-blow account of what's going on. You may wish to visit www.bevanwalk.blogspot.com to find out all about it!
As seems to be the case these days, I am currently racing against the clock, to try to get my 'To Do' list finished, before I head off to catch the plane to London, Heathrow, in anticipation of celebrating, just with immediate family, Mother's 100th birthday, on Tuesday, December 22. Check back here to read about how the celebration went, and maybe even to see some pictures!! (No promises, though!)
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