Alex Arrives!

Of course, the highlight of yesterday was Alex's arrival! Although the flight had been delayed for a couple of hours, he arrived in fine fettle, ready to start our adventures together! Once we had got him checked in here, we were on our way to catch the train to Cambridge - of particular interest to him, as he lives in Cambridge, Ontario! Although our time in Cambridge was relatively short, we did manage to cover quite a bit of ground - some by bus, but mostly walking. We peeked through entry doors to colleges, admiring the old buildings and the impeccably groomed lawns, and we were amazed at the number of bikes to be seen everywhere, many parked, row on row, while others were being ridden, at a fast pace, through the narrow streets. Pedestrians, beware!
As the sun was shining and the weather was warm, the river was a very popular venue. All kinds of people were out soaking up the sunshine, as they relaxed on the river bank, or the more ambitious took to the water, in  river punts. It was fun to watch these rather cumbersome craft being guided skilfully - or not so skilfully! - by the punter, wielding his very long pole, as he pushed on the river bottom to propel the punt along, at the same time balancing himself on the few square feet of the stern deck... but we didn't see anyone fall in the water! Needless to say, Alex loved everything he saw, camera clicking almost non-stop! 

Friends in the City!

School friend, Pam and Peter with their granddaughter Cleo, just before they went to see 'Matilda'! We had enjoyed a lovely lunch together, at the nearby National  Gallery (High on Alex's list of places to visit, so I know I'll be back there again - possibly several times!) Thanks, Pam and Peter! It was good to see you again - and Cleo, as well!

College friend, Maggie, on the South Bank of the River Thames, where we enjoyed walking and talking and eating supper! Thanks, Maggie...

A 'Monk's Cell'...and a Pack of Cards....

After a quiet morning chilling out and packing up at the Ibis, near Gatwick, I made my way by train and tube to our 'digs' for our time in London. I am definitely reminded of my student days, as I sit here at the desk in my 'monk's cell' - but, although it is somewhat spartan, it is clean and perfectly adequate  for our needs.(Alex will be moving in to the 'cell' beside me, on Thursday. I haven't yet seen anyone else from the other five rooms in our flat, although I have heard the water running and someone coughing... (Glad I've kept my luggage to a minimum, as there were some fifty stairs to climb to the top floor!)
Once I had unpacked my stuff, I set off to get my bearings. Being just a couple of blocks from the tube station makes getting around easy - as does the Visitor's Oyster card. The weather was overcast, with a very light sprinkle, which never became more than that. My exploration did have a purpose to it, other than just enjoying the sights and sounds of London, as I ended up at Paddington Station, where I picked up the tickets I had ordered online, for the various little trips Alex and I have planned outside London - and that was where I acquired the pack of cards! Yes, the machine brought forth more than 60 orange and green cards - train tickets, bus tickets, seat reservations and receipts - and now I suspect I have a full house!  

Zelda and the Racy Red Sports Car!

Yesterday, I went to Lymington, to visit Zelda, my tutor during my student days at Portsmouth College of Education. Here she is, beside her racy, red sports car! When I arrived, the weather was warm enough for us to drive around, in the RRSC, with the top down!

An Unexpected Encounter...and 'Cool Britannia'!

Foggy, drizzly weather in Sidney, early Saturday morning, made me wonder whether I might be making a mad dash for the ferry, rather than taking the plane to Vancouver that way, where I would pick up the Air Transat flight to London.... but the sun broke through just in time to burn off the fog.
 I had several hours to spend chilling out at YVR, then just as I was about to board my flight, I had an unexpected encounter! Amongst the motley collection of passengers also waiting to board, I noticed this one particular, statuesque ' lovely lady of a certain age', who looked somewhat familiar.... so I asked whether she was who I thought she was. With a surprised look on her face, she replied that she was indeed....... Patricia Stokes.....  immediately realizing who it was who was accosting her!. She had been a year ahead of me at The Abbey, more than fifty years ago! The last time I had seen her was in Montreal, in the eighties -another unexpected encounter! - during the visit to the city, of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A number of  years ago, she moved back to England, to escape those brutal Montreal winters.. We spent a pleasant interlude, catching up on what had occurred during the intervening years since our paths had last crossed.... then it was to time to be on our way. She hadn't heard about the School Reunion coming up next weekend, but would have come, even at such short notice, had she not had something else scheduled for that day.
Once underway, all went according to plan, with us arriving on schedule, - greeted by drizzly, chilly weather. Welcome to... 'Cool Britannia'! (Since then, I have seen the sun, though.) Shortly after I arrived, a special treat was to meet up with Ruth (friend of long-standing, also from The Abbey) and her husband, Bern and daughter, Briony, who was flying out to Jamaica, to begin a seven week practicum there (This was a planned meeting!) Our time together, over a lengthy breakfast, turned out to be much longer than we had originally thought, owing to the almost four-hour delay of Briony's flight....
I was definitely ready for some serious down time, by the time I arrived here at the Ibis....and now I am ready to do some serious sleeping. Stay tuned for more....

2005 - December 22 - The Happy Occasion of Phyl's 95th Birthday....

Enjoying a good laugh!

With Lily on her knee, David and Sue

 

 

 

Phyllis Hilda Hier Wilkie (Phyl) December 22, 1909 - May 5, 2012

 

Life Story of Phyllis Hilda Hier Wilkie (Phyl)

 December 22, 1909 - May 5, 2012

 

Phyllis Hilda (Phyl) was born to Harold and Maud Hier-Davies on December 22, 1909, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her parents had left England in 1906, to head out to western Canada. They had made several stops along the way, planning eventually to settle in British Columbia. Shortly after Phyl was born, her dashing, adventurous father contracted polio, dying when Phyl was only 10 months old. With no means of supporting herself and baby Phyl, Maud soon returned to England, where a couple of years later, she married a former beau, Fred Pulsford. Phyl’s half sister, Freda, was born of this union.
Phyl’s best friend when she was growing up was Ruth Hollingworth - in fact they remained best friends until Ruth passed away some five years ago. By all accounts, they were a couple of tomboys and were always being scolded for unladylike behaviour, such as climbing trees, jumping off roofs and tobogganing down the local hill!
Phyl always enjoyed taking care of poultry and animals, both in her growing up years and later in life. When it came time to choose a career, she decided that she wanted to become a poultry farmer, so she applied for a residential course for young ladies, to learn practical poultry husbandry at Miss Harrison-Bell’s establishment, in Hertfordshire.
Once qualified, Phyl’s adventurous spirit asserted itself, and she applied for a job north of the border, at the University of Edinburgh,looking after poultry used in research. There a certain Scotsman, working on his PhD in animal genetics, caught her eye! After a lengthy courtship in the Scottish capital - where a favourite, and inexpensive, date was to stroll through the streets of Edinburgh, chatting and sharing a quarter of a pound of crystallized ginger - Phyl married James Wilkie (Jimmy) on April 30, 1938. As wartime austerity was in effect, the marriage ceremony was followed by a very modest celebration, with just the parents of both bride and groom, plus the bride’s sister and the groom’s brother, in attendance.
During their early years of marriage, Phyl and Jimmy moved frequently, as Jimmy was involved with the Young Farmers’ Club organization, at that time. On March 3, 1942, their son, James Michael Mackenzie (Jim) was born and on July 30, 1943, their daughter, Diana Mhairi (Di) arrived.
After several moves in the Leicestershire area, in the early fifties the family moved south, settling by the River Thames, just outside Reading. Living on a spacious, one-acre riverside lot meant that there was plenty of space for Phyl to indulge her twin loves of both poultry and gardening. She also enjoyed rowing on the river and swimming in the river!
Phyl was always very hospitable, enjoying the company of friends as well as family. She enjoyed having friends stop by for a visit; as she spotted those she knew heading upstream, she would call out to invite them to come for tea on their way back. By the time they were heading back downstream, she would have fresh scones baked and the kettle on the boil!
In 1966, on April 2, Phyl’s son Jim married Judy Marie Grindley, and on June 1, 1968, daughter, Susan Janet (Sue) was born. Four years later, on November 29, 1972, son, David Michael arrived. Her two grandchildren were a particular delight to Phyl and she loved to spend time with them. Throughout her life, she always took pride in the activities and achievements of all family members.
In the summer of 1979, when both grandchildren were still quite young, Phyl’s husband, Jimmy was diagnosed with cancer. He died that same year, on November 4. After forty-one and a half years of marriage, Phyl found herself alone, but rather than sitting around and feeling sorry for herself, she decided that the time was right to make a move to Chipping Sodbury, to be closer to Jim and Judy, Sue and David. Here she made many new friends, again joining the Women’s Institute - she was a WI member for more than fifty years during the course of her life, serving for a while as president. As well, she also helped out at the Tilbert Lunch Club, became a member of the Historical Society, and was a regular attender at St. John’s Church.
When daughter Di married William Reed (Bill), on September 12, 1987, Phyl acquired a Canadian family consisting of step-granddaughter, Diane, and Doug (married to Elaine). In the early nineties, three step-great-grandchildren arrived - Roxanna, Anthony and Alexander. In later years, Phyl particularly enjoyed her visits to her Canadian family.
On September 30, 1989, Phyl’s granddaughter, Sue, married Paul Giddings. Sue and Paul’s joy was made complete when, on March 9, 2004, Lily May was born to them. Phyl was delighted with great-granddaughter Lily and loved having her come to visit. Sadly, just one week after Lily’s birth, Phyl’s son-in-law, Bill, died. A very happy occasion was when Phyl’s grandson, David, married Esther Mars, on April 24, 2010.
For Phyl, the best times were always family gatherings and get-togethers with friends. One such family gathering was the belated celebration of her 90^th birthday. Still adventurous, even at that great age, Phyl opted to go high-flying! Squeezed together in the basket of a hot-air balloon - thankfully safely tethered to the ground throughout the flight - the eight of us shared an unforgettable experience, on that clear and sunny day in June, 2000! (December would certainly not have been a good month for such a flight!)
Another unique experience occurred for Phyl during one of her visits to Vancouver Island. Through a friend who taught at Chemainus Native College, Phyl got to know a number of the aboriginal students there. They all thought so highly of her that later, at a picnic celebration, the chief of the Chemainus Native Band made her an honorary elder.
For many years, Phyl lived independently in the heart of Chipping Sodbury. She enjoyed her garden and she enjoyed her friends and acquaintances, some of whom she had met when they leant over the stone wall to admire her garden. However, shortly after Phyl celebrated her ninety-third birthday, big changes were about to take place in her life.
One cold and frosty Thursday morning, on her way to church, Phyl slipped on some ice, cunningly camouflaged by a skiff of snow. After the fall, it was discovered that she had broken her hip. This necessitated a three-week stay in Frenchay Hospital. In all her ninety-three years, Phyl had never been hospitalized; nevertheless, she faced this new challenge in her usual positive way, declaring that she was really rather enjoying all the attention! It was after her time at Frenchay, that it was decided that she needed the care only a nursing home could provide.
Phyl had always maintained that, if ever the day came when she needed to go into a nursing home, The Heathers would be her first choice. We were all really happy that there was a room available for her, at The Heathers, when she needed it. From February, 2004, until the time of her death earlier this month, The Heathers was her home, in more than just name. Those who cared for her became her special friends and Phyl would certainly have wanted us to express her heartfelt thanks to each one who did so much for her over the years.
In her own quiet, unassuming way and with a keen sense of humour, Phyl touched many lives - not only those of her immediate family, but also the lives of all those with whom she came in contact.
Psalm 90 reminds us that, ‘The length of our days is seventy years - or eighty, if we have the strength….they quickly pass, and we fly away.’
The length of Phyl’s days far exceeded the seventy or eighty years just mentioned; her earthly life of more than 102 years  was a life well-lived and a life lived to the full, but now it has drawn to a close. Phyl will be greatly missed by us all….