Diary > Saturday 21st November

[Mowsehowse]

What a good job your son is helping you with the documentation for the Belgian pension people.
If we didn't have global bureaucracy there would be a lot less jobs to go around!!

Your flood sounds a considerable disaster.   Do be careful with the electrics won't you.
And what a good thing the milkman didn't call for his money!! 

[Roobarb]

Good heavens Viktoria, what a day! Agree with MH, be careful with the electrics.

[Caw1]

My goodness Viktoria you certainly take things in your stride! I think I might have been in a proper panic seeing water coming through the ceiling😱😱.
I was in hysterics reading and visualising you naked with welly boots and rubber gloves on! 🤣🤣🤣 it sounds like one if the carry on films!
I’m sure you could get a job as a script writer....
Just take care with water and eke runs not usually a good mix!
Hope your son sorts out all your Belgian finances it sounds typically continental... confusing!
In answer to your earlier query... no I didn’t watch the England v Ireland game.. busy making cards!

Take care now
Caroline

[Viktoria]

iI did have a towel round me when I hurried downstairs ,but it fell off onto the 
wet floor .
The kitchen has French Windows’,but I put a film over them a while back
which is striped .It looks like reeded glass.
So a clear strip then a frosted  strip. I can see out but no one can see in.
All drying up now .
I was in such a hurry to mop up ,it is a dining kitchen so two thirds carpeted
and I didn’t want  that  to get wet .

Got a  Tesco delivery slot for  2 nd December,nothing after that ,but one for
tomorrow already in hand ,just amended it.

 Flash Harry wants a cuckoo clock !
No idea why .
Will get a battery driven one ,pulling the chains  on a traditional one is a fag.
Had one years ago and was minding two naughty little boys - not mine!- the cuckoo came out and one child pulled a chain ,down came the clock - on his head , needed stitches.
Oh I hope it is a dry day tomorrow ,all these wet towels to dry. They are in the washer ,awaiting being put on the line.
Parcels arriving books etc for presents .
Got some trays , which purport to defrost food in a fraction of the usual time .
Will be handy for daughter ,grand daughter and grand daughter in law.

Well folks,  a bit of Morse while the electric blanket does it’s job.
Tesco delivery tomorrow and hopefully tablets too.
Goodnight ,sleep well.Viktoria——— AKA Gypsy Rose Gladys .

[Roobarb]

Aah you do make me laugh Viktoria, a nice thing before bed. Glad you came out of it unscathed. 

[Mowsehowse]

I have to agree that although I was horrified, I did find your description of the clean up operation  hilarious Viktoria.
Speaking of cuckoo clocks, you reminded me that the winding of ours was heavily supervised by a parent, and a fiercely contested honour when I was a child, taken in strict rotation, though I suspect we children missed our turn if we had been naughty.
Ours was on a substantial hook and never fell down.
 

[Viktoria]

The one we had that caused the injury was a smallish one ,the little boy obviously liked seeing and hearing the cuckoo, it came out just as I was taking his brother’s coat off .They had just arrived.
There were two metal weights like pine cones,one at least would lower I seem to remember as the cuckoo sounded .He must have noticed that and dashed
to pull the weight to see the cuckoo again ,pulling the whole thing off the wall
with a good hefty  yank!

I cleaned the cut and pulled it together with little plaster strips .
No such thing as car phones or mobile phones in those days ,and his mother was not going to be long ,so just waited ‘til she got back.
They were quite naughty boys ,their daddy thought it funny when they mis behaved but he encouraged them.
No one ever wanted to have them , Mum, having problems with her third pregnancy was off to the obstetrician .
Wonder what they grew up like ,this was in Belgium but the parents were both from Devon ,met  at Exeter  Uni.
They organised a Devonshire evening  at the British Colony and we ladies made the “ Tiddy Oggies”—— proper Cornish Pasties , really nice ,
Seemingly T.O is Navy slang for pasties.
Viktoria.

[Mowsehowse]

Strange how our memories get triggered isnt it?
I do know people who refer to Tiddy thingies, although l always thought the other word was Uggies.

[Viktoria]

You are probably right Mowsiehowse,I have never seen it written down,the couple had lovely soft Devonshire accents ,and occasionally  “ doo ee “
and “ Za’urday “ would creep in.
We had a choir ,did concerts etc for Oxfam ,it was difficult blending the various accents in ,as people were in Belgium from many different U.K. areas and The US.with Texaco.
WeNortheners  sang with  deep u and flat a sounds ,the Southeners with more like an a sound for u and an e for a .
Run - Ran
Ran- Ren ,nothing quite equates though.
We raised a lot of money, I think we were so bad we were funny!
In any case many Belgians  joined us and their accents stood out ,but it was
always alright on the night (s), being for a well known charity the audiences’
generosity overcame our shortcomings.
“
When you get a “once was very handsome tenor “singing with an “ageing soprano “ If You were the only girl in the world” etc.Laughter is not very far
away!
Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden.
“ I know you know I love you”
“ I know you know I know you know I love you”etc Aging Juveniles ,Radio Sunday lunchtime ,Navy Lark ,or “Round The Horn”  or “Beyond our Ken”?
We could all laugh at ourselves ( sometimes we were the only ones who did!)
and the rehearsals were really good fun.
We made Tiddy thingies one year amongst other things as refreshments during the interval ,much enjoyed ,to the girl from Devon’s recipe which was the same as a Cornish one.l
Well off to rationalise things for Tesco delivery.
Cheerio .Viktoria.