another writer, widowed 'Ann', entertained me over dinner in with stories of her extraordinary life, full of surprises. She started with the story of her wonderful marriage to her second husband, who she met when he taught her to drive. Driving instructors have to be patient people. Her second marriage was the happy ending to her life. (She has severe health problems, like many at the Writers' Holiday, but beams with happiness.) I had seen her around for year.
But I shall tell you her whole life story in chronological order, starting with her childhood dramas. being sent to a home in WWII during wartime evacuation. She had been living with her father and baby brother when she was a toddler, because her parents were separated early on, because her mother had taken up with another man. Then her father was sent to the war, and in case he did not survive, he sent the small children back from the children's home to their mother who had left her husband. Anne's mother was glad to have two extra ration books because her new man was an illegal Irish immigrant with no ration book for receiving rationed food.
Because of the shortage of food, Ann was so thin that people thought she was half her age.
Ann lived permanently with her mother. Anne's stepfather from Ireland was an illegal immigrant. When people knocked on the door and asked for him by name, Anne was told to say, 'He doesn't live here any more.'
Ann'e mother was glamorous, wore high heels and lipstick and went dancing. Everybody thought she was a lively spark. But at home things were different. She had a fearsome temper. She hit Ann on the head with a shovel. Ann lay in bed bleeding for days. Her mother would not take her to hospital, although she could easily have claimed it was an accident and Ann would have agreed. The mother was afraid of losing the child, the child being taken away, and losing the vital ration books.
Later in Anne's life she married. After having three children, she quit the marriage. She had wanted to take driving lessons and booked a few. Her husband did not want her to have driving lessons. Anne took driving lessons. Mid-way, her husband said he was not paying for any more lessons.
When Anne told her driving instructor she was leaving her marital home, he said, "If you are leaving home, I am coming with you." He became her second husband and they were happily married for many years until he died.
He had been married, too. But his wife was not bothered when he left. He did her a favour. She was Catholic and didn't not consider their marriage, which had not been in a Catholic church, to be a proper marriage. Shortly after the divorce she married a Catholic in church, and she dressed in white.
After dinner, Ann told me she used to crochet.
I asked, "With wool?"
'Yes, wool from my sheep."
This sounded bizarre to me, brought up in London. For a woman with sheep in Wales it was pretty normal.
After being widowed, Anne moved to Wales and bought a farm but had no animals. She started with no sheep but local people, local farmers, in her first year, took pity on her and gave her bottle lambs, who were abandoned by their mothers and had to be bottle fed.
What kind of sheep abandons the baby? Possibly one which has given birth early in the mother's life, a young mother. Hm. Interesting. Does this have implications for human beings?
Anne had seven baby lambs the first year. After a year they can have one to two or three babies. Not in succession. simultaneously. Some even gave birth to quads.
In three or four years she had about 70 sheep.
Sheep would get out through the fences. Other farmers would come to collect their strayed sheep.
They would say, 'I'll send in my dog to cut out my sheep." Cut out meant to round up and lead out.
The farmers could recognize their sheep by the marking. The dog would recognize the sheep by the smell.
I asked former farmer, Anne, "Do you eat meat, such as lamb?"
She replied, "I prefer mutton. More flavour."
Anne is now retired and her children tell her, "You should write your life story." I think she should, don't you?
But I shall tell you her whole life story in chronological order, starting with her childhood dramas. being sent to a home in WWII during wartime evacuation. She had been living with her father and baby brother when she was a toddler, because her parents were separated early on, because her mother had taken up with another man. Then her father was sent to the war, and in case he did not survive, he sent the small children back from the children's home to their mother who had left her husband. Anne's mother was glad to have two extra ration books because her new man was an illegal Irish immigrant with no ration book for receiving rationed food.
Because of the shortage of food, Ann was so thin that people thought she was half her age.
Ann lived permanently with her mother. Anne's stepfather from Ireland was an illegal immigrant. When people knocked on the door and asked for him by name, Anne was told to say, 'He doesn't live here any more.'
Ann'e mother was glamorous, wore high heels and lipstick and went dancing. Everybody thought she was a lively spark. But at home things were different. She had a fearsome temper. She hit Ann on the head with a shovel. Ann lay in bed bleeding for days. Her mother would not take her to hospital, although she could easily have claimed it was an accident and Ann would have agreed. The mother was afraid of losing the child, the child being taken away, and losing the vital ration books.
Later in Anne's life she married. After having three children, she quit the marriage. She had wanted to take driving lessons and booked a few. Her husband did not want her to have driving lessons. Anne took driving lessons. Mid-way, her husband said he was not paying for any more lessons.
When Anne told her driving instructor she was leaving her marital home, he said, "If you are leaving home, I am coming with you." He became her second husband and they were happily married for many years until he died.
He had been married, too. But his wife was not bothered when he left. He did her a favour. She was Catholic and didn't not consider their marriage, which had not been in a Catholic church, to be a proper marriage. Shortly after the divorce she married a Catholic in church, and she dressed in white.
After dinner, Ann told me she used to crochet.
I asked, "With wool?"
'Yes, wool from my sheep."
This sounded bizarre to me, brought up in London. For a woman with sheep in Wales it was pretty normal.
After being widowed, Anne moved to Wales and bought a farm but had no animals. She started with no sheep but local people, local farmers, in her first year, took pity on her and gave her bottle lambs, who were abandoned by their mothers and had to be bottle fed.
What kind of sheep abandons the baby? Possibly one which has given birth early in the mother's life, a young mother. Hm. Interesting. Does this have implications for human beings?
Anne had seven baby lambs the first year. After a year they can have one to two or three babies. Not in succession. simultaneously. Some even gave birth to quads.
In three or four years she had about 70 sheep.
Sheep would get out through the fences. Other farmers would come to collect their strayed sheep.
They would say, 'I'll send in my dog to cut out my sheep." Cut out meant to round up and lead out.
The farmers could recognize their sheep by the marking. The dog would recognize the sheep by the smell.
I asked former farmer, Anne, "Do you eat meat, such as lamb?"
She replied, "I prefer mutton. More flavour."
Anne is now retired and her children tell her, "You should write your life story." I think she should, don't you?
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