OE's in Durham

I had an early lunch on Wednesday and then set off for Durham. It is only 3/4 hour away, so I arrived before 2.0 when the rooms are ready. Took my stuff over to the River-side rooms, where I was overlooking the river Wear. When I came down again, I found 2 ladies who had arrived a day early so had a chat with them. From where they were sitting we could see when others arrived. As I had organised the whole thing, I wanted to be sure that all was well, so tried to welcome people. Many had arrived by 4.30ish, so went up to my room and had a snooze - much needed!

What was this all about? I went to a school called Queen Ethelburga's. When I arrived it was evacuated to Studley Royal (by Fountains Abbey) and in April 1946 it moved back to Harrogate. There were only 3 of us in the group who had been at Studley, as most of them had left in the 50's and 60's. We totalled 26, with the 2 who came for the day only.

We have had several gatherings. The first was at Linlithgow because the old school organ had arrived there. (The school now belongs to a father near York, the Harrogate site is a housing estate and the Chapel was razed to the ground). The next was at Southall (I am not sure why) and then at Lyminge, where Queen Ethelburga died. The sister of an old Dunelmian suggested that we had a gathering in Durham, with lunch at Durham School.

So - that first evening we had a great deal of catching up and chatting, then a dinner with all 24 of us on one table in the main dining room. The staff of the Royal County Hotel could not have been more helpful or caring. By the time we had finished dinner, I was more than ready for my bed - a very wide affair with 3 sets of pillows and a duvet type thing under the sheet. Very comfortable!

Next morning, after an excellent breakfast, we climbed into the minimum number of cars plus one taxi and went off to the School. Signs saying 'Welcome to the Old Ethelburgians' made us feel immediately at home. After a cup of coffee or tea, we were given a tour of part of the school and an account of its history. All very interesting and as it was quite warm, with no wind, very pleasant to walk around. We were impressed by the accommodation for both boarders and day pupils. We visited a girls' house, not a boys'. It being half term there were no students there, though team members had come in for practice. That's dedication for you!

Lunch followed, in a room off the old large hall. The food was excellent though the portions were large enough to feed growing teenagers and we were nearly all over 60!

The Chapel is up 90+ steps, each representing Old Boys killed in the war. It helped to shake down the lunch, climbing up! For those who felt unable to climb (wimps and halt and lame!!) there was a mini bus. We had a short service, which an old girl and I had put together, with a favourite hymn, the school lesson, school psalm, school song, prayers, including one for old girls, and God be in my head, which I had sung nearly every school day for 6 years at morning prayers (assembly).

After the service, another girl and I set off at speed down the steps, and down the hill to the Wear, over Prebend Bridge and up to the Cathedral to contact the Guides for a tour. Nearly every one got there by 3.15, the set time, much to my surprise! It was important, as the guides like you to be prompt. We had a very interesting tour of the Cathedral. I think we will be paying for an hour but had at least 1 1/4. They were all so nice and love their cathedral. Walked down the hill back to the County Hotel. (I had hitched a lift to the school). The drivers didn't find it quite so easy! You can't take a car up to the Cathedral. They charge a bomb if you go anywhere near!

So back to my room to rest - I was exhausted - but a lie down recovered me! So down again for a gin and dinner with still more talk. Can't think what we still had to talk about!

Friday morning, the Secretary and I (the Treasurer couldn't come - she works) paid the bill - over £2000. Of course, everyone had payed their share already - to the OEA. And after many goodbye's - and see you at Lancing's (the next trip) - left for home.

Non Bridge players skip the next paragraph!

I'm not sure how I managed it but that evening we went to the first meeting of the Tynedale Bridge Club for this winter. It was great fun and interesting how different the people were! I was the partner of 3 amazing hands. The very first of the evening, my partner had 25 points and I had 9 but neither had a suit, so bidding was very difficult. In the end we bid a small slam and my partner made a grand slam. Later another partner called quite high and I had a lot of points, so I went straight to a game call - not like me at all. Anyway we made it. Then towards the end, we had a similar situation and we ended with a small slam called and made. So very unusual to have 3 hands like that in one evening - usually not even one! I was definitely in the money! We play 10p a hundred.

Harvest and Baptism

Continuing from yesterday's concert and supper -
This morning there was a full church again. It was a combination Harvest Festival and Baptism. The latter was very special. The baby's grandfather lived in the village. Her father works all over the world and lives in Azerbaijan. There is no Christian Church there, so he asked for his daughter to be baptised where her Grnadfather lived. People came from all over the world, which was also very special. Because it was Harvest Festival, there was a good local turn-out too. And lots of children!
The wee babe was not so wee! - about 4 or 5 months at a guess. She was very good, but did not get rid of the devil! She loves showers, as her mother takes her in with her. Consequently, water being poured over her head was kids stuff!! It was not until later in the service that she started to cry - she was hungry, wasn't she? A bottle solved that.
The Harvest part was good too. Lots of things - earth, seeds, plants, flowers, an instrument used at harvest, (a small instrument for measuring moisture content in the grain) water, bread and wine - were taken up to the altar by a small person, with a grown-up to say what was there.
We sang harvest hymns. The majority of the congretation went up to the altar, though some went for a blessing, as did the children. The children had been drawing a picture of what grows on the ground, while the sermon was on - and after too!
It was a noisy, busy service that meant a great deal. If you want to go to a Communion Service where you have quiet and can concentrate, you do not go to such a service. But I say to all those (usually oldies) who think that children should be seen and not heard, - read your New Testament and remember that Jesus said 'Let the little children come unto me' etc.
There was a very young gentleman with curly blond hair in front of me. At the end I said to him and his Mum that if I had had one, I'd give him a gold star. It was the first thing that really made him stop and look at me! (He really had been good!) His mother said how nice it was to see a smily face behind, because sometimes all she gets is black looks! Children are the most important - they can be won or lost - we oldies are either in the church or not there at all.

Quite enough of that. I came home and after lunch got on with the garden. I am trying to get things tidied up before the weather goes bad on us. Today, I had help. He finished off cleaning the green house roof, as I had not been able to reach it all yesterday. Then he cut the top out of a pillar type conifer growing by the house, which really must not get too tall. He also took out some bits of the top of a holly that had been missed last time he got at it. In between wondering if he was going to fall off the ladder and generally bossing him about (!) I was weeding pruning etc.

Now blogging after roast lamb. A good day!

Sat 13 October

What an evening! I have just come up, still shaking from the tension! Three very large purple cheers for Johnnie. He just lives down the road from here, so to speak. Just next door in Northumberland speak!

The rest of the evening:-

For once G came with me to a 'Church' thing - a concert to start off Harvest Festival. Clever really - instead of just a Harvest Service and Harvest Supper, we had a concert tonight in one of our churches. Having a musical Vicar helps!

About 80 people trooped into the Church, accompanied by 2 locals playing the Northumbrian pipes. The concert started with the Vicar playing the Treble recorder accompanied by the Harpsichord (the magic of the modern electric piano type thing) They played Handel's sonata in F major.

Then the Benefice choir (ecumenical) sang Bobby Shaftoe. This is very topical as the Shaftoes owned a house in the benefice, and only sold it a few years ago.

The Vicar then appeared again, with a box sot of thing that looked like a very basic accordian! She explained that when she was a wee girl, the neighbours threw it out and she saved it. It is called a Button Box. It has 2 rows of buttons, but more advanced ones have 3, the third one acting like the black notes on a piano. She proceeded to play a number of short pieces, despite the lack of the semi-tones!

We had 2 sets of Northumbrian Pipes pieces. The two who welcomed us played various local folk tunes the first time and later another set, with the Vicar on her beloved guitar. This lot ended with Keep your feet still Geordie hinnie which produced a certain amount of sort of singing and a great deal of foot tapping!

Between these 2 sets we had first a talented violinist playing Johann Sebastian Bach's Solo Sonata. Those who could see were entertained by his small son playing a pretend violin, beside him, with great seriousness the whole way through! He was followed by the Choir singing Maa Bonny Lad and then the Vicar on the Descant Recorder, accompanied by the piano this time, playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag.

The concert was wound up by the Choir singing The Keel Row and then the assembled company earning their supper with Blaydon Races.

After that we moved over to the Village Hall for a pooled supper. The local parish provided the fist course, mostly hot and the other parishes brought the puddings. We all had a seat and a happy time was had by all.

G's comments - Couldn't hear much of the concert! Knew a few people at the supper and the food was good. That was quite an accolade in itself!!

I was delighted that I had G with me because I had to take him home so was not able to help with the washing up - as I usually do!

A very special lady

On Friday I drove down to SW Durham for a service of thanksgiving for the life of a very special person. Having had 2 children, her husband was killed in 1944. It was a lovely idea that her husband was included in the thanksgiving. During the war there was no funeral, no goodbye.

For the first years after the war, she settled down to bring up the children and to run a farm. Later, when she could leave them, she set off for India in a land-rover with goods for starving/sick people. I don't know whether she was the first to do this - but almost certainly the first woman. She continued in this vein, usually taking a young person with her. After the service, I was talking to one of these girls, who said that it was the most amazing experience. There was no room for wimpiness or the like. She hated to sleep in a bed all her life. On these trips, she slept across the front seats. It was up to the young companion to find herself somewhere to kip. This one chose the roof of the land-rover, as being the safest place!


We were not given a diary of her life. Rather comments on different aspects of her character and life. Consequently, I cannot give a list of all the trips she made. I know that later on she went to Eastern Europe, usually with one companion. She spent more of her time on her travels than at home. She was not short of money, but material things meant little to her. As long as she had enough to survive and serve others, she was happy. She was virtually a vegetarian so did not mind the dietary hardships on her travels. She continued to serve the poor and needy in this way long after the normal person would have. She was indomitable. In amongst it all she was bitten by a rabid dog and survived. Much later on she suffered a nasty illness whose name I do not know, which involved complete paralysis. She spent a long time in intensive care in hospital but amazingly she recovered completely.


When, at last, she had to stop her travels and would really have liked to go then. Serving others was the only thing that made her happy. Shortly before she died at the age of 97, she was still knitting gloves and socks for the needy. As I sat in that Church, I couldn't help thinking that there were many similarities between her and Mother Theresa.


She leaves 2 children and spouses, 5 grand children, and at least 6 great grand children. They are all lovely people - not into her sort of life, but all people she was, I'm sure very proud of.