My old school

Mr T and I have had a lovely day today - apart from the weather - its rained for most of it. Had a lovely lunch in a great pub, the same one we were in last night for dinner.

I am afraid I have dragged Mr. T round again ALL day to share in even more of my early memories. This is the back of my old school, Grittleton House, Wiltshire. I went as a boarder here when I was 4 1/2 yrs old and left when I was 15. When we rolled up at the splendid front gates they were almost shut but I managed to squeeze through and rather cheekily rang the bell of the gate house. A very nice young gentleman answered the door and I told my story of going all the way down 'memory lane'! The nice gentleman happened to have a great deal to do with the school now. I asked if I could just walk up the long and impressive drive with the magnificent old Cedars of Lebanon trees to the right (still there). He said .. "would you like to look inside the school" and I made the obvious reply. Instead of thinking I was rather tiresome I got the impression that he was most interested in the past history I was able to offer , not only on the building itself, but my memories of every room we went into - the grand entrance hall, the huge dining room where every third week we had to sit on the French table and speak French for the whole meal. The dormitories named after painters for the juniors and musicians for the seniors. I could go on, and on, and on and did to the nice young man!

An outstanding memory for me was on 6th February 1952 when I was in the dormitory called Raphael (first floor on the right) and whilst I was putting my dressing gown in the cupboard which was connected to the Matrons' staff room I heard the news on their radio which said : King George VI dies in his sleep
His Majesty, King George VI, has died peacefully in his sleep at Sandringham House.
The official announcement from Sandringham, given at 1045 GMT, said the King retired in his usual health, but passed away in his sleep and was found dead in bed at 0730 GMT by a servant.

In that same year I fell very ill and was diagnosed with Diphtheria. I was taken to the isolation hospital in Chippenham where I was for several weeks. No one was allowed in the hospital to visit me and Mum could only look through the window at me. The whole of Raphael dorm and my class were kept in isolation for 10 days but no one got the disease. Having recovered from that illness I had to go to Bristol Royal Infirmary to have my tonsils removed as I carried the disease on my tonsils. They blamed my Father as the carrier?

I have to say it has been a most emotional day. Yesterday was good as the people who now own the house I lived in and remember so well from the late '40's to 70's have done such a wonderful job of renovating, restoring and extending it that our stay there last night only enhanced all the good memories, especially of my lovely Mother who would have been so impressed with all the improvements.

We are back in Slimbridge this evening staying in another nice pub - just had a lovely meal. Slimbridge is the home of Peter Scott's famous Wildfowl Trust slimbridge and home of yet more memories as I spent a lot of time here as a child with Peter Scott and his Daughter just after the Wildfowl Trust was opened.

Off to Stroud tomorrow to meet some more old friends (she is a Shropshire lass) and then back home to Shropshire. Wonder what dreams I'll have tonight?