Starring Roles:
Dave (Bee Dave) - Who runs the Bee Club
Pat - Mum's friend and work colleague
Angie - Mum's work colleague
Nanny - Mum's Mum
Judy - Nan's dog
Old Face Ache - Mum's boss at the Dentist where she works
Mick - Pat's husband
Dean - My brother, who now lives in Canada with his wife, Catherine
Dearest Joanne and Vince,
Hope you are both well. Everyone here is keeping well and enjoying a bit of Summer at last. Just been and posted your letter and now starting again, it's all go! The lady up the post office always says to me, not another one, and I say "Yup"! So here we go again.
Monday 30th April 1990
A busy morning at work with Angie away, because Pat and I are running three surgeries between us.
Went to Dartford to pay some money into Nanny's bank - £140.00 which she had laying all over the house, so we thought it would be better to let us pay it in the bank for her. She will probably accuse us of stealing it now!
Picked James up from school and said to him the bees are a bit frisky today, so go straight indoors. As he went through the gate, one stung him on the neck. Well as you can imagine, he went absolutely berserk and went running up the road. I got the sting out for him and squeezed it till it bled because it can be very dangerous on the neck. Anyway, after he came back from running up the road, they would not let us in the gate. We had to put our coats over our heads and make a run for the back door. They are getting a bit naughty lately. I even had to put my full bee suit on to put some washing out. We may consider letting the apiary have them, as there are so many now. There could be up to 50,000 bees this year and that's a lot of bees buzzing around the garden. It's just difficult with our small garden to sit outside with this many bees and Dad reacts to badly when he gets stung.
Tuesday 1st May 1990
It doesn't seem possible that May is here already and I can't believe that you and Vince have been married for nearly a whole year.
It's been another hot day today and I told you yesterday that the bees have been naughty lately. Well when I came home from work today, to my horror, the back garden was covered in dead and dying bees. Dad and I looked it up in the bee books and we think they have a disease called Acarine, which is a small mite which develops and lives in the breathing tubes, making their efficiency reduced and they are then unable to fly. If it is Acarine, sadly we may have to destroy them. We are waiting for Dave to come out and confirm. I feel so guilty about grumbling at them yesterday - I wish they could have told me they were not well. Poor things.
Wednesday 2nd May 1990
Another beautiful hot sunny day. Went to the pub, sat inside because it was too hot in the garden. Talked a lot about bees. I was a bit scared about coming home as I didn't want to see anymore dead bees. There were just a few, and a few flying, so could mean that there are very little left in the hive. Dave still has not rang me, he is so unreliable. The book says your Bee Manager will always be on hand when you want him!! But oh not Dave!
Poor James has to bad hay fever. I think going out on his paper-round first thing in the morning doesn't help.
Thursday 3rd May 1990
Yet another hot day. Apparently, it is hotter here than in Spain, we have temperatures in the 80's and Spain is only in the 60's. This country is so stupid, they're already talking about water shortage.
The bees seem to be back to normal today and look as if nothing has happened. Pat checked some of my bees under her microscope and they have not got Acarine, so we were very pleased, so we think it must have been spray poisoning which would only affect the bees who had flown to the area that had been sprayed (crop sprays).
Dave rang tonight to see what the problem was and I said you're too late, we have sorted it ourselves. Well really! Fancy leaving a message on his answer phone on Monday and he rings me on Thursday. Stupid Man!
Friday 4th May 1990
Another hot day - 82F. It's too good to be true. James had no college today, so he sunbathed with his shirt off, on the school field and came home RED! Now he is walking about like a stiff board.
We have found a nice new home for our bees, we are taking them to Stanhill Farm on Sunday morning and putting them among the apple trees and the raspberry bushes, which all have lovely blossom. They will love it. They will still be mine and I will go out to them once a week to check them, plus we still get all the honey. I rang Robert, who now runs the farm. I grew up with him on the farm and asked him if I could put my hive somewhere and he said of course you can. So we are looking forward to going out there once a week and being able to go through the hive without worrying about the neighbours. It's also sorted the problem of what to do with them when we move. Now Pat can just take them over.
It's such a pity Grandad is no longer here and working on the farm as he could check on them each day for me, but I am sure he will know they are there and watch over them from Heaven.
Your letter came this morning - gosh such a big one! Oh I do get so excited. I want to open it so much and then on the other hand, I don't. I have to wait till I have a cup of tea and coffee and can sit and read it in peace. Thank you for the photos, they are lovely. We think the car is super and can't wait to have a ride in it, it looks brand new. James said 'cor, lucky devils'. It's a pity the number plate is VNN, it should have been VIN! The photo of Vince with Carolynn is lovely. He looks so handsome, I should keep an eye on him Jo! You both look so well and happy and your hair suits you. I love the one of you sitting by the fire, it's very posh! And the one of Smokey Cat, his eyes are looking straight at me as if he's saying 'look, it's me!'. The views are just wonderful, and the one of Sheila is exactly how I have imagined her to look. Thanks very much for the information, it's very interesting. Your boss looks nice, at least he's better looking than old Face Ache! It's very good news about your work, you going full-time soon and Vince will soon be working out on his own.
You seem to be getting out and about looking at houses. Hope you find one before we come to visit at Christmas, otherwise we will have to bring a tent, haha. It seems so strange to me now that all your furniture, dolls and teddies are now in Canada. How I wish I was one of your teddies, so I could sit on your dressing table.
Saturday 5th May 1990
Phew! Woke up so hot this morning - even having to leave the windows open at night cause it's so hot.
Your parcel for James came this morning, so I have hidden it away till his birthday. He's like you and gets so excited.
Went to Dartford with Dad. We bought a new table and four chairs for the garden, very posh they are too. The weather will probably change now, it's always the way!
It was so funny at Bee Club today, we now have a rota for tea making and this week it was Dad and Mick's turn. They had to make tea for 35 people and because of the weather, everybody turned up, but they did very well and they looked very good in their pinnys. Dad wore the one you bought him with the bra and suspenders/stocking tops on it and he had shorts on, which looked even funnier. They got a few laughs from the older ladies who have been doing the teas for years.
When it got dark this evening, and all the bees were home, Dad and I went out and shut them in, ready for their move in the morning.
We watched the Eurovision Song Contest tonight and we did not win, we came 6th. Italy won and we thought it was rubbish, never mind eh?!
Sunday 6th May 1990
The Early Bird Catches The Worm! That was us this morning, up at the crack of dawn to take the bees to the farm. Gosh, the hive was so heavy. We stayed with them for a while to see how they got on. It was so lovely and quiet and the sun was hot. They seemed okay, so we came home. Within half an hour of being home, the garden was full of bees again, two or three hundred at least. It was so sad. They were flying around where the hive was and they didn't know what to do, neither did we. In the the end we put the old nucleus box out for them. That was the box I brought them home in originally. Good job I still had it. Anyway, we put it where the hive stood and they started going inside, so when it is dark again, we will shut them in and in the morning move them again. We can't take them back to the farm because they will come back home again, so we're going to take them about 10 miles away and let them go. Poor things will have to find new homes.
Went to one of your favourite places today, Greenwich Market, to get your Anniversary present. I think you will both like it, I hope so anyway! It was so hot walking around the market. James came over all funny, so he had to sit on the steps in the shops while everyone clambered over him. He sure is a funny boy!
Vince, do you remember how I used to hate you and Derek watching Black Adder, because I thought it was stupid? Well I have just watched Mr. Bean with Rowan Atkinson and I laughed so much. I have to admit, he is very funny. I know now why you and Derek liked watching it. I even watch Black Adder now!! How about that!
As usual, it was wonderful to hear your voice when you rang. Keeps me going for another week.
Monday 7th May 1990
A lovely day again today, a bit cooler, but nice. Up very early again to take the bees away. We took them right out near Sevenoaks and found a dense wood that was full of bluebells, then we let them go. We ran like hell back to the car before they followed us. I don't think they will come back to the garden from there, I hope not anyway!!
Called in to see Nanny on the way home and she was all dressed up. I thought she was going out for the day with Don or someone, so I said, 'you look nice, where you going?' And she said 'back to your house'. I had to explain that it wasn't today and she started to get all upset! I felt so cruel! So I said 'well you better come now you're all ready I suppose'. I don't know where she got the idea from that she was spending the day with us. Oh well, bang goes my sunbathing today and I was really going to enjoy myself with no bees buzzing round the garden to worry about.
Tommy Tortoise poo'd on the path and who trod in it and traipsed it indoors? You have guessed right, it was Nanny and she tried to blame poor Judy Dog, but Dad could see it on her shoes! My May Day Bank Holiday is not going so well haha. And if I told Nanny once, I told her a hundred times, where the bees are now.
Dad went to work at 5pm, so I cooked Nanny some dinner and took her home about 8pm.
I'm going to have a nice early night with my book "Blue Above The Chimneys". It's so good. Cyn is waiting to read it after me.
Tuesday 8th May 1990
Back to work today. Boring. Angie was back after her holiday, she is lovely and suntanned - I think she tans very easily and she must do as she had to sunbathe in between the rain showers! Old Face Ache didn't even ask her if she had a nice holiday, which I think is very rude of him. I don't think he likes his staff to have better holidays than him. I think he thinks we all came originally from the workhouse (silly old bugger).
I was looking forward to coming home in the afternoons this week and sunbathing, now the bees are gone, but it has turned a lot cooler. I even had the fire on tonight.
I've not been feeling very good today, I ache all over and Dad is fussing over me as if I am on my last legs, but he does mean well, bless him. I don't know what I would do without him. Anyway, I am going to have a hot Lemsip and another early night.
Wednesday 9th May 1990
Pay day again and pub day. Just me and Pat today. We were talking about recycling and being kind to the environment. Pat is so good and makes me feel guilty. I must admit I start off doing things, and then I just forget!
I don't feel so bad today, at least I don't ache like I did yesterday. I'm just forever blowing my nose now.
Took Sam Cat back to the vets tonight and they gave him the all clear, so the pills they gave him have given him his appetite back and he's always at his food dish and is getting fat. Some woman in the vets carpark parked right behind me and I had to wait for her to come out. Stupid woman made me miss the start of Neighbours!
James is working over at Bexley Clubhouse tonight, collecting up glasses. I think he'll end up as a Jack of all trades. I also think he's smoking as he smells of it when he comes in. He says it's where he has been with his friends, but I am not so sure! You know what my nose is like for smelling things!! I just hope I am wrong this time.
Thursday 10th May 1990
Raining hard today and very cold. You know my old saying "The Rain Makes Me Feel So Cold"!! haha.
Angie came in today with the photos of her holiday. They are quite good and her Dad's house over there is beautiful.
Went up to see Nanny for her birthday. We bought her some slippers as her other ones are a bit tatty. She was pleased anyway. Don and Denise sent some flowers and she was over the moon with her little parcel from you. How lovely that fridge magnet frame is. I spotted it on her fridge when I walked in and she thinks it's lovely getting something from Canada through the post.
Oh I must tell you before I forget, Mick came in to work this morning, poked his head round the door and said 'don't you laugh Mave! I have just had a Vince haircut' (spiked). Actually, it suited him.
Nanny has just rang us, very excited and said 'Joanne has just phoned me to wish me Happy Birthday'. She sounded very tearful, but very pleased. Somehow I had an idea you would, you are so very sweet and thoughtful.
Went up to see Dean tonight and as it was Nanny's birthday, I took her as well. It was so nice to see Dean and he looked very smart tonight and he said he promised to write to you with an Anniversary card.
Well I suppose I had better end this letter and get it off to you.
 |
| Sign off from Mum 10.5.1990 |
 |
| Just when I thought I was done, a surprise extra page! |
No comments:
Post a Comment