Today we went for a shorter walk. Mr L had cut the grass and had a sore back from bending down to cut the edges (he's a tall chap). So we just ambled round the area where we live. It was sunny but windy.
We were going to walk round the grounds of the school that I and our children went to, but there were sounds of children playing. I suppose the school and its nursery are still open for children of key workers. So, not wanting to look suspicious, we just walked along inside the wall. I looked at the hockey pitches, so pleased that I'll never have to play hockey again. Team sports were never my thing, let alone those which armed your opponents with dangerous weapons.
The modern - well, they were modern when I went to school - buildings were constructed round a 1790 house which was built for Alexander Keith, Knight Marischal of Scotland. The school still has extensive grounds but the house once had famous walled gardens. The house - you can see it above - is still there and still lovely. The estate must have been a beautiful place to live, in the countryside but only a couple of miles from Edinburgh's New Town, which was then 30 years into its development.
Or at least, it must have been lovely for the Keith family; probably not so much for their servants and gardeners.
Here are my mother and my two aunts, still totally unaware that that's what they were going to be. My mum and the aunt on the left were best friends, which is how my mum first knew my aunt's brother, who became my father. This must be about 1936. They look so carefree, don't they? A lot was to happen to them in the next few years. My mum was sent to London with her work and was there throughout the Blitz. The middle aunt was evacuated to the country. The left hand aunt became a doctor. She was studying pharmacy and vaguely knew another pharmacy student, who asked her if he could come to tea. She was very surprised but agreed. After tea, they went out for a walk and he proposed! She was amazed. They were both religious and he had decided to become a missionary, and thought that she would make a good wife. So after a bit, she agreed, and converted her pharmacy degree to a medical one so that she could be a doctor in Pakistan, where doctors, especially women doctors, were much needed. (Not sure whether missionaries were so much needed... .)
It was a very happy marriage. Strange but true.
How are you coping during this weird time? I'm finding it fine, day by day, but when I think about it, and how much I miss the little ones and how long I'm going to have to go on missing the little ones, it's really sad. So I just get on with my quilt and do the garden and so on. It could be a lot worse - no bombs, plenty of food, a reasonable amount of freedom. Hmm.
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