Katharine wrote:Mary, you weren't the first to get that tag - I'm sure I wasn't either! Did she have something against us?
Speaking as one who spent two unfortunately hellish years of being licked into shape by Miss Jukes -
She took a positive pleasure in fastening on girls who were gifted in other areas, who weren't necessarily at their best in the Cookery School. They might be talented, confident, filled with self-esteem - but she, Miss Jukes, was going to knock that out of them on her territory... and she, Miss Jukes, always spoke her mind.
There was the time when, stung by her frank comments about my hair, I'd had it cut during the holidays into the "Venetian Pageboy" style that was the new thing in 1970. It didn't flop over my face, and jee-ust satisfied the hair-must-clear-the-collar School Rule. I felt sure she would approve!
Gradually, during the 3 hour Practical, I fell behind. I rushed hither and thither, working in a terrible panic, exerting every effort to catch up with the timings in my Order of Work. I felt Miss Jukes watching me. I knew, just knew, that she was about to come out with some frank personal remark. She hovered by my workbench.
"Come along, huwwy huwwy! You needn't think that just because you've had some fancy haircut - "
She couldn't think how to finish this sentence. Did she think that I thought I would work better as a Venetian Pageboy? She sped away. I felt crushed, as she no doubt intended.