Housemistresses

[Euterpe13]

White stripes: I learnt to swim almost before I could walk ( Mum was a championship swimmer in her youth...) and smugly had my " box" on my swimsuit for all 4 standards.

DR's famous talk ( mentioned on another thread) : I was, I think , in LVI - I can remember not daring to raise my eyes in case I caught someone else's look and burst into giggles.... virgins were a bit thin on the ground at the end of the sixties, and we had all been using Tampax for ages .

Clothes : you will remember the blue sunday tunics - well, when we went up to Haileybury for russian lessons, we had to wear sunday dress, and I always borrowed one of the juniors' tunics - 1 or 2 sizes smaller made the necessary difference. I also frequently wore mascara and a brick-red transparent lipstick, and never got caught, although Fanny sometimes gave me a strange look.... think she guessed !

Queenie Blench : fascinating woman, great sense of humour. I remember going down to the Chapel one cold morning to put out the music and beeing stopped by her " Barbara why aren't you wearing your gloves ?" - my hands aren't cold, Miss Blench - " well, mine are, so put your gloves on, girl"
And the famous " child, why don't you throw yourself out of the window?"
B

[Angela Woodford]

Books, books, books.

I am still an avaricious reader.

You're still being paid to read????


Munch

[englishangel]

No, I wish, I greedily read anything and everything.

[Angela Woodford]

No, I wish, I greedily read anything and everything.

No no Mary, I am joking, don't you mean a voracious reader? I can't resist this glorious Freudian slip!!

Munch

[J.R.]

No, I wish, I greedily read anything and everything.

No no Mary, I am joking, don't you mean a voracious reader? I can't resist this glorious Freudian slip!!

Munch

I didn't know Freud wore a slip ??

[englishangel]

No, I wish, I greedily read anything and everything.

No no Mary, I am joking, don't you mean a voracious reader? I can't resist this glorious Freudian slip!!

Munch

Oh dear, how sad am I?

Thank you for that.

[Katharine]

What memories have come up in the last few days. I never had anything other than a white stripe as I had a screw kick! It was very humiliating as I could swim well but not stylishly.

DR's talk, well enough said!!!

I don't remember being starved of reading material, but agree that it probably wasn't modern even then.

We had Latin on Friday afternoon in LV when I was a very active Girl Guide and gaining more and more badges so that they reached right down the sleeve of my Guide blouse, Wendy Lee also had a similar uniform (we both became Queen's Guides) Queenie Blench didn't really approve of us coming to her class 'looking more and more like Christmas Trees!'

[Angela Woodford]

I don't remember being starved of reading material, but agree that it probably wasn't modern even then.

Miss Mercer once suggested that I should read more modern writers, but I was baffled as to where this supply of books should come from. I took to haunting Streatham WH Smith in the holidays. Amazing I wasn't chucked out for reading the stock in those days

We had Latin on Friday afternoon in LV when I was a very active Girl Guide and gaining more and more badges so that they reached right down the sleeve of my Guide blouse, Wendy Lee also had a similar uniform (we both became Queen's Guides) Queenie Blench didn't really approve of us coming to her class 'looking more and more like Christmas Trees!'

This is such a Queenie thing to say! Love it.

Wendy Lee, Wendy Lee, Wendy Lee!!!!

Liz - if you're reading this, the email address I now have for you failed!
So I'll put the bits I tried to send in the personal message method!

Munch

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Liz - if you're reading this, the email address I now have for you failed!

So I'll put the bits I tried to send in the personal message method!

Munch

Sorry Liz, I must have typed it incorrectly.

Munch, I'll try again incase Liz is in a weaning off the forum phase

[Angela Woodford]

I've remembered a couple more Queenie things.

During my first couple of years at CH, there was an enormous Sale of Work before Christmas. There was great pressure to produce vast amounts of home-made items.

Queenie knitted loads of beautiful mittens - not just plain ones, but in a terrific design. I bought a pair in emerald and black, and wore them until they eventually fell to bits. I still wish I had them - be lovely with a jacket I have now....!

She also deplored hair tied back in a rubber band, "reallychild, don't you have a ribbon?" and would sometimes buy for a taste offender a blue velvet ribbon. I was simply amazed when she gave me one. I was in no way popular with Queenie. In fact I was terrified of thanking her!

And her shoes!

I admired her enormously. I've sometimes been tempted to study Latin again in my twilight years! Although I was useless then, she made the subject fascinating, and I've found the small bits I've taken in invaluable.
Convallaria majalis, anyone?

Munch

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Convallaria majalis, anyone?

Munch

Er, is that anything to do with Vinca major?

I used to believe that learning Latin had made me a great speller. Wrong, it just meant that I was reasonably familiar with many words used in medicine.

For a brief period (about 10 minutes) I also thought that it enabled me to converse with Italians. I caught the flu while on holiday and needed some cough mixture. What to do? Of course: go to the pharmacia and ask for an anti-tussive.

I duly slunk into a pharmacy, muttered 'Tusso. Tusso' at the bored-looking assistant, and was given a bottle of Italian Galloways.

How smart was I??????????? 'Amazing' I told my travelling companion 'that it had never occured to me before to just speak Latin in Italy'.

'What on earth .................?' came the bored reply.

'Well, you just watched me use Latin to buy some cough medicine'.

'Oh, so it wasn't the fact that you coughed your way around the shop that indicated what you wanted to purchase?'

I duly threw myself out of the window

[englishangel]

I remember that ribbon Munch, did you not also wear a wide black one from time to time.

Also the Sale of Work was still going when I left. I think I have mentioned somewhere before that I bought a mustard coloured knitted hat (today it would be a beanie) in front of DR and she was really surprised that I would ever wear it. I wore that hat until it fell to pieces, all through my first two years at University, I may even have a piccy somewhere.

[midget]

I admired her enormously. I've sometimes been tempted to study Latin again in my twilight years! Although I was useless then, she made the subject fascinating, and I've found the small bits I've taken in invaluable.
Convallaria majalis, anyone?

Munch

Twilight indeed! Try Open University A297 Reading Classical Latin

Miss B. (why didn't we call her Queenie?) was our form mistress in LV, and was no end of help for the dreaded Sale. She used to gat her"little brother" to repair items of bricabrac for the sale.

[su523]

I've had email problems all week so am just catching up with this thread.

Queenie Blench - now there was a wardrobe with style. When I was in the 6th form and doing Latin and Greek I saw rather a lot of her. All our classes were in the very oldest bit of the school - can't remember what it was called - and we would be waiting in the Classics Room watching for her to walk across from the staff room so we could see what she was wearing. We had names for some of her outfits:
- the Busy Bee was an extraordinary tan and brown striped suit
- the Little Shephardess - a pinafore dress that she wore with a broderie anglais blouse with short puffed sleeves (and yes the words lamb and mutton do come to mind)
- the battledress - a lovely purple suit, battledress jacket with pockets and epaulettes, midi skirt.

How sad is that, that I can remember all this ... And another Tale from the Classics Room was the one about Kathleen's shoes (can't remember her surname, was in 1s). There was no central heating in the room, altho I think it was eventually installed, so we had one of those old fashioned two bar electric fires. In one Greek lesson, Queenie suddenly said 'What is that dreadful smell?' and lo it was the sole of Kathleen's shoes which had been resting on the grill of the fire and had melted onto it ...

Sometimes I'm amazed we all made it to adulthood at all.

[Alexandra Thrift]

In one Greek lesson, Queenie suddenly said 'What is that dreadful smell?' and lo it was the sole of Kathleen's shoes which had been resting on the grill of the fire and had melted onto it ...


LAUGH OUT LOUD !! Su.......

and the names of Queenie's outfits !!

I haven't posted much lately but sometimes flit in.Oh joy.What a hilarious thread.

Thanks MUNCH ( you are such a funny person,Munch...whether you like it or not.......always were...always will be I suspect!.....and you write wonderfully well.I think "Friend of Alex" is a secret fan and logs on just to read your posts and talks about "Munch" as if he knows you!) Please write a book of your CH memoirs....a sort of anti dote to DR's version...."Half to Remember"....I think it's called. I bought a copy for 50p at a CHOGA function and I have lent it to my friend Penny Manning .( 3s 1966-71 ?)

Anyway...back to Su. I would love to see Ann while she is in London....how long is she staying at Christmas?? We did meet once on a plane flying to Rome ,about 20 years ago. My email alexandrathrift@yahoo.co.uk.
Give her my love anyway. Re Ann's beautiful needlework and embroidery,I remember her telling me that your Mum was her great inspiration.

Swimming. That screw-kick thing.I have NEVER heard that expression outside of CH ! I always had a screw kick and have since come to the conclusion that if you've got one there aint much you can do about it.....a bit like posture........I've always had a tendency to round shoulders but one term I decided to get my "posture" badge. It involved being eternally conscious of how I was sitting...especially in the dining hall. Well....I got it !! Just for one term.It was all too much effort for the long haul though and I allowed myself to relax and slump back to my natural slovenly state !

As well as Gaye Linskill ( now Rosemarie....posting,I think as Wildone), Roberta Ayles was a fantastic swimmer. She is in one of those sixes photos. Great to hear from Midget that things hadn't changed much,re swimming and squizzing in the twenty years between our times at CH !


Loads more I could say.I love reading all your posts. Thanks a lot...especially for the laughs.