Hertford - proscribed reading

[dotsrebel]

Well. This is going seriously off the subject. I am not on Face Book - My children (Alexander, 26, Fergus, 24, Ivo, 21) have banned me - they think I would find out all the horrible things they do.... I find out anyway, and happen to know that Ivo went to a party recently (Edinburgh student) dressed as a squid. Eccentric?

As for elbows... and are you not pleased? I assume you have impeccable table manners as a result of those long tables where we certainly had to keep our elbows in tight 'or else - and do we think the youth of today have good table manners???? Most of them seem to me to be disgusting. But talking of Thames mud and barges (which I often introduce into converstaion as a challenge to the imagination,) we could have a whole new thread on food...and I once had the record for eating fishfingers on a Friday morning... I won't tell you how many.

Back to subject. Tale of two cities.... another thread - do you remember the cinema showings in School Hall? I distincly remember Tale of Two Cities and Whistle down the Wind....

Hallo gma ... who are you?

[englishangel]

A Tale of Two Cities was the first one we saw when we started, the sound was terrible and there must have been a very long break between reels but 2's entire 3rd form (as it was then) was in floods of tears all evening.

My daughter went to parties as Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly (she WAS a film student).

I like the thought of a squid, very interesting.

[Angela Woodford]

But talking of Thames mud and barges (which I often introduce into converstaion as a challenge to the imagination,) we could have a whole new thread on food...and I once had the record for eating fishfingers on a Friday morning... I won't tell you how many.

Oh, but dotsrebel! Food has permeated/squelched/splodged/yeuched its way through very many of the Hertford Memories threads. The things we scoffed down. The things that got carried down from Dining Hall in a hanky. The triumph of the Food Strike. We have an Old Girl correspondent called thamesmudand barges.

As far as I know, the fish finger consumption record is held by 6's Alex, who dedicatedly crammed down thirty three ffs in one Saturday morning sitting. If you have beaten this record, we must know!

[englishangel]

What gets me is that neither Amanda nor Alex were any further through than a fish finger themselves. Alex still wasn't when I last met her (1994).

[gma]

Hallo gma ... who are you?

Hi DR, (shivers!!); I used to be Geraldine Sutch, for my sins!! I was 2s, (2:34, I still have the coathanger I burgled from the Harris tweed coat!!), in the same year as Sara Tucker, Jan Hunt, Gill Green, Googie Morrison et al or at least I was till I was expelled!

You were Vth or Lower VIth, I think, with Parvin Patel and Jane Erskine, possessor of a huge laugh and an enormous energy for getting on, and out and about; also you were the only escort to Ashbourne that was worth having, (sorry offended 'others'!!), at least you had a laugh! Stayed with me for a long time!

[englishangel]

Nope, Jane was Upper V1th with me, Amanda was the year below. She had started with Jane and me but was a year younger so retook a year. Linda Packer was the same year.

[Jo]

And Parvin Patel was several years below Amanda. P was the same year as me - UVI in 1975.

[J.R.]

What gets me is that neither Amanda nor Alex were any further through than a fish finger themselves. Alex still wasn't when I last met her (1994).

Wot's wiv the new Avatar, Mary ??

[englishangel]

Time for a change is all.

[gma]

And Parvin Patel was several years below Amanda. P was the same year as me - UVI in 1975.

Can't have been that far below as I remember both very clearly albeit for very different reasons and I 'departed' in 74!!

[englishangel]

Amanda was U VI in 72/73, so Parvin would have been LVI 73/74

[Kim2s70-77]

When I started in 1970, Parvin (as she was then - later became Pervin, and now Peaches), was in 3rd form and Amanda was in 5th form. She was Kate Donovan's house mother, I think. I was one year before you, right, Gerrie??

[judy]

I am devastated that somebody else has a copy of Bran the Bronzesmith. I have tried to find it for years. How could anyone say it did not have a plot.... it involved rivalry, friendship, adoption and narrowly averted human sacrifice if I remember rightly. I totally loved the book and as I was forced to stay down a year in third form got to read it two years in a row!!! The only thing I did not enjoy about the books we had to read was that we were only supposed to read one chapter at a time which was obviously crazy if you were a voracious reader. Have to say that I think having Mrs Betterton for most of my time doing English was an absolutely privilege - she was amazing!

[midget]

Was Mrs Betterton Catherine Llewellyn Smith? If so her husband's obit appeared in The Times last week.

[englishangel]

I am devastated that somebody else has a copy of Bran the Bronzesmith. I have tried to find it for years. How could anyone say it did not have a plot.... it involved rivalry, friendship, adoption and narrowly averted human sacrifice if I remember rightly. I totally loved the book and as I was forced to stay down a year in third form got to read it two years in a row!!! The only thing I did not enjoy about the books we had to read was that we were only supposed to read one chapter at a time which was obviously crazy if you were a voracious reader. Have to say that I think having Mrs Betterton for most of my time doing English was an absolutely privilege - she was amazing!

I have just gone onto Amazon to look for this, and there is one (only) on there for £300. inkblots and all. not even a first edition.