New Girl

[Mid A 15]

I'd like to try writing something for The Old Blue, but don't know what would be acceptable....



Love, Munch

That would be of interest beyond Hertford if you see this John.

Make her do it!

[englishangel]

Goodness, thank you Mary! My teen aspirations "to be a writer" took a nosedive by the end of the V1 form.

I'd like to try writing something for The Old Blue, but don't know what would be acceptable....

I totally adored the "Cars in the 50's and 60's"! Fabulous.

Love, Munch

My husband writes, and his travelogue pieces, while not Bill Bryson are really good. Our local free colour magazine ran a piece on a place we used to live in the US (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) and the writer made it so boring I fell asleep, whereas it was a really lively, beautiful place.

[carong]

I agree with the others, Munch. Your writing is excellent! AND you have made me feel terribly guilty about Nutto and the way we treated her. I'm going to copy your post, if I may, to the other girls I am still in touch with from that dorm and spread that guilt.

[kayinbaja]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear! I so wish you hadn't reminded me. Nutto was, i think, supervising prep and we were behaving appallingly. She was so easy to wind up it was hard to resist. But it all went a bit far and someone, I honestly don't remember who, called her a Nazi. She cried, and I can still remember what she said, "You are still young. There is so much you don't understand."

[Jo]

Gosh, poor Nutto. I never quite thought of her as Munch and Kay have portrayed her but all of a sudden I feel quite sympathetic. I'm amazed though that she was still around in Caron's day, I'd have said she retired while I was still at Hertford.

Munch, I've enjoyed reading your reminiscences too, not only the three "pairs" in this thread, but a description you gave of Queenie Blench tiptoeing about like a raptor was priceless

[Jo]

Talking of supervising prep, I learned a really valuable lesson for life supervising 2nd or 3rd form prep on Thursday evenings when I was in the 6th form. It's stood me in good stead ever since.

As juniors do, they would try and play up, push boundaries, see what they could get away with - and it was like fighting a losing battle trying to keep on top of their behaviour. Once I cottoned on it was Top of the Pops night, I just used to tell them that I would start timing them for their forty minutes' prep when they shut up and settled down - didn't matter to me when that was, as I had two hours prep to do myself so I could sit there for as long as it took. They were so desperate to get out promptly that they behaved beautifully after that, and used to shush each other if anyone made any noise. Worked a treat

It taught me that often it's pointless trying to *make* people do things. Leave the decision up to them, but find a way of making it worth their while to do what you want. If you can make it work, it's much more effective!

[Spiv]

... back to Miss von Stettin (? Stetten) - Kerren, you and I didn't do German so we didn't know her. Debby thought she was great and enjoyed her lessons. My only contact with her was when I retreated in tears to the Music School (that was eventually rehoused in the old Sanatorium) in despair one evening when the juniors had wreaked their young vengeance on an overtired senior. She heard my miffed tones coming from one of the echoey music rooms and took me up to her flat for German kuchen (?) (biscuity cakes) and a chat, at which point Miss Mercer and Miss Chem. T., who also had a flat there, joined in with tea and sympathy (or maybe it was gin, can't quite remember!

[englishangel]

Probably gin then. We always suspected CT had a penchant but nothing was ever proved.

[Euterpe13]

Surely Chemi-T was more of an irish whiskey type ? Although Frances Mercer was probably a G & T girl

[englishangel]

There was never a whiff of anything and whiskey reeks, but I can certainly see Miss Mercer with a dry martini, olive and all.

[Ajarn Philip]

There was never a whiff of anything and whiskey reeks, but I can certainly see Miss Mercer with a dry martini, olive and all.

Mary, I can't stay out of this one. I'm sitting here, thousands of miles away, chuckling to myself at the thought of a bunch of you girls trying to get close enough to CT to smell her breath!

At Horsham, half of the classes we went to we fought to sit at the back, not so that we could misbehave, but to get as far away as possible from the stench of regurgitated stale beer.

You see? We chaps can make constructive, informed and helpful contributions to the Hertford section...

[Alexandra Thrift]

Cognac,Calvados or Armagnac surely for Miss Mercer (educated at The Sorbonne ) or simply a glass of good Bordeaux.

[J.R.]

Vodka doesn't leave a scent on the breath !

A possibility ?

[Euterpe13]

Vodka ? No, not F.Mercer's style...although perchance a Zubrovskaya when eating zakouskies... ( Miss Mercer certainly was one of the classiest teachers at Hertford).

[Angela Woodford]

... back to Miss von Stettin (? Stetten) - Kerren, you and I didn't do German so we didn't know her. Debby thought she was great and enjoyed her lessons. My only contact with her was when I retreated in tears to the Music School (that was eventually rehoused in the old Sanatorium) in despair one evening when the juniors had wreaked their young vengeance on an overtired senior. She heard my miffed tones coming from one of the echoey music rooms and took me up to her flat for German kuchen (?) (biscuity cakes) and a chat, at which point Miss Mercer and Miss Chem. T., who also had a flat there, joined in with tea and sympathy (or maybe it was gin, can't quite remember!

I think this is one of the nicest Hertford stories ever. So kind of Nutto to invite you in for kuchen and sympathy - and you weren't even taught by her. Great that Merce and Chemi-T rallied round too.

As I remember, it was Miss Morrison that was the gin drinker! We'd been invited into her flat on a Sunday afternoon to see the classic serial (one of our set books) and I spotted the bottle + an emptied glass. Ideal before asking lots of girls in, to cram into her sitting room!

Munch