Bert, Joan and Rosemary
I have this blog on going. Its a diary of events here at Lanoy. Its a memoir. Its also my inane ramblings...
I often wonder who reads it and what they think. Do they know me?...I mean really know me?. Or just acquaintances having a nosey. Maybe some people like to read it as it gives them something to gossip about...
What about people who don't know me? People who just randomly find a section of my blog on the Internet and read it? I have had readers from China, yet I know of no one who lives there.
Most readers remain anonymous. Bert didn't. Bert has opened up a whole new world to me. A life from long ago. From the 1930s and 40s. A life here at Lanoy. Bert and his 2 sisters lived here as children and teenagers before, during and after the 2nd world war. This house and their memories remained with them all their lives, they loved Lanoy back then as much as I do now.
Bert found my blog on the Internet by chance and decided to write a good old fashioned letter to me.
One evening last week I arrived home to find some post in the boot room. Our post man is great, he opens the door and leaves it in the boot room. He also collects any post that i leave there ready to send. he takes it rather than me having to go to the post office in the next village. This evening I took the little bundle of letters into the kitchen , it was all the usual stuff. Bills, flyers, magazine subscriptions.. Apart from one. a small plastic wallet type envelope. I didn't recognise the hand writing. I opened it up, and some pieces of paper fell to my feet. i stooped to pick them up off the flagstone floor and stood there in absolute amazement looking at what was in my hands.
Lanoy House.. old photos. Photocopied from original images. Pictures of our home from decades ago. sent in the post. The letter was short but Bert had included his email address. I almost immediately sent him a message. I cant describe how thrilled I was.. how honoured that someone would take the time and effort and write to us here at Lanoy. Someone who had lived here all those years ago.. I sent Bert my phone number and a little message and then waited, wondering when he would read my email, and if he would phone me. I phoned Stevie and mum to tell them of my exciting news. I really hoped he would phone me. what would he say?. what memories did he have?
I guessed that he may check his email every other day. So he may phone tomorrow if he reads it. Or he may not phone at all. I may be left forever in limbo wondering who Bert was,...
Around 8pm the phone was ringing in the other side of the house. Our land line is awful, it only rings 4 times then goes to answerphone. I cant get to the phone in time to answer it, so I always end up missing the call. I thought it was my mum, so i ran down the stairs along the hall through the dining room, sitting room and into the kitchen to grab the phone. As i passed the bottom of the other staircase i heard the answerphone up in the bedroom click on, and a mans voice was leaving me a message. I dashed up the other staircase into the bedroom and grabbed the phone just as the line went dead. I played back the message and lo behold...it was Bert! but he didn't leave me his phone number...damn damn damn... I thought...I missed the most important phone call of the year!!
I raced back through the house, back upstairs to my office.. the land line phone still in my hand. I emailed Bert again... Sorry !! I typed furiously, I just missed your call....please phone me again !!!
I sat at my desk waiting...for an eternity I waited.. and then it rang again..
This time i answered it on the first ring....
Hello Jo, said the mans voice, this is Bert.........
And here he is . See the photo above...this little lad is Bert (Robert) with his older sister Joan standing outside our house back in the 1940s.
I often wonder who reads it and what they think. Do they know me?...I mean really know me?. Or just acquaintances having a nosey. Maybe some people like to read it as it gives them something to gossip about...
What about people who don't know me? People who just randomly find a section of my blog on the Internet and read it? I have had readers from China, yet I know of no one who lives there.
Most readers remain anonymous. Bert didn't. Bert has opened up a whole new world to me. A life from long ago. From the 1930s and 40s. A life here at Lanoy. Bert and his 2 sisters lived here as children and teenagers before, during and after the 2nd world war. This house and their memories remained with them all their lives, they loved Lanoy back then as much as I do now.
Bert found my blog on the Internet by chance and decided to write a good old fashioned letter to me.
One evening last week I arrived home to find some post in the boot room. Our post man is great, he opens the door and leaves it in the boot room. He also collects any post that i leave there ready to send. he takes it rather than me having to go to the post office in the next village. This evening I took the little bundle of letters into the kitchen , it was all the usual stuff. Bills, flyers, magazine subscriptions.. Apart from one. a small plastic wallet type envelope. I didn't recognise the hand writing. I opened it up, and some pieces of paper fell to my feet. i stooped to pick them up off the flagstone floor and stood there in absolute amazement looking at what was in my hands.
Lanoy House.. old photos. Photocopied from original images. Pictures of our home from decades ago. sent in the post. The letter was short but Bert had included his email address. I almost immediately sent him a message. I cant describe how thrilled I was.. how honoured that someone would take the time and effort and write to us here at Lanoy. Someone who had lived here all those years ago.. I sent Bert my phone number and a little message and then waited, wondering when he would read my email, and if he would phone me. I phoned Stevie and mum to tell them of my exciting news. I really hoped he would phone me. what would he say?. what memories did he have?
I guessed that he may check his email every other day. So he may phone tomorrow if he reads it. Or he may not phone at all. I may be left forever in limbo wondering who Bert was,...
Around 8pm the phone was ringing in the other side of the house. Our land line is awful, it only rings 4 times then goes to answerphone. I cant get to the phone in time to answer it, so I always end up missing the call. I thought it was my mum, so i ran down the stairs along the hall through the dining room, sitting room and into the kitchen to grab the phone. As i passed the bottom of the other staircase i heard the answerphone up in the bedroom click on, and a mans voice was leaving me a message. I dashed up the other staircase into the bedroom and grabbed the phone just as the line went dead. I played back the message and lo behold...it was Bert! but he didn't leave me his phone number...damn damn damn... I thought...I missed the most important phone call of the year!!
I raced back through the house, back upstairs to my office.. the land line phone still in my hand. I emailed Bert again... Sorry !! I typed furiously, I just missed your call....please phone me again !!!
I sat at my desk waiting...for an eternity I waited.. and then it rang again..
This time i answered it on the first ring....
Hello Jo, said the mans voice, this is Bert.........
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