What In the World's Come Over You?

With my Mum's funeral and all the associated paperwork completed we decided to have a long weekend in Rye. Unfortunately pubs in Rye do have television sets and following the England Algeria debacle the rest of the evening was rescued by a particularly good rock band in The Ypres Arms.

On the following evening we were doing the rounds of the local hostelries and decided to try and lower the tone in the cocktail bar of the 15th century Mermaid Inn. Now I won’t say it is the most expensive bar I have ever been in but a cheese and homemade pickle sandwich is £7.25! But you can tell the quality of a watering hole by it’s ablutions and the Mermaid’s are first class – you can’t beat a good Armitage Shank!

While Janice disappeared into the ladies doing whatever it is that ladies do that takes half an hour to complete, who should join me at the bar for a couple of JD on the rocks but none other than Giovanni Dominico Scafone Jr., better known to you all as Jack Scott, the American country rock singer. Good ole Jack, now 74 and still making the occasional performance, was staying at the Mermaid with fellow performer Sleepy La Beef and headlining the Rockabilly Rave week-end at Pontins in Camber Sands.

Don’t remember Jack, well take a look here:

The Mystery of the Disappearing Trainers

The trip to Cyprus is but a distant memory after what has happened since we returned.

Suffice to say that Janice and I had a wonderful time, thanks to the Gilberts who showed us parts of the island that we would otherwise never had found.However the holiday did get off to a rocky start but I soon established the ground rules with the patio doors.

Old Pavlos hasn't changed in the slightest although I did find his obsession with his garden very commendable if not slightly worrying.

Our return was delayed by a day when, having been dropped off at the airport, we were informed that our flight had been cancelled and we should return in 24 hours time.

I had purchased a new pair of trainers for the holiday, at considerable expense, and which I considered to be rather fetching. I was wearing them, for only the second time, for our aborted flight home but somewhere between the following day and our arrival back home the said trainers went missing.

The Gilberts can't find them and I have definitely not got them - a mystery indeed.

Anyone with any information on a pair of white size 8 "Skechers" please contact me.

In the meantime I have had to fork out on another pair!

I have since done a bit of detective work and I think I know happened to them.

I have discovered that there is very clever international thief out there so be careful!

Lilian May Baltzer : 1908 - 2010

It is with much sadness that I report the passing of my mother, Lilian May Baltzer, on June 2nd 2010, just 17 days away from her 102nd birthday. 

May, as she was always known, was born on 19th June 1908 in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where, together with her younger sister Eva, spent her early life. The Felgate family later moved to Felaw Street in Ipswich where she went to school at the time of the First World War. Her father was injured while serving in the Coldstream Guards and subsequently died in 1925 when she was 16. May worked as a secretary for a large furnishing and polishing company and during this period met her future husband Will and in 1935 they were married and moved into their new home at 13 Trent Road, Ipswich where they lived for all their married life.

During the Second World War, while Will was serving in the Army, May moved back to her mother’s house where she saw out the war. During this period May served with the American Red Cross. 

Will returned from the war and in September 1946 their only son Christopher was born. 

Will passed away in 1994 and four years later, in 1998 when she was 90, May moved in with her son and daughter-in law Janice in Farnborough.

Her last 12 years were spent in the company of her son and daughter-in-law Janice, her grandchildren Lorna and Karen and her great grandchildren Amber, Lewis, Ryan and Ella, all of whom will miss her greatly. 

Her health gradually declined following her 100th birthday and in March this year May moved to Randell House Care Home where she died peacefully in her sleep, just 17 days away from her 102nd birthday. 

It is very difficult to comprehend the changes that May witnessed during her remarkable lifetime. Born into a world with only horse drawn transport, only newspapers and letters for communication and with none of the luxuries that we all now take for granted, May lived through two world wars and witnessed man walking on the moon not to mention countless other milestones, even Ipswich Town winning the FA Cup - what an incredible journey.

To the end she was in no pain and on no medication and simply decided it was time to move on to a better place. 

The funeral will take place at Aldershot crematorium on Monday 14th June 2010 at 1.30 pm.
Donations in May's memory to Dementia UK can be made at: 
http://www.justgiving.com/maybaltzer