My sister Mickie was the most beautiful darling that one could ever wish to know with naturally curly dark hair and the deepest of blue eyes. She was so much like our very beautiful mother with her own rich blue eyes and dark hair. Not at all like me with blonde straight hair.
I was two & and a half when the Ashford Hospital was opened by the Duke and Duchess of Kent. My Grandma who was holding by tiny baby sister said, `Look Hazel and remember this carriage drawn by 2 horses carrying the Duke and Duchess, it is an important memory`. I have never forgotten this sight of the carriage passing along Sackville Crescent below us, because we were upstairs looking out of the window. I stroked my sisters tiny little bare foot as I gazed at this magnificent sight.
5.12.12
Little did I know that I would become a State Registered nurse in this lovely new hospital followed by Mickie who also became an SRN. Mickie unfortunately had an undiagnosed dyslexia from our fathers side. Kept down a year at the now Highworth girls Grammar school and sent to an agricultural college from school she came across my nursing books and taught herself to read and write. She also by her own efforts became a registered Mental nurse. She met Neil who was the new house surgeon at Ashford Hospital when she was sister of casualty and out patients. I lived down Kings Avenue nearby the hospital and they would meet in my home. It was love at first sight.
A popular lively little soul who loved to pretend to be a dog at meal times, to be fed under the table she joined me in our love of singing, copying our very beautiful mother a trained soloist with the same singing teacher as actress Evelyn Laye her best friend, she sang in the Dome in Brighton and at weddings etc. Mummy as we always called her, trained our own voices. Mickie in operas and me as a choral singer, this included a duet with Alfred Deller and with the Paris Coservatoire and in the Albert Hall- the local opera society begged me to join but felt I had little time to spare. Mickie & I also loved dancing which we did on the dining room table pretending it was our stage. We three, Mummy, Mickie and I sang all the time and Leonne does the same. Mickie and I also became obsessed with horses, I do not know why but we have always loved them. I have a lovely photo of her on Gemini her very own half Arab horse.
We also loved dogs and one day we walked each side of Godington road knocking on doors to see if they had a dog to take out. Right at the farthest end of this very long road we each found a dog. I had Trixie a fat little black and white terrier my side of the road and Mickie had a very pretty little dog. How we loved them and were really amazed to receive money and sweets as a reward for taking them out.
The farms around us were a great attraction and really welcomed us. We fed sock lambs with their bottles, threw corn for the chicken. On the top of Great Chart Hill above the church we were taught how to groom the two huge cart horses and we were allowed to fill our blazer pockets with cow cake to feed any animal which wanted it. We would bribe horses in the fields to stand near the gate so that we could take turns sitting on them bareback, holding their manes.