Shared Moments: Day 53 continued…. written by Maureen Kershaw

by

Dear all,

Day 53 – (continuation) I’ve always loved florals with Bronnley “Lily of the Valley” a favourite. As often happens though in the world of perfumery, this was discontinued to be brought back some time later but lacking ‘something’ – probably the lily of the valley. A similar thing happened with “Sea Jade”, another by Yardley which sank without trace, only to resurface under a different name with M & S.

One of the most beautiful perfumes I’ve worn was Floris “Florissa” which I used to ring up and order from their London shop in Jermyn Street. How quaint, well this was years before on-line shopping, Also Hermes “Caleche” bought regularly by a long-term boyfriend who also gave me a bottle of “1000” by Jean Patou, Sold only by Harrods in 1981 and retailing at £100, mine was ‘acquired’ I believe, by a friend of a friend who worked in Bonded Warehousing at Heathrow…..! On a trip to Somerset the bottle top was not secured and I must have lost 50 quid’s worth to my suitcase lining.

From the submlime to the ridiculous I am now proud to wear ‘copies’ with some being unbelievably like the genuine. Award-winning “Suddenly” is remarkably like Chanel’s “Coco Mademoiselle” but in recognition of its stockist – I call it “Eau de Lidl”.

If I could see one perfume from the past return it would be Yardley “Lilac” . Heavenly and I planned to pack the whole range for my visit to Clarendon Wing to deliver my son but it was discontinued – life was never the same again. One fragrance I do adore and will buy again one day is Chanel’s “Chance” – or in my case – chance would be a fine thing.

Ah how lovely Maureen, thank you so much for sharing, until next time……

Keep safe and well

Covid19 Scam Alert issue 10 05.06.2020

by

Good Morning

Please find attached the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Newsletter Scam Alert. This weekly alert outlines trending fraud patterns during the current COVID-19 pandemic and what we can do to stay protected. There have been further reports of scams, doorstep Crime and business complaints all relating to the COVID-19 pandemic here in West Yorkshire. This news alert will give you an indication of the current situation here in West Yorkshire.

Thank you

Snapshot in Time: ‘Knitting things Together’ – Volunteers Week in Woodhouse, Little London and parts of City Centre

by

Dear all,

This week was volunteers week. And at Caring Together we celebrate this event every year for volunteers and helpers. We recognise everyone’s offers of help and supportive gestures in whatever way it is given, this can even be from our regular dedicated volunteers, to ad hoc offers of help from members, and their family and friends and our supporters too. It all matters a great deal.

Over the last year your acts of kindness have benefited so many. From regular befriending visits, phone calls, letters to helping in groups, money box making and counting, sharing musical talents and written creativity, tending to the allotment, baking and making things, passing on and sharing skills together, tombollas, Unity day, Little London Community Day, helping at other events, day trips and outings, catering, fundraising, marketing, trustees, delivering our newsletters and so on. Phew!

And the lockdown did not squash your thoughtfulness, it just meant for some it shifted slightly for which we are truly grateful. To you and the countless others in the community who have, and continue to give so much, we say a huge thank you to you all.

On a final note we did have something special planned this year with it being our ’25th Year’ yet this will have to wait. We can still celebrate together the amazing support of all our Caring Together’s volunteers and helpers, past and present. And everyone else in the community doing their bit.

Members and volunteers from the Univeristy of Leeds enjoying a sing a long last year before the lockdown

Homemade Marmalade sitting alongside our second batch of homemade Jam

Volunteers at Unity Day last year – huge team effort


Our newsletter ready for our team of volunteers


Pat and Joyce helping in the office prior to the lockdown. And one of our volunteers bringing the newsletter together just recently in the sun. Myrna is also making use of some of the home made jam and marmalade. She is baking buns and cakes which she will be distributing to her neighbours. Some of whom work in the NHS and some are shielding.

 


This is our 2nd homemade fruit cake


Helping to do a bit of shopping


Music Creations and Singing together with student volunteers just before the lockdown


Crochet and Sewing Skills Share – this was a team effort, just before the lockdown, led by Felina, Viv and Sylvia who kindly helped a group of us rekindle chrochet skills and for some learn how to crochet. I recently picked up one of the blankets from Felina who lovingly finished it off. We made two blankets. The one Felina is holding was for one of our members in the next picture.

.Happy 90th Birthday Clarita for this weekend. She was thrilled with her gift, yet not so much with my singing and birthday jig….

Thank you to you all for ‘Caring Together’

Bumble bees in shed

by

Received this three days ago from Ben, one of our allotmenteers. Recent weather has dated it a bit.

I’ve put a smart notice up on the shed just in case anyone fancies spending the night in there..we’re going to have to start charging rent but I guess they’re doing a good job pollinating the plants..Taking the hose up again today but there is a promise of a showery June..cheerio ben

National Theatre at Home – Coriolanus

by

From 7pm tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHqkEruwBT0

There’s also an audio escribed version of Coriolanus here: https://youtu.be/rBb2A11bfDY
Coriolanus poster withTom Hiddleston
Watch Tom Hiddleston (Betrayal, The Avengers, The Night Manager) play Coriolanus in Shakespeare’s searing tragedy of political manipulation and revenge, directed by Josie Rourke (Mary Queen of Scots).

When an old adversary threatens Rome, the city calls once more on her hero and defender: Coriolanus. But he has enemies at home too.

You can watch the Donmar Warehouse’s Coriolanus from 7pm UK time on Thursday 4 June until 7pm UK time on Thursday 11 June 2020. It was filmed live on stage at the Donmar Warehouse, by National Theatre Live, in 2014.

The running time is 2hrs 40mins hours with a very short interval. It is subtitled.

BBFC rating 12A when released in cinema. Contains scenes featuring occasional gore and staged violence.

Shared Moments: ANNIE HAWKINS – MISTRESS OF THE BULL FIDDLE – written by Pat Tempest

by

Dear all,

ANNIE HAWKINS – MISTRESS OF THE BULL FIDDLE

Ivy Benson, Leeds born  saxophone player in the 40’s and 50’s was always a mother hen, but Australian Annie loved being a star – the only girl in the band – a red flower in her dark red hair, bright red lipstick, smiling behind her great big bull fiddle. She was a very popular figure about a dozen years ago at Caring Together,  sometimes accompanying the choir. She travelled all over the world playing gigs after running away from the crushing very Victorian family atmosphere in  Melbourne, Australia in the early 60’s.

Her family was ‘old money’, ‘mummy’ used to always wear elbow length gloves and carry a cane. She taught classical piano, and expected her daughter to take up the violin.  But, influenced by the exciting music of the 60’s, Annie had made herself a bull fiddle out of a tea box, a broom handle and some string.  Just like Lonnie Donegan.  She only played with a bow occasionally; preferred pizzicato, energetically plucking the strings with bare fingers protected by bits of plaster.

Outdoors, ‘mummy’s influence still lives –  a red beret knitted in Melbourne half a century ago. Jazz musicians are often very serious, but Annie’s signature was always to smile and laugh from behind her huge bull fiddle, calling out, ‘How you diddlin’?’  ‘You look as if you need a hug’. A great believer in hugs, Annie would be a great danger if let out on the streets at the moment.

Her fans were legion.  She was married three times, but husband no. two got tired of her constant absences on tour, and left.  On the rebound from that, she married a specially faithful fan – Don, as antisocial as Annie is sociable. For years, Don carried the bull fiddle and set up the sound systems for their gigs – always traditional jazz, New Orleans style He’d sit in the front row with a small tape recorder, swaying in ecstasy, But the time came when most gigs were for funerals for fellow musicians as they drop off their twigs.  Now Don spends his time making plywood model airplanes while Annie talks to Ruby, their big gentle rescue dog and hangs out the window, feeding the birds and chatting to her neighbours, waiting like all of us for ‘when the saints go marching in’.

Written by Pat Tempest

Thank you once again Pat, so wonderful to hear more of Annie, we did love it when she joined us, and we do wish you, and her well. Until next time…..

Shared Moments: ‘Trainee Hairdresser’ written by Cherril Cliff

by

Dear all,

I loved this piece by Maureen Kershaw (day 42). I could relate to so much of it. I was a trainee hairdresser in the later part of the 1960s and remember so well, the ‘loops’ hairstyle – all the rage then. I worked at ‘The Salon of Beauty’ just off City Square.

I was one of the original mods and so had my geometric haircut at Tassy’s – no ‘Salon of Beauty’ haircut for me! I also went with my friend, Dot, to The Mecca, County Arcade, to listen to DJ, Tamla Pete. We loved soul music, all part of the mod culture.

PS: We also had to wash our hair with Fairy household soap, as children. It didn’t half drag your scalp!

Best wishes, Cherril

Thank you so much for sharing this with us Cherril……until next time.

Poetry Corner: ‘The Orange by Wendy Cope (1992)’

by
Dear all,

The Orange by Wendy Cope (1992)

Love has shown the narrator of this poem how happiness can lie in the little things, whether it’s a walk in the park, food shopping, or getting through a to-do list. As they share the segments of an orange among friends, we are reminded of the value of generosity.

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all my jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you, I’m glad I exist.

Poem sourced from the Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/23.4.20

Oliver’s zoom experiences written by Oliver Cross

by

AS an attempt at normality, a group of locked-down regulars of the Chemic Tavern in Woodhouse, Leeds, hold regular Zoom meetings. These allow us to chat naturally on screen, even though we are all less than 10cm tall and have very little news to relay, unless you count what we had for dinner.

My partner Lynne, who is naturally sociable, enjoys it as the nearest we can presently get to intermingling; I enjoy it because it forces me to discipline myself. I have tended to let myself slip a little under social distancing, thinking nobody will notice if my teeth aren’t as thoroughly polished as usual or my hairs are somewhat misplaced, or I’ve forgotten my shoes.

But I prepare myself for a Zoom session as I would for a real visit to the pub; I smarten myself up a little and try my best to look interesting. I also, although this is for Zoom rather than the pub, place a few impressive things within the range of the camera, such as a Booker prize-winning novel, a gardening implement or a fashionable salad leaf.

I’ve toyed with the idea of carelessly leaving of small electrical screwdriver behind my ear, as if I’m using my lockdown time to rewire the house. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to own an electrical screwdriver.

My Chemic colleague Dibbs has somehow found a way of putting a background on to Zoom pictures, so when he talks to the rest of us, it looks as though he’s speaking, for example, from the reception desk of Fawlty Towers or having a pint at the Rovers Return, or travelling through space and time on the Tardis.

All of which are welcome breaks from reality, particularly the fantasy about having a pint in a pub, but I can’t understand why this can’t be done more generally.

Why should we be invited to look inside the working-from- homes lives of regional news reporters or epidemiologists when, instead of listening to them carefully, as we should do, we can’t resist criticising their wallpaper or choice of books, or thinking that, if they were so damned clever, why couldn’t they think of a more interesting wall colour than magnolia?

This could all be avoided if experts and journalists seeking credibility took a lead from Dibbs and electronically transported themselves into, for instance, the reading room of the British Museum, the Elysee Palace or, which I think would work particularly well at our Chemic virtual gatherings, the Situation Room at the White House.

Thank you once again for sharing this with us Oliver, I can relate so much. I placed a plastic plant behind me to break down the magnolia look :). Until next time…..

Take care