Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    AU34/21/7/16/40
  • Title
    Letter from R P S Waddy
  • Date free text
    9 April 1990
  • Production date
    From: 1990 To: 1990
  • Scope and Content
    A typewritten letter from R P S Waddy (former Rector of St Andrew's, Ampthill) to Honora Grimmer, on headed paper from his home at Manormead, Hindhead, Surrey,: "Dear Nora, A Happy Easter to you - loveliest of all festivals. I can remember two of my five when I was at Ampthill - one was celebrated by a great washing of the church, and I scrubbed the centre aisle, only to discover that a more skilled pair of female hands and knees followed my trail to finish the job. The other was when Edward Knapp-Fisher and a dozen of the undergraduates from S.John's, Cambridge came for a fortnight and slept all round the parish. Those were the days! Some of that dozen have kept in touch with Christopher and Stacy ever since; one is a High Court judge. Bishop Knapp-Fisher lives down in Chichester now, and I met him again two years ago. Now I am glad to be staying put here for Holy Week and Easter Day, with our simple chapel and our devout community of the aged. I need not tell you that it's not much fun to be growing blind and deaf - we have not yet discovered whether we will be paying poll tax, or whether we are not yet reckoned sufficiently helpless. It seems to depend on the level of care we have; so we stagger round with our sticks and limps in case a secret inspector may turn up to case our joint and measure our joints. In fact, our MP, Virginia Bottomley, is coming to talk to us next week, and we suspect that she is no more enthusiastic than we are - but her job depends on her agreeing. After Easter I am going down to Dorset, where Stacy's 18 sheep have produced 17 lambs, with a few more to come - she is thrilled with country life. Havana is working hard for A Levels, and planning to go back to India for part of a year before university and do a job in a Cheshire Home of sorts for disabled children, as well as travel. I hope I told you that I had a week in Spain in February, with Christopher; I enjoyed napping in the sun, (in SE corner, rockiest of all parts) but don't want to retire there - although I met the Bishop (Gibraltar and Europe) and he offered me a chaplaincy! No fear! Bless you always, and my love to Ampthill and Andrew. Yours affectionately, Pat Stacy Waddy"
  • Level of description
    item
Hierarchy browser