# . # Yeah , but they're out of aren't they cos they're saying out from eight to eight sort of time , or sixteen a week aren't they , because of the competition with them all . # Yeah , if , it's such , I mean . # But it's . # That would go . # The cricket pitch has been there for thirty five years . # That always . # Well there's a lot of land there because they've got opposite the church , that bit of land . # Yeah , but it's like that , I mean are they still wanna car park , are they still gonna put erm hotel there ? . # What are those pretty things down there Brenda ? # Ah . # Ah isn't that nice . # Oh that's attractive isn't it ? # Yes . # Very nice . # Go on , mm . # Your pictures came out brilliant . # Yeah I was thinking wonderful , your bedroom it looks like a palace your bedroom , . # Yes , aha . # Oh Dave , my journey , running about early in the morning to leave everything tidy for the chaps , came out without anything inside their tum , provided that I could have coffee on the , in the buffet car on the train from Stow Market , no hot drinks madam , we haven't got enough power in the batteries , I thought well you know it's all , we got to Liverpool Street on time # from Liverpool Street I wanted to get to Oxford Circus which meant that I had to change at , I forget where now , because I'm in such a , a muddle now after all this , # where ever it was , whatever it was I had to do , I got stuck , there were , there were just no underground trains in either direction on that line at all and a , a great tanner went # and I looked at people , we were all saying why we waiting here , why we waiting and we saw people rushing off so we thought we've got to rush off after them and we were all put on the train and sent to Charing Cross which wasn't where most of us wanted to go or anything like we wanted to go # and from Charing Cross # I worked my way over # on an underground train which couldn't decide if it's going to move or not , it did eventually move I got a taxi at one point and I was so sick and tired and they put me outside Liberties , I gave the man a twenty pound note and he gave me change for a ten yes , coming back from Oxford Circus from Liberty's , I thought I'd better economise , I've been done out of ten pounds , I don't think it was dishonesty I think it was just sheer muddle , I , I'm ten pounds down , I'm must cut down a bit , so I will come back underground from Oxford Circus to Waterloo to get down to and you've guessed it , I got into an , an underground train which would not move , it simply stuck , and it would go chugga , chugga , chugga , chugga , chugga , then it would stop in the tunnel for a while , while its . # Thanks very much . # I really shouldn't I . # No it is not . # Aren't these lovely ? # Mm # Mm , they are lovely , don't they warm the room up . # Oh . # Jolly good darling . # A little , yes , a little . # Say it again dear , slower . # is that what it is ? # . # Yeah , mm . # I haven't got it right , but a ,what I'm trying to say is you don't ask a lady her age . # No , # It's so lovely . # . # I think the word is , height , I think . # What animal is it that you hate ? # Oh . # Oh erm # Spider's yes , I don't know what the word for spider's # Sorry . # Mm , so long as they don't . # Sorry # Well . # . # Oh , I didn't hear you . # Correctly , no , erm # . # Eh # . # Oh er , # Er # That's right , yes . # No . # I can't remember the , the French for it . # oh , oh that came , that , that , came out very oddly . # Mm . # Good . # Oh yes , rather . # That's very good , yes . # That's how I was taught you see and so in spite of the long lapse of years there's still a tremendous amount up there because it was , it was properly learnt , you learn something thoroughly # Mm . # No . # Yes and he English is not very good . # Very interesting that , yeah . # You know seeing this lovely glowing pink , it reminds me of two thoughts , I wish I'd bought that instead of my pale brown chintz . # Oh it is , I shall love it . # In the next house you see I shall have to have different seating , they , they , I'm going to , I'm going to get somewhere smaller , so that three piece suite , it owes me nothing it only cost me what seven hundred pounds # and it's been and it's been beaten to hell . # Erm , I'll probably have er two or perhaps a three seater sofa and for the rest fire side chairs . # And er , I thought I'd probably have wall paper on that wall , you know , use , use the curtains just as plenty of fullness , but have them for keeping out the light or keeping in the heat , # not make them an enormous feature . # They're lovely . # It's a sort of salmon rather than the pink . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes # Yes , yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Perhaps line your strips with lining , to give them body . # You can draw it can't you ? # Oh I see , but you , you don't need anything big , you need small things surely . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # Or pipe cleaners # Pipe cleaners are very good for that . # I can , yes I can remember having this sort of question about people with jugs and they wanted to measure out a certain amount , but they haven't got any markings for this certain amount and that awful # Mm , mm . # practice , yes # I can remember at Westfield school about fifteen years ago we had an art teacher , who got the children to make an enormous thing , I think it was a Loch Ness Monster , and it went out of , out of the door of one room into another , you know , and they spent days and ages on making this thing # and I thought at the time it's , it's quite good enough just to have the idea and talk about the idea , make some drawings and # you know . # Mm . # interesting . # yeah , that's better # all , you know that's , now you're learning French , one of the things that the French say , they're always saying it , is , make things easy , go the straightest way , towards any thing . # Yeah , yeah . # Yeah . # Oh good ! # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes you can't afford to lose it . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Ah ! # Yes . # No ! # Oh absolutely ! # Well I remember Jackie telling me , she came back from sh she came up to meet me in London one day and she came up with the woman , a German woman , who at that time was a buyer for Army and Navy er women's fashions and this woman said that the model girls who are so thin she said they're always bursting into tears and crying because they're under such stress to keep their weight down and their boyfriends don't like it because the girls are are lovely to have on their arms to take out , you know everybody sort of goggles , you know , lovely slim girl with yellow half way down her back etc . but , in fact , these girls get very , very ratty ! # She phoned me a couple of days ago and said , you know , that life was really quite on top of them her mother-in-law died and they've had all the problems of putting the old man into a home the main problem # being of course , is first of all find your home and while he wasn't in a home he was driving the neighbours mad because he's beginning to get confused and wander about and maintain that he hasn't had his dinner when two people have already taken him in lunch , you know and the other problem is erm er er having found him a very nice home , he didn't want to go ! # No not likely ! # He wanted to stay in his own place but Jackie and Neville were nearly driven mad running up and down to Letchworth when all that they had to do , Jackie's full time teaching and Nev is trying to build as many kitchens or build as many doors for millionaires as he possibly can . # Neil poor boy he had a driving lesson yesterday came home and said I don't want to do any more ! # Mm so he was going to go up to . # Neil , bring cup of tea in here and we'll talk about it and I didn't really want to spare the time because you could imagine that I wanted to get ready to come away but I I made myself sit and really give him time # and he said he lacks , he totally lacks confidence . # Yep and and he doesn't seem to be able to concentrate and I said , but Neil you can drive , when you go out with me you drive beautifully yes but yours is an automatic car , I said , it's not that I said you've got road sense you know what you're doing , I said your good . # No I'm not I'm awful ! # I said look Neil you can drive , but let's not let's not take it that I'm saying that you must drive let's go into the question of why you're making a mess of it at this time and we , oh honestly Brenda if I've got black circles under my eyes do not be surprised because , of course , this all goes back to his absolutely , appallingly , stupid mother ! # He is , he said my mother said she could have been a forensic scientist if it ha if I hadn't been born ! # Well Brenda you can tell , I hit the roof ! # I mean normally I never criticize the woman because after # all mothers are sacred but I just had to put the boot in on her , I'm afraid , I said stuff ! # I said she could have taken a degree in her spare time in th she's only she's not yet forty I said that's absolute rubbish I said th the world is full of these damn women going around saying , if only I hadn't had children I could have been Lord Chief Justice of England , I said , it isn't true ! # I said an er I said do you think that I wasn't a career woman , I said I gave it all up for yo er to have to look after my young babies and then when the babies were no longer young , when I got through that phase of my life I went back and combined looking after a home very adequately , thank you ! # With quite a difficult job , I said this is a I said your mother is living in a fantasy world , of course , I see the stupid bitch prancing around Stowmarket with her silly nose in the air ! # She's a very conceited woman , Pete the adulterous told me she was a very conceited woman and er Neil says I I I'd have to talk to him to him about this , she couldn't discuss anything with him she would lay down the law , that was how it had to be and I said no I said Gerry and I , I had no hesitation , as I said , in putting the boot in and Brenda and Dave take the same the attitude to children that you let them first of all when they're small , you have to tell them no like you do not # put your handy in the fire , dear ! # And then when they get bigger you give them more and more freedom to do just what they want to do and all you do is watch carefully and make sure they're not doing anything obviously , outrageously daft but you let them find themselves and if there are problems they bring their problems to you and you sit down and you quietly talk about it , there's not shouting , no I say you've got to do this because I am your parent ! # that's her answer yes . # I know . # and and he says too he had to admit that he's lazy . # Neil yeah and he said my mother is a lazy cow ! # Yeah . # Yes . # This is what I said to him this is what I said to him an but he said I I see you with all your get up and go so I didn't make any reply to that . # I thought , well let it sink in . # And I came in one day a few days ago an and running around like a bee on heat with erm cries of oh I've got so much to do and no time left in which to do it and I went ha I said yes , if you got up early , you know ! # Shocking ! # Oh yes , he's got to have an alarm clock . # Yes . # Yes . # Of course , I've I've left him in the charge of of not I haven't asked Paul to take him under his wing over the weekend , but I've left Neil a list of things that I would like done . # Like get back the dustbins which took them out but she didn't bring them back at the end of the drive erm and I hope that Paul tells him off ! # An and you know , says , look Neil you've got to get your ideas together because that's what Neil has lacked , he's lacked masculine influence . # It's no good # Oh yes . # No . # I mean I've stopped I've I I don't any longer get up and get anybody's breakfast for them . # I get out I get out of bed at eight o' clock when the last of the lodgers has gone well the last of the two lodgers # gone # er of being unemployed the thi Neil is the third lodger , of course tha who get's out of the pit at about eleven o' clock in the morning ! # But er that's from now on Neil has got to carry th the responsibility for his own actions . # I'm not going to bail him out by jumping into the car . # Yes they do . # I know no . # Yes . # Yes . # Quite . # Yes yes . # Yes , exactly ! # Yeah . # Mm . # No . # Quite quite . # That's the way life goes # Yeah mm . # Do you do you think they get a false idea from the television or something ,wha what is it ? # Ah ! # Have they ? # Ooh I'd like to know what their weird ideas are . # No . # No , no , no , no no # Yes well I think I told him a wrong , you see , there were two there there are two ways of tackling it and I don't think the way I told him is what they want for the examination purposes , at all ! # She's probably trying to explain them in a very complicated way of doing maths . # Frankly I think that's very bad # you know , that is no attitude ! # That's bad ! # Yes . # No , no # She's excellent isn't she yes . # Three weeks ! # That's marvellous . # Yes . # Yes . # No ha # and when you try t in the past when I tried to find some way of imposing discipline , there is no way because quite rightly , you're not allowed to strike children , I never wanted to and I I hardly ever did at one school where there was a marvellous spirit of give and take I used to whip off my little black velvet slipper occasionally and whack some of the larger boys about the top of the thigh . # just for fun , you know but I'm not a believer in using your fists , you ought to be using your brain to teach with but there were no there are no sanctions , if you say you must stay behind after school , you have to send a letter home and half the parents will write back and say my son or daughter is not staying after school and that is that ! # And that's their right and so you think of something else we you're not allowed to take them out of a favourite lesson , you're not allowed to say you are going to miss your football or a P E P E teachers and the football teachers , quite rightly , say if you can't keep discipline in your class why why should we be penalized ? # And er you're pretty helpless really . # You see the only way that you can really discipline them is when you have a school where the rules have been very , very strict from the moment that they went into that school and they have had their noses held to the grindstone with work up to their brows and they just don't think of being tiresome and anybody who is tiresome is pulled out and put in a special room on their own , called a sin bin an which is rather boring and made to work even harder ! # I think at the moment Brenda he would take any job if he could get one . # Yes I think so I # To be fair to be fair to him I think that he would erm he's set his heart on going and working at the lawn mower place on the production line # and he isn't in my opinion really considering half the other jobs , but he has said that he wants that and by the mercy of providence this business of Lee being flung out by Andy and being put back onto the into the job centre coincides with my being very tight on money . # You'll notice that I've said to you we're going to run the . # And I'm going to pay it back with lodgers money really . # I mean my dear , I said to Paul , Paul yesterday was was babbling on about if Karen would take him back and I said Paul I shall be extremely displeased if you ever leave this house to go back to Karen , you know o after only being with me for something like three or four weeks , I said you'll never come back again I said I'm not going to be messed about like that ! # Oh I'm counting on you , lodgers money ! # And I am Brenda ! # Yes . # Yes mm let's go here I won't talk . # Erm # Quite . # The the only job which I told Neil I do not expect him to take is working for waste disposal because he did that , this time last year and before he started he was full of big talk about you make a lot of money and you get a lot of tips at Christmas he found that you do not make a lot of money and you do not get generous tips at Christmas # and he used to come home looking as white as a sheet sick to the teeth and he used to just go to bed and collapse in a heap , he isn't strong enough to do it and it's pointless for him to try but other than that he can do anything he fancies . # I vir I just got # and hasn't had the example of either a mother or a father who understands the necessity of # work . # Well you know when my son was eighteen he and his friends were entertaining each other to pocket parties at which they were working out what University courses they were going to apply for # and what they wanted was the easiest ones and they came up with the answer economics Gerald simply , we Ge Gerry and I put our heads together and went bib bib bib bib bib , you know as good parents do and we both presented him with a fait accompli you either take an engineering degree , we don't care what sort or you go out to work in a bank because economics you will not get a first because you are not reader and t to get a first in economics , which is what you'll need if you're gonna make any money out of it # and have a decent life to get a first or either a two one in economics you have got to read a very great deal , you've got to be a reader , a student a taker of notes , a writer of essays and we said that is not you so within two # minutes he was looking through all the advertisements for civil engineering . # Who where ? # That one E E ? # The Fiesta ? # No # Oh . # Yeah . # Oh yes , yes , yes . # Yes . # Mm . # I think it's the television as much as anything else . # I mean I'm appalled at the way that teenagers are still being shown on the television as they were twenty years ago able to rule the roost because they did . # They did erm twenty years ago a teenager , a girl of sixteen could leave home she could pick up a job just like that ! # And , you know get reasonable money and there were there were still rented rooms of a sort , but she could find somewhere , of a sort , to live with other kids and they could do what they jolly well liked ! # But those days are well and truly over ! # And I don't think they'll ever come back ! # For one thing I I don't think that the next generation of parents are going to stand it because with the , cos I told you what , what I said Neil about erm when er when he was a father I said if you had a pretty fifteen year old daughter would you want to have some rough oaf taking her down a back alley and screwing her ? # No I bloody wouldn't , he said cor that's awful !and it it's just what he's been doing . # okay for him but nobody's going to touch his little girl . # Or my own boy . # No they won't they won't # No they won't # Yeah . # No he would've done if you hadn't , but he says this # Oh yes . # Yes . # Yep . # Well I did we we talked about this , you see Mary Anne ,half way through the conversation er Neil went out of the room so that I could to Mary Ann and I said towards the end of my conversation , you know , Mary Ann you're a very wise person , give me some advice I said , I told her about Neil not wanting no not doing well on the driving , although he can drive she said he doesn't want to do it she said don't hassle him so when he came downstairs I said I've been talking to Mary Ann and she sends you her love and because , of course , you know , we've got a grandson , you know she had a son , my # grandson is about that age and very sympathetic she is erm I said er Mary Ann says she doesn't know what the point is , you don't really want to do it he said , she's right , I don't he said , in a way I do , in another way I don't , I said # well we can't go into the reasons for that but I said let's respect the reasons I said if that's how you feel I said , you're a man you you must make your own decisions I said probably in a few months time you'll come # Well I don't know why , I was drawn to that colour . # Yes . # Oh Ooh ! # Philip ? # No , he's going pretty soon , I think . # Mm I went into his room and yet again he has got wet washing hanging up inside that room . # Mm . # British Home Stores . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mark ? # Little o little old one erm when did I see him ? # Sunday . # We went over to Lavenham . # Marriage agency . # No Destiny , a local one . # No no good ! # Not for me this local one is absolutely splendid ! # Mm You ca # You can talk to the man who's running it . # Oh yes , he's still with Trudy . # No . # Her side she won't have it . # No I've warned Ron he's such an obstinate so and so , he won't be told ! # I said that I think you'll find , Ron that Trudy if she married would have to give up her late husband's occupational widow's pension so that the way you're going on now , where you go and stay with her for two or three days at a time is far better oh no , no , no , she'll be able to keep her pension I said I very much doubt it then I said people are so jealous that if she does marry you and he doesn't tell the firm I bet that one of her dear neighbours will oh no they're all very nice people round where she lives , I thought there's no good arguing with Ron ! # Well mostly , yes . # If you haven't , if you worked if you haven't worked at th sorry ? # Oh my God ! # If you get a a pension based on the fact that you're your late husband's widow when you are no longer your late husband's widow , but somebody's wife they don't have to pay you that pension . # No . # No and she doesn't want Ron to move into her house because there is no way that he could . # Yes . # Sorry ? # No not really no it's still a great big muddly tip ! # You have seen it , haven't you ? # Oh oh you must ! # Seventy . # Oh very oh yes . # No . # No . # Mm ! # I mean poor old Ron ! # Yes , oh yes . # Yes in fact , to be perfectly honest with you the relationship is a bit more than she wants Ron is a bit of a pain I told him over and over again not to push his luck , I said for goodness sake , Ron , be grateful for what you've got apparently she doesn't like to make love with the lights on I said well if that's what she doesn't like that's what she doesn't like , you're not going to change a woman of sixty eight ! # Oh the way she and her husband went on that's all in the past I said yes , but it's there was an awful lot of it . # Mm . # He should . # Mm yes I told Paul that he can bring a lady up at Christmas-time . # No and erm I'm leaving a turkey in the freezer ,an Paul is quite good at cooking standard cooking . # Mm , mm . # He's a very good lodger # yes last week he helped me turn the garage out he took all the rubbish left over from the tip down to the tip . # Well almost I got the cupboard done and I got the tiles lying by the side of the hob , but they haven't yet been cut to fit erm and glued down but one of these day's he'll get around to it . # Mm well Jackie rang me Thursday evening and said you know , then my life is get up early let the dogs out or whatever stagger into school stagger back do a meal do some marking fall into bed . # That's her life . # She's going home I think she's not having Benita and her mother up . # They still can't do it . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes that's right . # Yes didn't buy any new ornaments when I was up in Liverpool cos I didn't see anything that I particularly liked but what Carla has done gives me an idea for making some extra bits for the tree Where did you get that from ? # Mm . # Mm # Charlatan it's called . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm mm # No . # No . # Mm . # Mm # Mm . # Mm yeah . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # I saw . # the # Yeah mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm oh yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , they are # I was just thinking what a dozen would look like hanging on my tree . # Mm . # mm . # Mm mm # Yeah . # What , another skirt ? # Mm . # Yeah . # mm . # Mm . # Mm . # I'm going to buy an artificial this year I'm sick of the real ones . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # That's right . # Mm . # Yes they do . # Lovely clothes . # Mm . # Ah . # Mm . # Mhm # Yes . # I know . # Mm very . # Ah yes ! # Mm . # Yes Well I'm just going to have a little nibble at the end of that . # To Johns' # He's having Mary Ann over and my sister-in-law Rosemary . # Rosemary # my sister-in-law . # Erm if I'm sixty five she must be sixty seven two years . # Very well I don't haven't worn it a lot in Stowmarket I # keep it for best . # No . # No . # No not surprising . # Mm . # Yep yep and who # bothers ! # I certainly couldn't can't drive that well . # Ooh ! ooh ! ooh ! ooh ! # And that's jolly good , isn't it ? # No , mm # Lovely . # Well he phoned me last night and he's going to phone me again on Sunday afternoon , we get on so well , Brenda I can just the imagine the pair of us tucked up into a four foot bed ! # Whether any good would come of it is another matter ! # We haven't even talked about that we just talk and talk about anything and everything . # Widower . # Mm divorced men of fifty five and upwards are bad news . # Seventy five ! # And he's he's a little old man and I think he's smashing ! # Erm a year . # Mhm . # Mm quite naturally , you know doesn't worry me . # No I don't think so . # Oh my dear some of them are comparing you with Racquel Welsh or whatever , you know you get the impression they're looking down their nose , as much to say oh how dreadful for me to have to be seen with this old person ! # Mm he really is , he's kind # and he's not mean , so many of these old men are mean , they're crafty and cautious and mean ! # He took me out last Sunday and I said as we were driving over to Lavenham , I said an early would be much appreciated , I said I cooked the Sunday Lunch for my lodgers , but I haven't , in fact , had any myself he said you've got to have a high tea , he said you must have a proper meal and he ordered up salad and a a ham salad and have this and have that and have the other , where as some of them like this chap Gerald who was erm sent me by one of the other agencies the first time we went out he took me to a meal and he obviously felt that quite enough , after that he used to come out to see me after he'd had his meal meanness , hanging onto money ! # Wasn't going to waste money on a woman of around his own age ! # Yes yes # Mm . # Oh no ! # Yeah yeah . # Not there no , no no . # You know who it is that wants to make money on that ? # That's that dreadful man , ! # Councillor he's had his greedy little eyes on that area for years . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Well I went to a a big meeting round about nineteen eighty five # and they he wanted to where Marge lived remember The Grove # They wanted to # raise that and have that developed as a road , the other one , would be closed # and developed would be destroyed and another ,an an another big road put in it's place and he they they were after Horsell Moor which is where they're going to put the Tesco's . # That area's called Horsell Moor # I bet # Well I hope not ! # Yes , we do we do need another store in Woking of that kind . # Not there ! # Ah # Thirty years , easily , I mean it wa , it was already established when we arrived in nineteen fifty nine . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm yes . # Yes . # No , but Mary Ann's a # public servant and they're pretty well prot protected erm John's firm is simply doing extremely well in spite of the recession . # I mean they're very pleased with him because he's the front man having appeared on the Anneka Rice thing and being kissed by Anneka Rice in the full view of millions I mean John can do no wrong by r by Johnathan I doubt it . # Yes Mary Ann's done it . # Mm . # Oh you know she is what she is what she'll be . # Vital , lively , attractive . # Yeah . # Yes . # I don't blame the woman for doing as much as possible on television with in those advertisements because I think that woman have got only a short life in those ads because she'd get bored with them . # Well she she's she gets up and does things doesn't she . # Jealousy I think . # Hell of a lot of # jealousy . # That she has she has . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # I I looked at the fabrics in the Libertys # and if I can't get want I want at the Famlingham Textile Centre which is excellent when I next need fabrics I shall come up , I will come up to London and I'll go to Libertys , but I will have measured first of all to within an inch as to what I want because # Well some of the stuff is eighteen pounds a meter but if you think of the cost of a a well fitting jacket for somebody like myself , it's astronomical ! # Yes , my dear , I I did not feel well enough just # I didn't even think about , yes they will , they'll give you a little cutting , I suppose . # That's interesting . # Mm , mm . # Well yes it's very good . # Quite . # Quite . # Mm yeah # Yes . # Worth going . # Oh yes yes . # Good idea ! # Yeah . # Mm . # It's so big ! # Yeah mm # Yeah . # Mm yes . # Mm . # Mm . # No no # Mm quite # Mm . # Mm . # Yes , yes quite # Yes . # Part of life . # No . # Mm . # Mm quite # No . # Oh God ! # Mm . # Mm . # They're not thinking what they're doing , are they , they're # overloading # Yes yes . # Mm . # Yes , yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah , ha ha ha . # Mm . # Just about . # No . # You have another cigarette yeah . # I'm shattered ! # I'll be fine once once I've had another five minutes . # Ooh ! # Yeah . # No . # I Haven't needed try , Brenda , I can't I mean at one time I'd have devoured that . # No , no I can't I just can't eat so I'm not forcing myself to eat , what I'm trying to do is only to eat the right things and I must start vitamin supplements I think I've got the age when I probably need that , I mean , this cold is a warning to me that my immune system is not as strong as it ought to be , I shouldn't have had another cold so soon after getting rid of one ! # Yes yes and this one isn't as bad , but I shouldn't be having this one at all ! # Probably a bit of both . # No , no I don't the time has come I think ! # Ah but tell me what happened about your fracas with Peter ? # Mm mm # No , no . # I mean # Yeah yeah . # Yeah . # Erm what difference will it make to your life to have Carla at the secretary . # Of course , yes , yes yes # Yes . # Mm . # Yes , that's right . # Yes yes . # Yeah . # It's not disastrous . # That's right . # And you can work locally pick up jobs locally . # I mean by by the time all that happens then that'll be next October . # Well # by then I may have sold the house and , I mean , as soon as I sell the house # You can have a couple of thousand for a diner . # You know you said that Rob is very good on # They are . # They are . # Yes . # Mm . # And he had ,did didn't you say to him , haven't you got eyes in your head , couldn't you see how # ill I was ! # Mm mm # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm , mm . # Mm mm . # Ah ! # Brenda ! # Quite quite . # Mm , of course . # Yeah . # Mm . # It isn't because I keep on going down and filling up the metro with ten pounds worth of petrol and I'm not making a a trip back and forth to work every day . # Mm . # Mm . # And it's an automatic , isn't it ? # They use it up . # Mm . # Mm yeah yeah . # Mm , mm . # Ooh ! # Oh yes , yes # Mm . # Yeah . # But some people are appallingly mean did I tell you about that Ned being done out of six hundred pounds by an indian doctor and a her husband ? # He put in a kitchen and he thought there was something funny about these people erm they didn't want to give him money up front for the fabric , you know , the woods and things and he wasn't asking the full amount anyway and he said , you know , a things are very tight in business and I do not want to run up any more debts if you will let me have some of cash , some of the cash fo for the wood as soon as the wood's delivered I'll come and do the job , it's not as though your money is going to be tied up in any way and there was a bit of a face pulling and saw this woman drop to , sort of , always hovering around always putting her motty in and erm when th when the job was nearly completed madam steps forward with the cries of that isn't quite right and that isn't quite right and Nev was putting hours doing nit-picking fussing about getting things absolutely perfect got it absolutely perfect but when it came to the final bill they knocked off six hundred because there was the tiniest little scratch on one of the panels ! # No it was fi it was fixed in . # Ah . # Yes . # Six hundred yes . # Well I think he can go through the small claims court for five hundred but I suppose six hundred was just over , it's probably something very crafty that they thought up between them , this pair ! # Tis awful I was taught as a child in catechism the labourer is worthy of his hire there are four sins that cry out to heaven for justice one of them is a oppressing the widow and orphan and the other is defrauding the labourer of his hire because the labourer is worthy of his hire that's a sin that cries to heaven for justice , that's what I was taught as a child . # Oh they were , they felt sick ! # Oh no , I mean the these were clients and they could never be friends after doing that I've come to the conclusion you can either keep your money or you can keep your friends , but you're not going to do both . # In life . # Yep . # and your instrument panel started showing that the wheels had fallen off and one wheel was on fire first thing we had to think was are the reading correct ! # Yeah ! # Ah he flew a thing called the flying coffin ! # And you had get the two people who were at the back , you have to get them out before you landed because when you when you brought the flaps up if they were still in this little bay you would squash them to death and one day his dials showed that he had , in fact ,squashed them to death ! # But he hadn't . # No . # Ooh don't , at the thought of tea ! # Of course , poor little child ! # No ! # No ! # Ah ah dear me . # No oh dear Neil said yesterday he was running he was running in thr in through the hall way with karate suit or something he was muttering to himself and he said smoking a healthy , dirty habit , it's expensive and it shortens your life I love it ! # Oh no an it it's it's like slimming nobody should try to slim when they're feeling tense and agitated and worried about things . # Yes well # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # No , no I'm looking forward to coming back here in the Spring and having another go at clothes for you and me I'm going to save like mad . # Oh I # I should I should have some idea about selling the house . # That's right . # Nope I don't think he'll leave me until he marries . # No . # Yes # I'm seriously # thinking # Yeah . # That's right . # A lot depends on what point I sell my house if I # Yeah , if I sell at a time when there's still a recession on and you see somebody has to get my they had a visit perhaps that was somebody that actually bought a house , not she not # they haven't to sold the house they had a visit from a Bank Manager her preferential mortgage treatment as part of their immonuments they always have had # the bank seems to pay the a cripplingly low salary demand that everybody dresses in in Saville Row , but you could buy a house on a something like two and half percent mortgage well it's not like that now , but it's still still get a preferential mortgage and this banking person man was looking around only three or four weeks ago , but you see a lot depends on your luck as to whether you pick up a a very good buyer . # They had a couple of people round , but no no nibbles , or I think , yes , I think somebody a silly offer because of course all the property pages and places like that , Daily Telegraph are urging everybody , go on put in an offer for a house , put in a silly offer ! # Which is all very well , but nobody's phoning in to accept a silly offer . # This is why , at the moment , I'm being a bit cautious about remaining in my cavity I don't want to find myself in the situation that I'm held to sell . # That's why I'm so keen , I shall I tell you what my plan is , at the moment but as soon as the the uncourteous Bill has decided to move into his new house new flat , rather , I am going to take my ensuite back # yeah , I'm going to go back into my bedroom and Neil can still use the ensuite shower cos he's got the tip of the idea that he's got to come in clothed and knock on the door cos last time I was in my bedroom he asked if he could use the shower ,situation he'd you know , and I'd let him after all , it's not as though my be , there's a door between my bedroom and the # the ensuite and er and then I will have three lodgers , I will have Neil # Oh well I made him worry # my goodness , I have ! . # Love that # yes . # Yes . # all # Yes . # some money , you spent on me ooh ! # Yes , of course he is , he is a poor child I hate to think what Christmas is like for some people . # I have no doubt wha did I not tell you about the fact that I hit the roof when he said that she has said that when he was twenty one , she was going to buy him a Vauxhall Chevette . # Yes . # Well that's I say # I said it's sh I said , I he said don't you think it's a nice gesture ? # I think that is showing off ! # I said I # Well that's I said that's what I said an and I said where's she going to , where are we going to put it . # Oh I # You can tell what sort of a # fool the woman is ! # She is dreadful ! # Does it strike an answering chord with your mother ? # I have no doubt that if they owned their council house they would now be very busily selling and buying and selling and buying . # Oh I have no doubt of course I never I despise the woman so heartily that I never ask any questions about it . # Very well , they all three get on well together . # Yes . # Yeah . # Neil's boss , no no he said oh I think I'll wash my hands of Neil I thought that's another one If I don't stick by Neil # He might have done , he's very a strong mighty chap and I don't know that anything I said could have influenced him and anyway Brenda to be perfectly honest I wo I wo # I wouldn't be doing it I wouldn't dare ! # I , I mean , I at the moment I'm not doing anything about Neil's training because we've got coming and it's it's too soon to start stirring up the bud again . # Yes , quite , yes # Exactly yes we'll take a breathing space until the new year I mean Neil says that at the moment he'd be quite happy to get into a job where if he was a good worker he could progress in the job and I said an what about doing your radio repairs in the evening , but he just , he said yes . # Yeah well you see you can make quite a few nice little pounds for yourself if you can say to your friends I can undercut I won't chat while you get across here if you can say to your friends I can do it cheaper than the # standard repair . # Aha , aha # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Oh no ! # Yes . # Yes exactly . # That's right . # Quite . # Yes . # Yes . # Of course you can well I knew of a girl who married I wouldn't say she'd married well when she started out but her husband was enterprising e eventually got himself quite a good job at the at people who print the bank notes so so that they they started off in a prefab and they ended up with a new four bedroom bungalow with central heating at Athorpe Roding . # And er I lost touch with her after that but Joyce was very nice , very , very a down to earth cockney girl from Hockston and she said er she'd tell her sister she said I do admire my sister she said they'll never have anything other than a council house , I don't suppose but she said my brother-in-law mends people's motorcycles as a side line and the money that he gets from that he gives her most of it and she buys things on hire purchase , this was the days when hire purchase wasn't fearsomely expensive # and she said my sister spends I mean , we're now talking about nineteen seventy my sister spends twelve and six a week on things from for the house on the hire purchase if she ever truly runs into debt she'll save part of the cost of the thing , you know and then she knows that she's always going to have to put twelve and six a week aside but she does that and buys things for the house and you see if you've got if you've got that little bit of extra coming in it's quite well it's like my lodgers , Brenda if I couldn't if I couldn't get what I need from my lodgers well Neil pays me Neil's house rent which thirty pound a week # No I stop # when he gets another job when he gets a proper job , when he's employed it'll stop . # But at the moment I get thirty pounds a week # and if he gets # that's right , and he gets some unemployment money and I take ten pounds a week off him , for his food , I mean , it's not enough but it'll do , you know and then in dribs and drabs begrudgingly from that forty over the week once he starts to run out of money cos he's paid once a fortnight I begin to give him his karate money and here's two pounds fifty to go to the pub with Neil , you know , little bits # little bits , little bits and I'll buy you your tobacco Neil nothing much but little bits of something now if he were working and could give me the full sixty that is thirty for his room and thirty for his food so that I didn't have to worry about th actually paying for him but he was paying me Paul is going to pay me fifty that's thirty pounds in , I made a rule to Paul that he is going to eat thirty pounds worth of food and there are only twenty pounds in my profit and then the other rule , a man called Alan this window cleaner he wants the room that I'm in at the moment # because he doesn't want the ensuite , he can't afford it , he can't pay forty pounds a week # or thirty five , he wants to pay as little as possible . # Twenty five , yes an and for that he can make hims he doesn't want to to really to pay me for food at all so I'm going to tell him that he can have his cups , spare cups of tea and a drink of milk an and some toast . # Yeah . # No # Or main meals , no but he can have that on the twenty five he needn't give me anything extra for that . # Well he was probably actually hammering on the door now to er come and see where he's going to put his ladders , he wanted er a bit of wall to put the brackets up to put his ladders but Paul said that he Paul thought you could suspend ropes from my garage roof , you remember what a lot of criss-cross bracing there is # No I haven't . # Or if # Richard put over , put a lot of beams and Paul at the weekend put an immense amount of his household gear up on the roof in the garage . # Yes # Yes . # Yes well it's possible that er Alan may see a way to using that but he is quite ni , I mean he he's got no doubts he wants to come to me he's in a divorce at the moment and the moment that the final papers are signed , he's got to get out of the house he has to stay there till the last minute and then the moment that the papers are signed , he must go . # Well Alan says he'll sleep on my sofa . # I mean h he under he says this is , you know a very nice house and he wouldn't normally expect to get a room for twenty five pounds in a house of that character . # Precisely ! # Well it's it's say I say I was doing my best , as it were , say that everything was going swimmingly I'd be getting a profit of thirty pounds from Neil twenty pounds from Alan because five will go on the tea and the milk and the box of Cornflakes and the toast er twenty , thirty , that's fifty and twenty for Paul which is seventy . # No , he's going to give me fifty because , don't forget , he's in a small bed and he eats thirty pounds worth of food . # exactly ! # The price is considerably better . # Exactly much , much , better than any pokes in the eye with a sharp stick ! # Always excellent on that yes , he's a toad in some ways but in other ways he's very good . # Well he hasn't got any money , but when he's had it he's paid on the dot the only one # He's only just started . # And he has to week before he gets any money he has to work a week in arrears , you know , they they # Yes , he's been there this week # money yes . # Yes and if that bloody Karen comes on the scene and wants to take him back I shall tell her , if you go back Paul # that's it , I'm having no more of it ! # I've had two lots of terrible upheavals . # He mustn't ! . # Build a trench ha ha oh ha oh oh ha ha . # No . # Quite ! # Oh , I can hardly wait ! # I mean I I went in there yesterday , I think it was , or this morning erm he put wet shirts into the wardrobe admittedly with the doors open but that bedroom is not a bedroom that I like to get any dampness in at all , Brenda . # Too lazy ! # Easier to do it that way ! # Yes , he has at last . # Yes and he's very , very difficult to feed himself , to get the food in because , you know , he liked to come in a half past ten and bully me to cook things for him that's why sometimes I used to run up to bed and pretend I was asleep . # Cos I thought that was a with a utmost difficulty and he has to get his little daughter on Sunday to help him to clean the place . # Well tough he's not getting my , he's not getting the ensuite room , I can tell you If I if I have got three lodgers and I'm getting on with them and they're they're paying me regularly for the sake of an extra twenty pounds or whatever and the annoyance from Tony coming in at ten a or there abouts and then sitting there like a stuffed frock waiting for me to leap about and put food on a plate and microwave it not doing it , Brenda ! # I mean I w when I was dropping dead with exhaustion one evening I said to him look Tony ,the there's I've cooked a chicken , there's a big chicken cooling on the table and there there were red sauce , potatoes , gravy , I said , stick the lot on a plate a micro and , you know , film it over , microwave it oh well I shan't bother to eat anything now of course he was paying me for his food # and he was jolly well seeing whether # Oh well I th I then said oh well I'll alright I'll fling it together for you oh good can you bring it into the sitting room ? # I very nearly brought it o # in the sitting room and banged it over his head ! # You know Paul has lent me some very clean but very ugly old fashioned trays of the sort that people have in restaurants that his mother lent him and they're they're a God send ! # beautiful trays in John Lewis's this morning I was licking my lips with desire , Brenda ! # Yes . # It's cold . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Yes . # Debenhams probably , but the John Lewis's were excellent , and some some of them were tin and I do wonder if you're eating on your lap a tin tray might be rather cold but on the other hand , you let the heat from the plate through to your poor little legs . # No . # Yeah . # Yes Is this where Jenny used to live , or still lives ? # Oh yes yes . # Yes she wrote to me , I'll tell you what when I get back I'll pop her letter in the post to you she seems alright . # Yes , they've sti they've stayed together she still , mark you , in the letter she does come across as a misery guts . # Yes she still phoned me up in the morning and at vast expense to tell me how awful everything was . # Oh I phoned her back a few days later and said how are things now ? # Oh they're alright she said . # They are and I I think the whole trouble with Jenny was that not having , I mean , I was alright as a sort of mum subject I wasn't the same as a bona fide mum that could be called upon in all weathers , at all times , to do everything # And I think she found looking after tiny children a bit too much for her . # She should have stayed in beauty therapy , she's a very gentle and she's very able . # Very good and kind and small children are cruel noisy and demanding , and unless # you've got a soul of steel , a heart of steel you can't cope with the buggers ! # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Can you come on the neo have you come on the insurance ? # Can you come on Les and can he come on his insurance ? # Ah . # Ah yes of course . # Ah yes , yes # Mm yes . # Mm . # Do you know Dave I read erm we there's a magazine called Good Housekeeping and it's been going for it had been going for seventy years , last year it started in nineteen twenty one , women's magazine , very good one and they had a sort of seventieth birthday issue # and one woman said that the year , nineteen twenty one she was a bride of eighteen years old and she took Good Housekeeping and she's got the whole lot although she's now a very old lady , and she said my first lot of housekeeping was done in a house in Wales where we had water from the well we had to build the fires up by hand we could get Welsh coal cheaply but they had to you know use paper and kindle and we swept with brooms and my life has never been easier she said I had three children in four years and my life has never been easier she said and all these modern things came in life has got more and more complicated and difficult ! # The the the buggeration of it is that the next time round that something goes wrong , it'll be again something that you've encountered before ! # Yeah yeah . # Yeah . # Plumbing is very difficult erm # Years ago I had a class of very bright children and they did some really good projects , they weren't silly projects where they just scribble a bit an and draw some rubbish the they really worked and I saw to it that they produced really good work # and one boy chose to write about plumbing and do you know , he found that there was nothing written down about plumbing in the early nineteen seventies there were one or two plumbing text books , they were very expensive and you could only get them through The Institute of Plumbers plumbing is something that until about nineteen seventy five was passed from father to son or uncle to nephew it was a sort of secret craft you know , you can # understand it . # Yes . # What dear ? # Oh yes , you would have I mean that that i it is a # stress symptom yes and it's not funny , I've had it . # Oh could I ring home ? # Thanks very much . # Oh yes . # Oh the little clip ? # Ta love thank you . # Oh ! # No erm one or other of them is probably taking Neil to karate I think Friday night's karate # is at eight o'clock . # Try later . # Yes yes and I expect either Phil or Paul is driving him and which ever it's # possible that Paul has had a already had a reply from the Destiny people , you know , the ap at my urging Paul joins these people to find himself another girl because I'm so sick of hearing about Karen who's treated him made a fool of him totally # and er if Paul has had a phone call from one of these woman then he's been off like a shot ! # What sort of little silver thing is it ? # Oh I didn't notice that I saw that thing in the car but I didn't notice a bracket . # Ah ! # It's probably in th in the internal works of the chair . # Yes . # You you never get to the this way did you ? # How long of you got ? # How long are you allowed to # A week , mm . # Oh well . # Ah erm ! # I'm exactly the same , Brenda . # Mm . # Poppadom yeah . # Mm . # Oh . # Mm very restricted services on Boxing Day . # Ah what retarded ? # Mm . # Mm mm . # Yes , it's great ! # We did . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yes . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm I don't think I've ever seen your log effect , is it a log effect fire ? # I don't think I've ever seen it on . # Mm . # Mm . # I bet ! # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Ah ! # Marvellous Brenda ! # Mhm . # Oh yes . # Jolly interesting ! # Mm . # Aha . # Ooh tough ! # No thank you . # Yeah , I talk books , letters # Ooh masses yes . # When ? # Yeah , they're jewellers . # Mm . # Ah . # Oh . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh , . # That's the thing yeah that's what you want to know . # Yeah . # That's it yeah . # ah . # It is yes , yes ! . # Mm yes . # They did , they say they got water hammer we went into the ladies toilets and one door , one cubicle was shut and there was this loud drumming noise and I said to Brenda perhaps it's an alarm signal perhaps somebody on the other side of that door has been taken ill and has pressed some sort of alarm signal , anyway we went out and they said oh no it's always making that noise ! # Well . # Yes charming ! # No . # No not the right place for it at all . # No no . # Mm . # No . # No erm su er no hang on , hang on my regional , they want my regional accent er well I would have said it's standard received northern . # Mm standard received , S R . # That's right , I before E except after C . # Ah ! # No this is Prima . # Yeah and it's very good . # The Prima # a lot in it . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Oh ! # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Well I tried to fix them on the door and they wouldn't stay # There was , unless I was prepared to put a ruddy great nail through my door I couldn't hang the thing ! # Well they were decorated weren't they , they were rings with and they had little tiny boxes , little coloured like little parcels sewn on . # No . # No no . # Mm . # And I tried to fix it to the door and it wouldn't , I tried to do it up with Blu-Tack and would have none of it , I tried to do it with Sellotape and wouldn't do it the Sellotape kept on coming away something in the varnish I think that resisted that so then I thought , right I'll I'll tie the thing up in someway , I forget how , and blew away went down the drive ! # yeah so I chased off after it one of the little boxes had come loose and carted it back to the house I said your going to be a Christmas decoration whether you like it or not ! # So first of all I put it on a little er I've got a rather nasty little table that looks as though it ought to have a chamber pot underneath it you remember that nasty little wooden bedside table that I hate # so I put it on the top of there , every time anybody went by they knocked it off ! # In the end I simply flung it on the # middle of the dining room table # with cries of get on with it ! # That's half half the trouble with home decoration is it's not practical . # Ooh yes ! # Well the one I saw in Liberty's it was eight ninety five , it was that high # and it was dark green oh it it's not bad but you know I'd just lost ten pounds to the taxi driver to him giving me the wrong change so I was feeling in a very frugal mood an and this the green of this candlestick holder you know what I call the old fashioned dark green , of some china ? # This wasn't quite that it was more like a glossy young holly leaf oh it was beautiful ! # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # More # More fifty quid . # Mm . # Yes . # yes oh lovely cakes ! # Ah ! # Ah ! # Oh that's lovely . # That's not bad I'll buy her that . # Yes if they've got it in tomorrow , I'll buy her that . # That's the beauty . # A a lovely decoration for her bed . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # No quite . # I know she's very careful with things # Oh I say ! # She knew . # Yeah . # Mm mm . # Yeah yes . # Oh great thank you . # Aha ! # Aha ! # Every day ! # Oh yes ! # Yes . # Mm . # Mm , quite shows how desperate they all are , to get rid of their Christmas gifts . # No , no and very often they charge you for one a tremendous amount illustrated ! # Yeah Oh Brenda ah ha ha ha . # Ah ! # What's that dear ? # No ! # Gerry would never have allowed it ! # I used to make myself # No I can't go # I would not well # Mm . # Mm # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Yes . # Yeah . # No . # No . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm mm # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Mm mm . # Oh good god ! # This man is pathologically mean ! # Pathologically mean ! # No . # No . # Yeah yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # It is , I don't know . # Well no because unless they put the system in and know exactly what it was there are so many different ways of delivering water . # Oh like Brian ? # Oh oh my dear ! # Yes . # Quite # Quite yes . # Yeah well this is my this my # this is the story of my life now in the bathroom I have had , I have had to pay a hundred pounds to Mr Butcher the plumber to put in a new shower thing because that was cheap and rough and eventually wore out should never have been put in . # Oh it's doing it again it's doing it again , dear oh yes , doing it again erm I had the plumber up to look at that cos I thought the plumbing was all wrong and he said no he said the plumbing is wrong the waste pipe of the en suite shower and the bath are connected , and they shouldn't be they should be separate , but they had been connected and that is bad but no , he said , what's happening is quite simple , he said erm the people using the en suite can't control the water it's going out he said the curtain doesn't fit flush against the wall , because the wall leans , you know # and he said water is getting out , he said tell people to be more careful and put towels all round so in my lovely en suite I've got old towels all round my surround # I love that # Brenda , I adore it , it's me all over so the bathroom I had endless trouble , as you know , with Shirley I had to buy stuff and Shirley came in and I gave her little presents of this and that and helped her with cooking meals for her she re-grouted practically my bath tiles and my en suite tiles because we thought water was going through the wall , and it was and then I had to replace the where you take the plug out in the bath , I forget what you call that , the trap # all that has had to be replaced because that was starting to drip down into the hall , again ! # And then I had to th the shower just came , you know came to pieces in our hand , as it were it was not working as a shower so a plumber had to come Mr Butcher came into me # unscrewed the whole lot and he said this is cheap old rubbish ! # It's continental and is not is not U K and that was a hundred pounds , more or less for his fee and and buying a and buying at a discount through somebody who I knew buying this new shower and the tappy things , you know # the mixer things that's the bathroom . # And the next thing that's going wrong in the bathroom will be that I'll have to replace that central heating pump . # It's it makes an awful noise in the morning ! # I I've got a bill to come in from the electrician for his call-out charge he diagnosed that it's was not an electrical fault and then thought it was an electrical fault by the noise , it was making a fizzing noise but he doesn't th he said it's , it's the pump the pump is on the way out it needs replacing house is built in nineteen eighty five ! # So the bedrooms and they're not too bad because he hasn't been able to do anything in the bedrooms the bedrooms are alright except that over the lintels in most of the bedrooms the plaster is is not right , it's it's flaking in great lumps and rippling and cracked something to do with the # Yes and he hadn't the faintest idea of how to do it ! # Quite . # That's right so you then go into the en suite room , well I cannot tell you the trouble I've had from the en suite ! # Water pouring through into the kitchen water pouring down the electric wire of the lamp in the study ! # Yes and eventually Shirley and I thought , well I mean , we spent weeks grouting , we grouted and we grouted and still water was coming through and we grouted and at last it seemed to be dry and the man came and did the re-artexing on the insurance and I had wa new wallpaper put up , for which I paid extra because he only allowed eight pounds a roll , the insurance company only pays eight pounds a roll and I had eleven pound wallpaper and a border and having got the whole thing up the s the patches have appeared again ! # Oh no er and I # No , no they just take your word for it and now I have got as I said , I've got that , I've got to paint that over and reseal and I've got to make sure that nobody makes a mess in there , but the plumber said what you really need to do is to get rid of this cheap and tatty , horrible plastic tray which doesn't come right to the edge of the tiles # and buy a screen five hundred pounds he says ! # I just looked at the man , I thought , I oh god I can't cope with this ! # Mm . # So you come down the stairs and you come into the kitchen in the kitchen we start with the refrigerator being put next to the cooker # and I've had that taken out because I couldn't , I just could not stand it especially in hot weather ! # I've got a a a well I got a new cooker had a have a new cooker because when they took the old one out it was already in seven separate pieces ! # He bought it off the town dump !so new fridge- freezer in the cu which is now free-standing in the corner bought it from Doug # you know reduced price but never-the-less money new cooker gas hob removed because that was going U S and an electric hob put in the formica in the kitchen , if you remember when you first saw me , it was tiles it wasn't formica , it was ghastly tiles and when Ned lifted all that out it was black with with rotten mould ! # The man hadn't grouted the tiles in properly he'd used some sort of rough old cement and the water was just going through and staying there ! # Fortunately Ned gave me that pink formica and the new sink as a present . # Ha what else have we got ? # The gas fire I have formed a really deep and meaningful relationship with Andy at Anglia Gas he's been back and forth to my house , I know all about the fact that he hasn't got a girlfriend and his mother is a marvellous cook and that Worlingworth is a bit off the map he and I are buddies , dear ! # I hate to think how much money I have paid over to Anglia Gas if I'd known what I was into I could have walked into that house then and I could , while I had all that money before I gave any away I could have said , right , I'm going to have to spend that , that , that , that and that and I would have done it and it would have I would've been alright because I wouldn't have had things going wrong ! # Yes . # Ha I could have had a lovely new one ! # No ! # In the end I bullied Andy , I said , Andy there is something fishy about this fire he said well it's possible he said that it was erm a display model and every time anybody came in and needed a replacement part instead of sending for the part they took it out of the display model ! # Well youngish , he'd got youngish children , you know . # Well totally ! # I mean next time I buy a house I shall say excuse me but are you a blooming idiot ? . # Oh . # My lovely Gerald was very , very clever he was a mechanic , he was a graduate mechanical engineer and he knew everything about cars that needed to be known . # And he thought as a result that he knew about everything else as well and Brenda , he didn't . # Because another way in which I had to throw good money after bad was that after he died once I started having things done in the house they kept on turning up things that he had done that were absolutely N B G # the al do you remember those wires hanging about in # the kitchen ? # The electrician turned quite white when he saw them ! # I say ! # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # I'm going to ask some very , very straightforward questions when I buy the next house # and I'm going to write down the answers they give me and get them to sign them because I have I have really been beaten about the head by this ! # No I couldn't I mean , and these people are Jehovah Witnesses who sold me this house and my feelings about the commercial probity of Jehovah Witnesses are that they haven't any commercial probity . # They're they're probably so wrapped up in their devotion that they don't bother about standard commercial morality , it was sh a shocking thing to do ! # I mean , if I were to sell my house now supposing somebody came galloping in along before Christmas ooh ooh I want the house on the first of Feb and they'd come and they'd see the house and they say yes I want it , want it , want it and it was plain that they were going to want it and we started to talk money , as soon as we'd got the solid block of money I want one O two you er estate agent tells me I can get ninety seven between ninety five and ninety seven say they offer me ninety six # say we'd be , you know , be fiddle around and get to ninety six I would then turn and say to them , I will give you five hundred pounds I will knock five hundred off that so that you can put in a proper shower tray and screen # put in by # by Mick of Debenham because I understand from him that that is what's needed . # I just would not # Quite ! # Your conscio as you say # Mm . # Oh Brenda Brenda ! # Yes . # No , no they're not . # You've got to live with yourself . # What I have said to Neil and Neil is honest but once or twice he's said things and I've said , no Neil ! # No , that's wrong ! # There it's better to be it's only poor and have your self respect # than to try to take a mean and petty advantage of anybody or anything . # He's only said these things , sort of , trying out to see because he doesn't he doesn't know if very much , oh it's so sad Brenda , he said to me we were talking on Wednesday night , I think and he looked wistfully at me and he said I only want to be taught . # I only want to be taught . # Well he is , I say that he's six , he's twenty going on sixteen . # No , what what does what do modern men think about , Brenda , you tell me your Dave # is a one in a thousand one in a thousand like my my Gerald that thought about his duties , his responsibilities , his tender fatherly fig . # Yeah # Yeah yeah # No no . # Well yes I had to spend quite a lot of time on the line to her because er her husband's been quite ill with bladder trouble . # And she was very worried and kept on crying down the phone , and saying now I know what you went through with Gerry I said , oh come , you know # It's switching in and out is it ? # Oh . # Yeah , yeah . # Ooh . # Sixty five from the hot tap . # so . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Ah ! # Mm . # Mm . # Yes but to me it's old stuff Brenda I mean I've been hearing this kind of conversation in number between chaps coming in to mend things # Honestly ! # It does . # Sixty six ! # I'm sixty six this month . # Yes . # Yes I didn't really have a good look through it because I got stuck on a an article that was so good at the beginning # Oh my watch ! # Oh yes , not to worry . # Oh no it's # Aha ! # batteries probably run down # Mm . # Mm . # Yes ooh yes # Yeah . # Mm . # Good . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh # isn't that good ! # That is really lovely ! # Yes it is oh oh oh ha ha ! # Mm . # Not him again ! # Ooh ! # Mm . # Mm . # No , no . # Yes . # Yeah . # Mm , mm # Mm . # Aha ! # Mm . # Yes he is isn't he ! # Yeah . # Yes and the # Oh but they're expensive ! # Mm . # Mm I mean my son buys two or even three at a time and # well he has I mean er my my daughter-in-law said he takes he mu he very often drives he's got a season ticket , an annual season ticket t er to take the train but more often than not he drives because he gets into the into London at about quarter to seven in the morning he goes and you know , parks the car and then goes and gets breakfast and she says he always takes at least one shirt in the car with him to change into . # Yeah yeah . # Wears he wears white Swiss cotton and he'll change half way through the day , depending on whether he's got , you know , in fairly important meetings . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh they , yes # Oh yes they are they're nice presents and erm she said she is is sort of in charge of his suits and he can only wear a suit she takes a suit to the cleaners every three weeks . # That's London . # And also of course he goes on the building sites he's still wearing a suit . # Got a a yellow hat and and a sweet little wellingtons but never-the-less there's the dust and the muck lying about . # I mu I must ask her how how long they do . # Oh he's gets through them I know he gets # through them . # I'm sure he has half a dozen . # Yeah . # When when he has got when he's got the time to go to , I don't know where he gets them , he doesn't get them at Marble Arch Marks I think . # Not sure , I must ask her where he does he goes to a Marks where they always have every possible man's suit that Marks make and and he takes the time to buy two or even three because he doesn't get that much time for shopping . # At Marks . # And she buys them white Swiss cotton , no other . # Or he occasionally buys a er a shirt with a a fine stripe in it , but he says the continentals expect you to be wearing a white shirt . # A co a fine white cotton shirt . # Brenda they are # No it couldn't be possib # I've got to I've got to replace that pump I've got to brace myself on that one . # Mm . # Mm . # Mhm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mhm . # Mm . # Yes a maisonette is a sort of two flats really , one up a maisonette you you enter usually by climbing up stairs outside . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah quite quite . # Mm mm . # Yes . # Mm . # No . # No . # Yes quite , to come out . # Yeah yeah . # Mm . # Oh he's marvellous , yes . # I buy everything from him but I've got to buy another tumble dryer erm I've been drying clothes off in the house and the three men and all them well two of them wearing work wear jeans and the next one that comes in will be wearing jeans , it's no go I just cannot dry stuff off in the house , I've just got to have a tumble . # And the tumble # Yes , but it's an old thing . # What's the , what's going on ? # Mm . # Paying him . # Mm mm . # No . # Mm . # Mm . # I I saw that . # Yes . # Jolly good , isn't it ? # Yep that's right . # Yeah he paddles does he ? # Yeah . # Mhm . # Mhm . # Oh well great ! # Oh ! # Yes paddle yes . # Yes # Mm that sounds right yeah # Mm . # Mm . # No they don't sell plasticine where we went dear we'll get it tomorrow no problem . # You know if ever you're in any sort # of a well not exactly a disaster , but if ev if ever you're in some sort of uncomfortable plight er stuck in a train or anything like that the way t to cope is to go off to sleep if you can # and # Very expensive ! # It doesn't need to be all , all that it needs t to do is to just demonstrate . # Yes you don't have to paint it . # Mm . # Well it won't be # Mm # I should do that . # Mm . # Ooh yes , it's very good that there cos they're # six pounds . # Yes it does # Mm that's an idea . # Yeah . # Yeah . # That'll be nice . # That would be very nice . # Yes . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah have a lovely time ! # Yes ! # Well it's nice very nice ! # Mm . # Yes . # Yes # Mm . # Well I can I can remember when I was a child and kids had a lot of time to do hobbies and a favourite hobby was to make a a garden and I never made one , but a friend of mine was ooh forever making these things and giving them away as presents you got the lid of a biscuit tin or something of that sort and you I don't know what they used for grass they used to model little ducks and things and he had a piece of mirror to make a pond have you ever seen this done ? # And it does it does look so attractive !ooh . # Mm . # Guildford , aren't we dear ? # Joe . # Daddy's taking him out . # No . # No . # Oh far better because then you'll choose the one you want . # No . # We're not going to go anywhere near food tomorrow . # No results . # She was late . # don't poke # One of those bud things . # Sort of cut in half . # It does look like a paddle . # We can leave the white things # Yeah . # Like Johnson's baby buds . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah ! # Oh between the lot of us we must have some intellect . # Yeah , quite likely quite likely # She's enthusiastic . # She's very # very well motivated . # Mm . # When I think of the difference between Carla and Neil Neil doesn't really want to do anything ! # Absolutely bumbling over with # life . # I mean my poor Neil tried to commit suicide in nineteen eighty nine . # Took seventy aspirin ! # The tin foil . # The simple one mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm mm mm mm mm mm . # Mm mm mm mm . # Oh I don't know really I haven't thought . # I've sort of squeezed the tin foil so that it it fits very , very tightly around the middle . # And then it bulges at the end , you see , that'll do cos if you # Well I don't think it'll be a good idea at all because my no my knowledge of tin foil leads me to believe that tin foil wrapped on tin foil falls off . # I think you'll be better off with it like that . # Can I have my my twee ? # . # # Mm . # Isn't it lovely , I I fell in love with it , Brenda , I really did . # Yes . # Yeah . # They just , they just it's just as you say it's got a think a with the top bit will got straight up # the top bit is called the Dover # Oh well do have do have a closer look # Yeah . # That's right , that will go up where # all the little branches will open out it's going to look extremely nice when it's er when it's displayed . # It's nice isn't it ? # Yes . # Yes . # No there's only boat one boat only needs one pair of paddles . # Oh they do I see yes . # Mm mm . # Mhm . # So # Oh no no I've # dropped the paddles ! # Ooh ! # I # How come ? # Oh I see , that's just the guiding pole . # Mm . # Ooh yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm mm . # Mm . # Good for her . # Good for her yes mm . # Mm . # Well it w you wouldn't be able to bury your hat under would you ? # You wouldn't be able t # And shouldn't you , you've done the spare kitchen scissors good ! # I say ! # Desperate hurry we are not in a desperate hurry . # She maybe in a desperate hurry ! # Mm ! # Sorry dear ? # No it's alright no # Quite sure . # Yeah I'm very much warmer now . # Is it ? # Mm course I've got this thing over my feet , cos I getting faint . # this is the er survival technique take your coat off supposing you in London tube and it's broken down plus this thing's not as useful , do you remember what happened ,know how starts to get cold , take you w wearing a coat in winter take your coat off # and put it so that it goes over your feet # get your feet warm put your hands inside and if you've got a scarf or anything # put it over your # head . # So that you keep the # heat of your body # from escaping through the top and if you're i if it's a fa you know , there's some light or disturbance you and want to sleep and the best thing to do is to go into a light doze cos , you know , you can't do much else that's cover your face . # Mm body warmth . # Oh night darling ! # Ha ha ha . # Ha ha ha ha . # Ooh great ! # Yes . # Flapjack yes . # Oh ah ! # Yes . # It is it is and I'm not fighting to get it back again . # At least I you see , with the virus I was sometimes in such a state that I thought I might have bowel cancer # and years ago Doctor said to me if you start to lose weight and y and y and I said if you're you're a plump girl so he said if you start to lose weight and you can't understand why try to put some on he said # stop worrying about you know , losing any try and put a couple of pounds on if you can't then come to us and we'll find out what's wrong # and we'll catch it early and so I haven't been , sort of , saying to myself ooh I've lost some weight , I'll try to lose more at the moment I'm not worrying too much about what I eat # Because I can't I can't eat all that much # I went out I went out with Peggy er on Wednesday er for meal and she's been saving Daily Telegraph vouchers and when you got so many vouchers you send them up to the Daily Telegraph , who's sent them , it's offers closed now and they send you a thing like a credit card and they send you a list of all the places that you can go to for a half- price meal # erm # you can take a friend and whichever of you has the cheaper meal that's what # they give you and that's and that's # and that comes free , that's right , that comes free so two people go out and they share the cost of the meal . # I couldn't eat the damn meal I had erm steak and kidney puddings , no steak and kidney pastry pie . # Yes , well a a very nice pub . # They are . # They are erm it was er steak and kidney pie , brussels sprouts , carrots and bo plain boiled potatoes I could only eat about half the kidney and meat , I cou I could only eat about a third of the pastry , couldn't cope with the carrots at all or the brussel sprouts , they were beautiful brussel sprouts like little cabbages , you know I could only eat a couple of them ! # I had sherry trifle of des as a desert and I ga gave Peggy half of it ! # It's not like me , I mean I normally yum yum yum ! # It wasn't , it was a standard portion . # That's right ! # Oh yes yes . # Mm . # Mm . # I don't know erm one of the most interesting , in some ways . # one of the nicest things that happened to me since I've been widowed is having Neil to look after not only is he an exception # Oh we've got some make-up . # Dickens and Jones . # Er I don't think so . # you have some too # if that's what you fancy . # Anyway I feel that I've been thoroughly tea'd up . # . Tea'd and coffee'd . # Yes please . # I want to clean my face . # I'm very interested to see what this is going to be like . # Is this new Brenda ? # Is it ? # It's nice . # Mm . # Have you got a rubbish bag ? # Oh that's nice isn't it ? # That's kind . # They say that it's the poor that helps the poor and that's how I've found it goes quite honestly . # Mm . # No I haven't . # Oh that is nice . # I like that very much . # Yes . # Revlon . # You see I've decided that I'm going to leave Clinique the the expensive make-up er for some , you know until I get myself re-established financially . # And erm Revlon is a very very good medium priced range . # Ooh we've we've brought home half of Marks and Spencers with us . # Isn't it lovely ? # Yes . # Yes . # Right . # Right . # for It was no good my making a list before I came down because I just hadn't seen anything like this in the Marks in Norwich . # No . # No . # No . # No . # No way . # Mm . # We're definitely good for each other # as shoppers . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Do you know I think that I should have got something like that for Shirley shouldn't I ? # Bits and pieces . # We'll see # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Is Ellie in Wisbech now ? # With your mum ? # Yes I knew she'd dumped Steve . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes it is . # Yes . # Yes . # No it doesn't . # No it doesn't . # It's it's own wrapping . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Quite . # Yes . # Mm . # That's not bad . # Right so that's and Jane . # Right , Jean . # . Right who's is this for ? # Ooh . # Son-in-law . # For Mitch . # Mm . # Basket of toiletries . # Yes . # Yes . # Right . # Yeah . # And then perhaps put Marie-Ann's next . # Yes . # Daughter . # Marie-Ann . # Basket of toiletries . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Aha . # No . # Look put your lot sort of separate from mine # and we can see how we're going . # That's right yeah . # Yeah . # Now shall I do daughter-in-law ? # Marie . # Erm fruit . # M A R I E . # Mm . # Mm . # Er bottled fruit . # And tin of sweets . # No what are they are . # They're biscuits aren't they ? # Ah yes . # They're hers , yes . # And , and the tin of sweets as well . # So that's three items . # Mm . # No . # No . # Decided that they were too expensive for people . # Hi , Hi . # Ouch . # Cat er one of the cat's fleas must have bitten me last night . # What , I tell you what I don't see . # Where's the , where's the cat book for Marge ? # I did buy it , did I ? # Where's the list ? # Where's where's the receipt ? # Did I . # Aha . # Ah right . # Yeah . # Ah . # Yeah . # But I was a bit doubtful about it wasn't I ? # Do you remember ? # I kept on saying these pictures are a bit too bright . # And we've seen these cats over and over again . # Yes . # Yak yak yak yak yak . # Well I was just looking round , is it like the colour of that # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Don't remember . # It's ridiculous . # Mm . # Mm # Oh definitely yes . # Mm . # No . # No . # It never dates . # Yes . # And you'll get bored with it . # Yeah . # Goes on forever . # Yes . # Yes . # It's not it's not time for flared trousers yet . # Well , you'll get a pair of shoes . # Well I'm going to chip in with thirty aren't I ? # Oh yes # Yes I'd I'd pounce on those because # Mm . # And what are they down to ? # Throw your body across them . # Mm . # You can't draw out cash if it isn't there . # And , and that's the trouble with the cash card . # You you tend to think # No . # You will you know . # I'm the expert on that . # I've drawn out and spent . # Because it was there . # I I mean it's ever so difficult to resist the temptation # to spend money . # Mm . # I know . # I know . # It adds up dreadfully . # I mean I'm subbing one well I'm subbing two of my lodgers . # I'm subbing Neil but that's out of money which he gives me and which really in theory ought to be for my own , own use you know for fun but I get housing benefit for him , from the council . # And most of that goes back to him for his karate and a pint of beer in the pub . # And I , I sort of dole out a little here and a little there . # And I'm also subbing my lodger Paul . # Erm and it , it it mounts up . # By the time you've bought them some cigarettes and given them some money for the pub and said well if there er and the car hasn't got any petrol so you pay for ten pounds worth of petrol . # You're through fifty pounds before you can blink an eyelid . # It's one of the well known things about money . # Two hundred and fifty nine . # Yeah . # That was it , wasn't it Brenda ? # No more because I then paid another thirty approximately for that two hundred and eighty nine for that that , that came to twenty seven and I had there were two items inside it , I forget what they are . # There's another nearly thirty pound cheque on top of the Marks and Spencer charge card . # Mm . # What does that radiator feel like ? # Very hot ? # Just hot ? # Seems alright . # You'll the turn the erm heating off when , when you go to bed won't you ? # Yes . # Shirley . # Isn't that nice . # Mm . # Mm . # Not too much milk and a tiny bit of sugar . # Shirley yes . # Oh I see Marge's book . # It's underneath the Christmas cards . # Probably came under the heading gifts . # I suppose , yes . # That's right , tape for travel . # Mm . # I must say , it does look gigantic . # Good idea . # Yes . # Oh well I'll take it anyway . # I was thinking I might change it in Guildford tomorrow I won't . # I won't . # Mm . # You are more expert on this . # I mean # I could , I could not have coped with caring for Neil . # Taking care of Neil . # If I hadn't had you for advice # and help . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Are they both black ? # Cos Neil only wears black . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Oh yes . # Mm . # Yeah . # I'll probably buy some sweets and probably a , a a paperback horror or something . # It wasn't one of the dearer versions of anything . # I think it was only about two ninety nine . # I'm not sure . # Mm . # Yes . # It's a body spray isn't it ? # Mm . # Mm . # Er son-in-law . # Mitch . # Ta . # Erm what is it ? # That's probably it . # Yes . # It might well have been ,might well have . # Oh yes , yes . # All the houses along there have . # Yeah . # Mm . # How much was that ? # Oh bless you . # Thank you lovey . # Ta . # No I don't . # Oh . # Do I need one ? # Oh yes . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Night night dear . # Bye love . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # You , that's yours is it ? # That one ? # Mhm . # That's for my sister-in-law Rosemary . # Now there are two men's items . # Those er tuxedos in the boxes that look like tuxedos . # Who did I get those for ? # For Paul . # Of course . # Er Rose that's right , R O S E . # And then Mary , M A R Y . # Night night dear . # Erm Peggy . # Oh I have got a lot of things . # Yes . # Yes . # Er now who's the other , that I bought two pot pourri # Erm . # Jean . # What's that love , you're muttering ? # Aha . # Yeah . # As Christmas presents yes . # Mm . # That's a jolly nice present . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Now I , I bought those er corn dollies for both of them . # So that's all I've got for Paul is it ? # What was in , what was in the tuxedos exactly ? # Was it talc and how much were they ? # Two ninety nine ? # I think I should get him something else . # Mm . # I was going to say get , make a pack # Yes . # Of course I am . # Mm . # Yeah . # Tuxedo box and body spray . # When I go home I'll take that list with me . # Well we'll tear it down the middle I mean , you know # you'll have half , I'll have half and we can see what we're doing . # Yeah , the dollies . # I did . # Both of them , yeah . # And I'm just trying to think what I had in mind . # Or did I buy them as odd presents for people who might like them ? # You know # But they're all mine . # Yeah . # That's the odd one . # You , you bought that odd one didn't you ? # Yeah . # I think my dollies are odds . # Bought that for me didn't I ? # For that , for when I move into my own bedroom again . # But it could always of course come in as an odd . # Write it down as an odd . # No that's Marie , bottle # Yeah . # Yeah . # Right I wonder who I who have I left out ? # I haven't got anything for him have I ? # Mm . # And then decided it just wasn't right . # You see I can't afford to spend a great deal on anyone this year . # So I think I oughtn't to spend more than about twelve or thirteen pounds on him . # Well how , how much have I spent ? # I mean don't , don't count Neil because # Neil is quite different , you know . # He's a special case . # No . # Mary-Ann is having what's that erm basket of toiletries ? # About twelve ninety nine was it ? # And Marie the present of food ? # Yes . # I think I'm keeping it to under twenty . # Erm so what shall I get him ? # Trouble is in the past I've given him Liberty silk ties . # And anyway I can get them in the sale if I choose to fight my way up to London I can get a Liberty tie for about twelve pounds . # I mean they're normally forty five or forty . # Aha . # Mm . # Well there again you see , it's you're talking about er dinkies . # Double income no kids . # Oh . # I know what I was going to give John . # Wine . # Of course . # Now I shan't buy that # I can get that locally . # Yes of course that solves that one . # The grandchildren I think money . # Matthew and Ruth . # Well I have in the past given them fifty each for Christmas but this year they're going to have to make do with twenty . # You see I know I haven't # I don't you see I don't know my granddaughter . # This is the sad thing in my life that I have never been in contact with my grandchildren . # I know . # Book token . # I think so . # For Ruth a book token . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # I'll get a Smith's token for both of them . # Yeah . # No . # That's sorted out . # I shall just write to Wynn and Bill and send a Christmas card . # I I mean poor Wynn I haven't , haven't been in touch with them for weeks and months and the longer you leave it the worse you feel about it , you know ? # You get guilty . # And I can't send them a present . # No . # No . # Mm . # Yes . # Yeah . # Marie's parents ? # I never bother with them . # No I don't bother with them . # They're probably away on yet another holiday . # They're forever gadding off on expensive holidays . # Mm . # I shall just send them a card . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Mm . # Er # Trudy . # Sorry ? # Ron . # How much was that one ? # Can you remember . # See I've already got Ron a big tin of Liquorice Allsorts . # Which I've hidden from him , of course . # If we go and see them in Marks . # Debs ? # Yeah . # Right . # Good . # So # Could # Could you write down on that that I've , in brackets that for Ron I've got tin of Liquorice Allsorts . # It's a handsome tin . # And I might , I think I'll put in there , I'll make him up a basket of goodies with erm a few telephone stamps on a card and ooh I don't know what . # One or two items of biscuits or something like cos he's Ron is often I think hungry . # He does , yes . # He's got a very sweet tooth . # What are you having to put down dear ? # Oh right . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # What did I get for Terry in the end ? # Oh that's right . # I'm gonna guess at the size . # He's very tall so I'll guess at nine . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm ? # Terry . # Yes . # And I've got Shirley slippers and I'm getting him slippers and that's it , that's the sensible thing to have done . # Oh and I know what . # I'll give that to Russell , the boy . # Mm . # Ron ? # Oh . # What did I say for Trudy ? # The roses ? # That's right . # Yes . # Mhm . # Mm . # Got erm the cat book . # I'd like to get her something else as well . # I wonder if Marge would like a corn dolly ? # Let's give her the corn dolly . # that they were rather good ones . # Oh I don't know . # No this is perhaps not quite right for Marge but I tell you who I have left out , Jackie and . # Mm . # Not too sure about what she'd want . # Ladies hankies ? # Oh I want something for Maureen in Leatherhead . # Hosiery reminds me . # I usually give her a pair of winter tights for walking the dog . # Maureen . # Maureen . # Extra large winter tights . # Yes . # Mm . # For Jackie I'll try to pick up a paperback book . # Lee I'll get him a bottle of something when I get back to Stowmarket . # And then there's erm # No way . # We're not all meeting together so # No . # No . # Can't . # I just haven't got the time , the energy or the money . # Exactly . # Yeah . # Oh I'm gonna get you a biscuit barrel . # Brenda a biscuit barrel . # Er what did I say for Lev ? # A bottle of something in Stowmarket . # We've got # Oh , yes . # I was going to say something for John . # Erm # He's passionately interested in , in his wild flower garden but I don't think I know enough about it to buy him anything about that . # Er no . # I don't usually give him anything . # No . # No . # I'll just stick with Maureen . # Oh ! # Shirley yes . # Shirley . # Er # We haven't actually in the last six months or so . # I'll write to her . # Erm put down # very pretty er calendar would be nice . # Yeah . # Yes I was gonna say either a very pretty thank you or calender . # Not a terribly expensive one but a calendar would do fine . # Oh well . # Don't not matter . # What can I get your Dave ? # Get that in bookshop then . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # I've given up my sewing . # Er I , I was going in the evening you know , doing the tailoring class but of course my illnesses have stopped me doing all of that and made me realize I can't do it all . # Er , I've got too much to do with my lodgers . # Erm # That's dropped by the wayside . # Mm . # Well there's Diane the hairdresser's wife whom I don't see a great deal of but she lives near . # We'll give her a corn dolly . # Mm . # Hairdresser's wife . # They're quite nice those little corn dollies . # Mm . # Well I've got lots of acquaintances but I don't know that I necessarily want to put them on the erm # Ah . # Now what about my next-door neighbours ? # Erm Bob and Glynis . # It was them . # Tin of biscuits . # Erm . # Glynis and Bob . # And I think I'd better get those in Stowmarket because I'm not gonna be able to carry all this lot up # Mm . # Oh yes they are . # That , the family # I mean he is out of work and he cannot get a job . # A tin of ? # Oh yes . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # That's the sort of thing . # Yeah . # Yeah . # No . # Ooh . # Richard . # I've already given him his Christmas presents . # I want something for his bicycle . # Erm no I'm not gonna give Donna and Sally anything . # I haven't been in touch with the 's for ages . # I just think it's going to be kept down to a Christmas card . # I've , I've given him er a present already . # Bought him something for his bicycle . # Special little wheel or something . # The , the total ass ? # The one , the the the needlework woman's son ? # Oh no . # No I'm not gonna bother to give him er a Christmas # Mm ? # No . # I I said to her that I couldn't cope . # I was not well enough . # Er I mean if he were responsive and would work and would try things for himself but it , it's , it's like hacking at concrete with a knife . # Terrible . # Terribly hard work . # So I said until I feel a lot better I'm not , not resuming . # No . # Be a Christmas card . # Mm . # Be nice to give her something . # Erm # Oh yes I go to her constantly , I don't think I'll give erm how much are the , were the corn dollies ? # There are two of them . # There's Beverley and Gail . # Gail sometimes does my hair but she's a learner and I get her more cheaply . # I think a corn dolly for Gail . # Mm so that's corn dolly accounted for isn't it ? # That's my lot . # And for Beverley # That's the main hairdresser , the one who usually does my hair . # Beverley and Gail work together you see . # Gail is her apprentice as it were . # Good idea . # Yeah . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes I know . # Yeah . # I think so . # Oh I hope he'll be gone by Christmas . # I think he'll be , I think he'll be moving out probably at the end of the , I told him I wanted a week's notice . # I , I asked him a couple of weeks or ten days back . # I said oh by the way when are you leav intending to move out ? # And he said the they were pressing him for completion that very minute . # You see nowadays the solicitors are falling over themselves to do the conveyancing . # Whereas when you and I were buying houses it was oh it's a long process and it can't be hurried . # Now they're just desperate . # And I , he said something about , muttering something about before Christmas . # I hope he is gone before Christmas . # I can't be bothered . # I really cannot be bothered . # I tell you what I might do tomorrow . # I might buy a couple more odds from Marks . # Erm for instance if I feel I've got to give Philip something er a tin of sweets is acceptable to both to both sexes isn't it ? # Well what , what was that , what was the price of that red ? # No the red tin . # No that'll do fine . # In fact I'll give my neighbours who live opposite , I don't see a lot of them but they they are my opposite neighbours and of course the 's really I'm on good terms with I ought to give them I'll get them a tin of biscuits as well . # I'll get them in Stowmarket . # Mm . # . Tin of biscuits . # Erm odds I'll get a a what are they ? # Crystallised # Yeah . # Yeah . # Crystallised fruit drops . # That's right . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh . # . # I don't know where to put them . # Thank you . # Ooh lovely big Christmas card . # My very first . # No my second . # The first one was from Jenny . # Oh ! # Ah ! # It's lovely . # That's beautiful . # Ah . # How nice . # Thank you very much . # Yes I read what you've written . # Thank you very much . # That's lovely . # Mm . # Mm . # Beautiful card . # A little home , a little house . # Very nice . # Oh golly . # Oh that's right . # A box with socks . # Yes . # And you were going to put little animals soaps in a in a bag . # Was that for the teacher ? # You were going to make one # one of those with , with some little animal soaps in I thought you said . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # How does she manage that ? # Oh . # So he gets an allowance does he ? # Or does he pinch them ? # Oh right . # Right . # You said you were going to spend about a pound fifty on each child . # Erm and what were you going to buy them that pound fifty ? # You were going to put a pound coin in ? # That's right . # Right . # Yeah . # Oh . # Will you put on my list Simon . # That's the little boy who can't see very well . # I haven't got a lot more to get . # And some of it I can only get in Stowmarket anyway because it's heavy . # And I can go down to the supermarket to get the biscuits . # Oh could you could you put Simon on my list ? # Erm erm put a note , ask Richard . # I'll ask Richard what Simon would like for Christmas . # Mm . # Mm . # We're going to get a Smith's token rather than a book aren't we ? # That's to do with canoeing ? # Definitely . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # I won't get Ron white hankies because # Yeah I think you know he's such a er er he does , he he's very clean but he's not a good housewife . # So nothing white will come out dazzling . # Oh down here . # I'm gonna get everything I possibly can down here . # Yes I'd love to think that I can struggle back with the tree . # But I'm not sure that I could . # I'm very tempted . # By the time everything is packed into that bag that's going to be heavy but on the other hand I'm going to have taxis . # On Waterloo on Sunday I'll be able to get a taxi very easily # Erm if they can tie a a handle on to the tree If they're selling them in Guildford Marks . # If they're selling those imitation trees , and if they've got that wonderful one that looks like a real tree if they can say to me yes , we can rope it up for you in such a way that it's got a handle on it . # I could carry it back . # Oh well , there . # Yeah . # And what I'll do is , I'll not only pack my Christmas presents into that . # I'll also pack everything that's in that little black little black bag . # Everything I've brought with me . # Well I think that probably Neil's clothes will have to go back in a Marks and Spencers # one of those bags , don't you think ? # They're tiny . # If the worst comes to the worst I can do without that . # I can er either buy one in Asda or somewhere or forget about it and have a fresh tree . # But I've had fresh trees since I've been in in Stowmarket and I've , I've come to hate them . # They're , you know you , you get the earth you , Richard usually goes and gets the earth for me . # Drops half of it all over the carpet as he's bringing it in . # And have you ever put a tree a Christmas tree in a tub and packed earth round it and got the bloody thing to stand up straight ? # Not on your nelly ! # Norwich is the best . # Ipswich is the nearest . # Norwich is the better bet because Ipswich is being redeveloped and only about a third of the space at the moment is being used for the , for shopping . # I don't know whether they'll have managed by Christmas to get it all done . # They were expanding . # Good idea . # Yeah . # I think so . # I I don't think I could manage it . # I can see fits being had by party . # Mm . # I love that tree . # I fell in love with that # No . # No . # I , I want it for Neil and Paul and even for # Mm . # I can # I can get , you see Mark will Mark will do anything at the moment cos he's quite interested in me . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Oh I might look I'll look along the paperbacks for Marge . # Put query paperback . # Mm . # Actually , are we going in to Marks again tomorrow ? # I think that Marks' winter tights will probably be better . # Er yes . # Bookshop . # Alcohol Mm . # He's not going . # No . # And I had before I realized # how tight Mike was going to be with you know having to look after Paul and all the rest of it I promised I'd take him to Snetterton market and he could have , he was going to buy some records . # But er oh yes I might still do that . # talk to him very seriously . # Talk to myself very seriously . # No but there , there aren't any there didn't seem to be any concerts erm happening within the vicinity . # I mean they travel all over the world these people . # And I , I suspect that they're on their way out because the way they leap and scream and bang and thump I should think that they , most of them have been on drugs . # He has on , or had on his wall a poster with the itinerary of their , of their tour . # This , this group that he's so fascinated by . # And I keep on forgetting the name of the group . # Oh . # What's the name of the group that he's so mad on . # Megadeath is one . # Well their itinerary was something like er January the first Cologne . # January the second Dusseldorf . # January the third Berlin . # You know they were # Yes . # Punishing schedule of work . # I suppose they're making the money . # Yes . # I couldn't contemplate hauling that lot back . # Mm . # Mm . # That's not bad is it ? # I mean they're going to be very easy to buy . # Oh my goodness ! # I say ! # . That's amazing isn't it ? # Yes . # Yes . # No they're not . # No . # They're not weighty ones . # Brenda could you pass me up my , my box of , of er coloured ribbons and things . # I just want to love and admire it . # . It's so Christmassy ! # . It's got gift tags hasn't it , as well as pretty . # Ah . # Incidentally I was glad that although I didn't feel one hundred percent I was glad that I wandered round Liberties . # Because I went up to their fabric department and I want to after Christmas I'm going to wash all the covers on the er settees , you know er the dralon . # And I want to make if I can a couple of deeper coloured cushions and if I can I want to make tie-backs for the curtains because everything in that room is so blooming pale . # Well Liberties sell a fabric that they call poult , P O U L T for what was it ? # Two fifty . # And they had acetate at four fifty . # And they had the most marvellous colours . # I think that they only intend them for linings . # Well I will get some too . # Put it down on my side as well . # Because I'm not going to buy any more tree decorations this year . # Mm . # Yes please . # Yes . # Isn't it lovely ! # No it's just a little neat pretty thing . # Oh how nice . # I thought it was just a decoration . # Well I never . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # What about the erm the baskets , the toiletries . # What do you think to do with those ? # They are aren't they ? # Yes . # Mm . # I wondered if they would go in there . # Mo . # Just won't . # Oh they do . # Well that's very clever Brenda . # No . # No . # Hangers are a pain . # They don't worry about the hangers , no . # That's right . # Yes . # The hangers could in fact go , go in there because that looked to be rather a good hanger , frankly . # No , that one's a nuisance . # That one's a nuisance . # That one's fine . # They are beautiful . # Have a little hold oh yes I can manage that for short distances . # I think perhaps that can be thrown out because otherwise it's going to scratch that that nice tin . # Yes . # No I can lift that . # I mean I couldn't walk for any great distance with it but I'm going to have taxis . # Yes . # Yes . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yes . # Yes . # That's right . # It won't get scratched . # It's a lovely thing . # Yeah . # I'm wondering whether the things from that will lie in the top of this . # Well we'll see when , when we get the things tomorrow . # They're all going to be small aren't we , aren't they ? # They're going to be # tiny things tomorrow . # Yeah . # Oh the tree ! # That could go in with the er wrapping paper couldn't it ? # I suppose so . # Yes . # It hasn't got it's own tree shaped bag has it ? # A tall thin bag ? # They were all big bags that we had ? # Yeah . # That's fine then . # I don't mind looking after it . # Yes . # Yes . # No . # Ooh . # Yes . # Yes . # So you've got another seventy really . # That's a beauty . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Yes ! # Yes . # Yes . # Isn't it nice . # Yeah . # I mean that's just little odd bits of underwear and such like . # Yes . # Well I tell you what Brenda , I don't use this bag very much . # If you don't mind I'll leave it with you . # That's right . # Yeah . # Make no difference . # No . # No . # No . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm quite . # I think that's a most acceptable present . # It really is . # I know that Bob and Glynis will be delighted to have some because he's been out of work . # Alright , he invested the money that he received as a gratuity from British Telecom when he was made redundant . # And he gets in about three thousand six hundred a year on that . # It's a lot of money . # I think they paid him out thirty thousand or something like that . # He'd been with them for twenty seven years . # He joined when he was seventeen or sixteen . # Made redundant . # He cannot get another job . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # No . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Yeah . # Mm . # Yeah it's like with me , I mean of course don't forget that I've got a good two hundred pounds to come on about the fifth of December from the British Legion's savings . # I've been saving five pounds a week for practically the whole of the year . # And that will be chucked into the building society so that I can , when I get my Marks and Spencers debt come through , I can pay a great wodge off . # But I shall still have to draw on some capital Brenda , nevertheless . # Well erm I have thought now what shall I do after Christmas ? # Because you know I like January . # I've achieved a Christmas . # I've made everybody happy . # And I thought that sewing machine is really going to get out to work . # And I'm not going to buy any fabric . # I'm going to make up the fabric I've got . # And it's , I'm going to do things for the house like I want to make erm Chris has put back the rail over my windowsill . # I don't whether you remember I had a bamboo pole . # And I made a , a thing and it looked awful # and I took it down . # But I bought some beautiful crimson bias binding from Laura Ashley don't laugh but I'm taking the valance of Paul's bed # because it's a white valance . # And I'm going to have this white frill sp er erm roll , and I'm going to roll the fabric I'm going to leave all the pleating , not cut into that , but cut the valance platform and fold it over if you understand me and make it go over the the pole . # Erm so that I'll have oh plenty of gathers you see but the pole will be smooth . # My mistake was to to spread something through that went into horrid , nasty gathers on the pole . # Didn't look anything , just looked messy . # So I thought have it smooth over the pole and then all frilly underneath and this lovely line of soft crimson . # And I thought you know I mean when , when erm Philip goes and I'm in the en suite in , in the en suite bedroom . # Everybody says it does pay you to have the house looking fresh . # That room the paint to my eye has either faded or changed colour or something . # Now I noticed this with in the sitting room this year I got John , friend of Nev's to repaint the walls because do you remember they were called soft peach ? # And I looked at them and I thought , that isn't soft peach any more . # That's a glaring pink . # I suspect that Dulux emulsion paint changes colour . # Ah yes I've got that . # Which one is it ? # No that's right . # Erm Anthony Anthony got me that . # Yeah . # Which year is it ? # Oh I haven't got the up to date one . # Let's have a quick gander through . # Erm so I thought what have I got ? # I've actually got a great load still of gardenia and white mixed which is what was put on the walls in the sitting room . # I thought I'll put that on the walls in the bedroom . # I'm not going to bother to go out and buy new paint when I've got a damn great tub # of this lovely soft pale cream . # Erm I don't know whether I was with you when I bought er rolls of # Borders . # I've got a very pale grey . # I wonder if they're still doing them ? # Mm . # Mm . # Tal speaking of wallpaper , I am going to paper the en suite . # Er I only need two rolls . # Possibly even one . # So I'm going to look in the , in the bin . # And I shall make some more little cushions for the bedroom and I'm going to use this idea of terribly ordinary cotton # there's nothing wonderful about the cotton , but the cushions look absolutely superb because there were just thin lines of the , you can tell it was when you looked at it quite cheap ribbon but just arranged in a beautiful square and then a little bit of lace . # I say . # That's lovely yes . # Yeah . # Yeah , yeah . # Yes . # Mm . # Do you remember when we tried to make fluffy dogs ? # And we found we just were were wasting our time . # You're up against the factory conveyor belt system of sewing when you , one person does only ears and the other does bodies and # Yes . # Yes that is lovely . # Yes . # I think so . # I hate to but erm # I must . # No and we must . # I don't like going up late , nor do you . # But we'll have plenty of sleep . # I mean I think five , six hour's sleep is absolutely enough . # Mm . # Well that's partly what did me today . # I was deter , you see I , I have to set a good example to Neil . # And I was determined that everywhere although not absolutely superbly glittering , everywhere was going to be tidy before I left . # So I went through every blessed room . # Tidy tidy tidy . # Throwing away rubbish you know what it is . # Bitsy bitsy bitsy of this and that and the other . # Came out without anything inside me and then had this ghastly experience of not , I was , I was banking on being able to get a hot cup of coffee on the train . # No coffee . # And then this wretched journey . # And I got thoroughly upset . # Yeah . # No thanks dear . # old ferry coming over from erm Harwich to the Hook of Holland . # And I , I used to sort of sit in er put sit myself in my little erm bunk you know ? # And the , the swaying of the ship and I used to sleep like a log . # Everybody else round me was being sick . # Not me . # You have ? # Why ? # Excitement ? # Yes . # Yes . # Yeah I know . # Ooh I know . # No . # No . # Exactly . # Yes . # Well I think there must , this must be a very common feeling for a lot of people that they feel that they're balanced on a knife edge . # There's so much we've had to pay out so much erm you've had to pay out so much on , on more mortgage than you expected . # Mm . # Mm . # No I didn't see that one . # Mhm yes . # Mm . # It should not happen . # I I mean I think it , somewhere somebody is being greedy . # It shouldn't happen . # And it seems to have happened because thirty years ago everybody like Jerry and me had a repayment mortgage which meant there were very few endowment mortgages . # Now a repayment mortgage they will extend the term of the mortgage . # And the endowment you can't extend it . # Well I think they should make it so that you can extend it . # I just don't think I just don't think repossessions should happen . # Well they should do something about it Brenda . # That's all I can say . # There should be some certain fund for bailing out people who are in real , terrible difficulties . # Because you see # people people are not being helped . # It's like my Neil . # Nobody was helping him . # No they don't . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # That's right . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Yeah of course . # No . # Nobody ever dreamed # Nobody ever dreamed of this . # Yeah . # Probably will . # I , you see I think that instead of , instead of Lawson putting interest rates up to squeeze inflation out of the economy he should have stopped all credit . # When Jerry and I were young if at the end of the month there was no money in the account the bank used to write you a filthy letter if you were two pounds overdrawn . # And you had if it was no good you wanting something and waving a bit of plastic at it . # There was no bit of plastic to wave then . # Not a thing . # If you wanted to borrow money from the bank to , to buy anything there were two ways of getting money . # You could go to the bank and ask for a loan . # And mostly you got a dusty answer because if you hadn't got shares to put down as collateral , you didn't get your loan . # And the other way of doing it was to go on hire purchase . # And when you wanted to buy something like a three piece suite , you went to somewhere like Bentalls and they took you into a little room , soon as you said to the man well I want to buy this on hire purchase and you went in to a little room and the man sat down and you filled in a long form . # You told him what your husband earned . # Erm what you , er what you could manage in the way of repayments what , er er you had to put one third of the full price down . # Yes . # Yeah you had to put one third of the full price . # So if a three piece suite cost say a hundred and fifty pounds , you had to put fifty pounds down . # And the , the hundred over over two years on , on interest . # You , you could not get into debt Brenda . # You were not allowed to . # Exactly . # Exactly . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # I know . # People have come to expect that . # Now you could do it in the nineteen seventies and er well yes I would say from nineteen sixty eight onwards with plastic card and revolv , what's called revolving credit . # You could just run up the credit . # I mean my , all my efforts after Christmas will be to get rid of these card debts . # I promised # Oh yes . # No . # Quite . # Quite . # I mean the only reason I'm I'm running up these debts is that now I've got so little capital left , that I've got to keep the capital for sheer disasters like the boiler . # And because you've got to pay that in cash . # Mm . # Yeah . # I mean I , I now will do no spending # No I had a fifty pound debt . # And when the er and I've now got what ? # Er three hundred . # Now that when , as soon as I get my cheque from the British Legion for two hundred , roughly . # I won't wait for the card , for the bill to come in for the card . # I shall send that off to Marks . # I won't wait for them to send to me . # Yeah . . # I don't know . # But they'll , they'll get their money tout suite . # No . # But they'll get their money . # No they'll just say payment , thank you . # And won't be quite so much . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Course it does . # Twenty three percent A P R . # It was , it was two it was something like two percent a month . # She must have a colossal debt . # I , I mean my five hundred pound limit on Marks was what I asked for . # I could have asked for far more . # They ask you # Mm . # Yeah . # They ask you what you want . # Yeah . # That's right . # Well do you know what my , did I tell you what my extension is , what happened with the Access . # When I got into money difficulties in Woking . # I simply phoned them and erm they put , they put it up so that I could buy things on Access that I could get , well I mean those were the days when I knew that you could sell a house like # just like that . # I didn't know that I was going to have to sell my house for twenty five thousand less than all my neighbours were selling at . # And I mean this is where you get caught . # Well I don't know what would have happened to me . # Couldn't have survived . # No . # Oh no . # Mm . # Oh Heath , yes . # On Heathlands Drive . # The # Remember the ? # Musical girl ? # That's ridiculous Brenda . # I know that if I wanted to come back here this is the time that I could do so . # I'm waiting until , I'm not thinking about the prices of anywhere until I've sold . # Because # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Well . # Houses are selling there . # Very very slowly . # But you do see the moving vans on the go . # Well I put mine on the market about ten week's ago . # I haven't had a look , I haven't had a nibble yet . # No it will be interesting , it will be interesting to see # Yes . # Interesting to see exactly where the prices settle down . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # You can , in Ipswich erm Paul was looking at the , at the property you know because he'd like to meet a girl and the two of them , he'd like to buy and he'd like to meet some girl who's already got perhaps er either a council flat or something . # He said that he and Karen could have , he said at the present prices he and this Karen that he's , that left him er they , they could have had erm a place together because some one bedroom flats , two bedroom flats around are going at thirty five thousand , thirty one . # Prices like that up in the Ipswich area . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # They , the building societies are worried about their repossessed houses . # They thought that it was going to be all easy . # I read this in the Telegraph . # They thought oh , easy we're going to # parcel them out amongst the estate agents . # And the estate agents don't want to know . # Because people don't want to buy a repossessed house . # For one thing they think it's unlucky . # And the second thing is that repossessed houses very very quickly begin to look dirty and battered . # And I mean I remember myself when I was a young girl that you used to walk along a road and you'd see houses that were going to rack and ruin . # And you see it's the central heating and the women opening and shutting doors and running round and keep # It's people who keep the houses going . # Ah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yes . # That's right . # Yes , yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # There should . # There should . # Even if it's even if people had sold their houses to the local council . # You see in in , on the continent they do not build council ghettos . # Li you know , like you lived in . # Where you walk in and think oh these must be council houses as you're driving through . # You , you find a house to rent that seems right for your about the price , perhaps a bit high but about right for your level of income . # And you go to the local housing agency er the , the council housing agency , and you get a grant to help you with your rent . # So that there aren't special council houses . # An any house could be a council house . # And it means that # No . # They can't but they , it should , it should have been possible for the councils to have I don't know it , it it seems I , I put it down , I remember walking up and down on the beach with John about eight weeks ago was it ? # He came to see me , it was before I had this illness er these two illnesses . # Or was it after the diarrhoea but before the two lovely colds ? # And we were walking up and down on the beach at Aldeburgh and the most interesting part of our conversation was that we were saying we both started out as not conservatives , I've never voted conservative in my life , but we started out as very loyal people . # British justice was marvellous . # British parliament was wonderful . # The queen is great . # And John said I now don't believe in anything . # I mean you're talking , you're talking about old middle class rather staid people . # And , you should be taping this . # You are ! # Don't mean any disloyalty . # Don't take me to the tower . # Erm but erm he was saying he now sees the weaknesses in and how , how pathetic are governments are . # I mean the poll tax Brenda ! # The poll tax ! # Ridiculous . # I have to Brenda . # I have no option . # I , I was # Well it makes me very bitter because the , this is the sort of thing that John and I we were going over one thing after the other . # We we were brought up to believe that if you didn't do the right thing you would be punished . # And people are getting away with it . # Course you have . # Well I don't know that it's that . # I think that people who are living in a fixed abode are paying in the end . # They're being taken to court and made to pay . # But it's people like my lodger . # Yes . # That makes me very angry . # Mm . # Well they are spending a fortune on hounding Paul . # They don't somebody # Well he , he left he was with Karen he came to me he left me and went down to Gloucester he dithered about running up and down the road between Gloucester and here er Stowmarket . # Erm not knowing where he was going to , to park his bottom . # And eventually , well I had a , I had a questionnaire letters were coming to him which I sent back because I , Paul had never told me where he lived in Gloucester . # And I they were addressed to him and they were from the council and I simply said , er wrote on the outside erm no longer here , address not known . # Which was true . # And then they sent me a questionnaire saying they understood that he'd he'd given my address , and was he res , was he still resident ? # And I said no . # Did I know his address ? # I said no . # Eventually an expensive chap , you're talking fifteen thousand a year , an expensive chap comes to interview me . # Oh indeed . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Ah ! # Yes , quite . # Quite . # Yeah , yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Well we were talking about the general lack of faith in governments # Oh yeah , yeah . # Suit comes along and sits there sipping coffee . # Takes about three quarters of an hour . # I , I don't say that it was like being grilled by the K G B he was most polite and courteous . # But he was going to find out where Paul was . # He was going to find out . # Mm ? # Well # Yes er somehow they , they'd , they'd got it , or was it or did I have to fill in a a census form just at the time when Paul was with me ? # When he happened to be with me . # They knew anyway . # They knew that he'd been here . # Er and I mean Paul wasn't trying to dodge anything . # Yes . # So er and god knows what it's costing them to collect . # Oh yes . # Not , not the full amount . # He pays the small amount and in fact I keep on meaning at the back of my brain to get hold of him and say has he been paying it . # Cos when , when he was down at Andy's Aerials I think he used to go on foot to the post office every week . # When he got his giro I think he used to pay then and there . # It's only about a pound eighty a week or something for him . # He was paying it and I must make sure that he is paying it . # Oh yes if it , it will be moi who has to foot the bill . # There's no question on that one . # They're not sure whether they're going to sell because er # Marginally , now that Shirley has got a job . # That # Well at the time they put it on the market we , we all three thought that it would be a good idea if , if both families sold up and moved into something smaller and perhaps moved near to each other # in Stowmarket . # But now I , I just don't think that's going to happen . # I , I don't , I honestly Brenda I don't know whether I'm going to come back down here . # Whether I'm going to move to Norwich . # Whether I'm going to stay in Stowmarket . # So to be truthful Brenda , I'm happier not thinking about it . # Exactly . # Er at the moment I'm , I mean I'm even thinking of , of redecorating my bedroom . # Well I have thought about that vaguely Brenda . # It'll all depend on what the situation is when I sell . # Mm . # That's right . # That's right . # But I , I don't know whether Dave has , I mean you see my friend Pam whose husband Steve is an airline pilot she knows quite a bit about this because Steve was an illegitimate child in London , in West Ham . # His mother was an office cleaner and she conceived Steve by a married man . # Erm a poor , working class man . # No question of a divorce and marriage , she just had to get on with it . # She was able to keep Steve because where she lived within the er there was a little coronet of little tatty houses that have since been pulled down and she was related to fifteen in fifteen out of the twenty two houses she had a relative . # So she could always dump the baby on somebody . # She'd got built-in babysitting facilities . # And Steve knows a lot about being poor . # And Pam said that Steve said to her that when he was at West Ham grammar school , boys grammar school everybody knew that the people who were best off were the council house people . # If you were in private accommodation you were noth , you were nothing like so well off . # You see I have lived in private rented accommodation with my mother in the late nineteen thirties . # Mm . # Yes . # And the trouble is that the , the , the English landlord has a name for being greedy . # And it , it wasn't very nice Brenda because landlords are entitled to inspect where you live . # Or they were . # Because it wasn't very comfortable . # You can't do exactly what you want in , in a rented place . # You can't go putting up shelves and things # You can't go putting up shelves . # If you put shelves on the wall in a rented house those those shelves immediately belong to the landlord . # That was the law then . # It may not be so now . # Yes . # But until recently there hasn't been a lot of rented accommodation . # And landlords have probably been quite pleased to get a decent tenant . # When my Mary-Ann had her rented rooms in Herne Hill they had the top floor of a of a three floor house . # And their landlord who was Polish was ever so delighted with them . # And he said , you know he talked to them and he said you can do whatever you like because Mary-Ann and Mitch were superior people . # They were going to keep the place clean . # They were going to keep it warm . # They weren't going to , to have wild parties . # Dave has got a point . # And the thought has crossed my mind . # And thank him very much for his idea and I will # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # But you see # Mm . # And you're at the mercy of the landlord putting the rent up Brenda . # I mean I know that people have been hit by the mortgage rise and of course in my lifetime I've never known anything like this . # Nobody has . # Yes . # And I'm glad of people's ideas because # Well my children are not worried about that . # No they're not . # They're not . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # No it wouldn't . # Very . # Very . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Quite . # Quite . # They don't want that . # They do not , no # Oh yes . # Mm . # No . # No . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Yes it does . # It it gives me an interest you know ? # No I don't . # I'd be glad to get rid of the great ox but I can't so there's an end of it . # And # It will s , it will sell . # I mean it's not as though I've bought a house which has got anything wrong with it . # It's not on top of a nuclear plant , it it's not next door to a pub . # It it hasn't got # It's a very sellable house yes . # No . # No . # No . # We're both # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # A house a house is only worth er what people will give for it . # I read many years ago that houses are part of the really the last true free market # where a willing buyer meets a willing seller . # It's on a house is only worth what somebody will give . # Mm . # The Grove is a mixture . # Some are semi's . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # I could I could buy at the moment # No . # Erm erm I'm keeping , I'm keeping my mind flexible . # The first the first firm offer I get now and let's put it like this . # I've put the , the estate agent has put a number on the house . # As far as he and I are concerned it's just a number . # And that is a hundred and two . # If somebody comes along and offers me ninety I shall say well what about ninety two ? # And they might say alright . # Because people are being encouraged to offer you silly prices . # But I shall say what about , I shall say to the estate agent how determined are these people to move ? # What's the man's situation ? # Has he got to move because of his job or # whatever ? # Having got a . # You can't er you can't . # I I must say Brenda , all this knocks years off my age . # Because it's so funny . # I'm old , I know I'm old and I can't do all the things that I used to be able to do . # But by golly I'm living as though I were a young woman . # All the erm imponderables , I mean when you're young you don't know quite where you're going to be or what you're going to do . # And I've got this with Neil . # The moment I get er over Christmas , I'm going to be finding out where are the training courses . # Mm . # Of course they are . # They've got to be . # They've got no option poor devils . # How strange # Yes . # It's lovely isn't it ? # Oh isn't this nice . # Oh I do like this . # Oh I like those flowers . # Here . # Oh # still around . # Keeping my eyes open for that sort of thing . # Ah ! # Where did you get that from ? # I'd love to go to Ikea . # Mm . # Mm . # When I've got dressed and tidied up I'll have a look at it . # Because I haven't it's ,y you're going to put that away for me aren't you ? # That black bag ? # That's a good idea . # Well I won't forget it tonight because , no I won't be wearing it will I , here ? # I shall wear it at Marge's . # Yes . # I like that outfit Brenda . # Yeah , quite . # Yeah . # It's a lovely colour . # Ah , no . # Here it is Brenda . # Oh . # Oh I thought that was it # that's mine , yeah tee hee . . # Mm . # I was gonna say # Could change that . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # No I er we , we'll have to start by asking as you say . # Find out what the system is . # Yes . # That's right . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Good idea . # Yes isn't it ? # That's er that's # What did I do with my glasses Brenda ? # I had them in my hand a moment ago . # Oh there they are . # Aha . # How nice . # Oh I love it Brenda . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Quite . # I don't like to throw them away without asking you . # No . # I'm going to have a little quick look at Ikea . # Oh oh . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # No . # No . # Yeah . # Lovely . # Oh good . # Re- , re-sand yeah . # You'll love it . # You'll love it . # Yes . # Yes . # I know . # I know . # Mm . # Yeah . # Oh # No . # Yeah . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah . # I know . # Ah I wish I could lift my carpet up . # I hate it . # But I must say the carpet looks better in the sitting room since # we took the colour down . # Mm . # Oh yes . # That's what I've got . # Yes . # Ah ! # What a lot of people are doing is they're not putting up rails but they're putting up a erm a border halfway up aren't they , or just not quite halfway up the wall . # Have you seen that ? # And perhaps with a different wallpaper below and above . # Yes . # I don't think that elegance is the main thing in my mind at the moment . # We need it . # Yes I shall . # Isn't it ? # Yes . # Oh . # No I haven't . # Mm . # Nice . # Oh . # Mm . # No you see I don't think normally people do . # But they do say as you grow older yes . # Cos your body isn't so efficient at processing the food you take in . # No but I might , I won't # keep it up for ever more . # But I thought I might have a a course of it . # A month's vitamins perhaps . # Just to top , make sure I'm topped up . # But this is a good idea . # These , these flakes . # Well they're they're made that way aren't they ? # They put them in . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Does she ? # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # They would . # Mm . # Oh no ! # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Nice . # Mm . # Marvellous . # I know . # I know . # Mm . # Mm . # Now what double glazing have you got ? # Is any of it double glazed ? # All of it ? # Mm . # So why why does it go down to very cold ? # Ah . # And you haven't got a radiator in here of course ? # Have you ? # I suppose it's too small # Mm . # Mm . # And yet you get cold ? # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Isn't that lovely ? # Mm . # Mm . # Who are they ? # What are they ? # Oh . # Mm . # Oh . # Mm . # There are lots of games on that aren't there ? # And did I see a er a game where you join things ? # Mm . # What nice # Mm . # Mm . # got a little # Mm . # Oh yes . # That's what I want for Neil . # Well I did want it . # At a time when he was lounging about in bed most of the time I would have loved a bed tray but I not think , I don't think I'm going to bother with one now . # For one thing he's gone off breakfast . # And I've gone off making it in the morning . # But that's an ideal thing that . # Only nine fifty . # Yes . # Yes . # No I mustn't , I mustn't buy any anyway . # Oh no dear , no . # Brenda . # I have got in my diary that I'm coming down to you on the twenty third of December ? # Is that right ? # Is that so ? # Right . # Is that okay with you ? # Right . # Right . # Mm . # That's right . # Yeah it won't be quite so I hope it won't be quite so bad on the M twenty five on the twenty third . # Ooh # All the last minute merchants will be on . # Mm . # Sorry . # Mm . # Oh yes . # What presents ? # The one on the card . # Oh . # What's that love ? # Oh yes . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Oh . # Thank you darling . # Ah . # I've got them here dear . # I was just taking these out to go and get some tissue for my nose I've # got sniffles . # Mm . # Yeah . # Like something in a fairy tale . # Yes . # Mm . # No . # That's right . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # I could have done with that on the wall in , on my landing . # Upstairs . # And people can # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Well your house does look lovely . # Erm you see you're used to it . # You don't see it . # Yeah . # Very . # Yeah . # You did them very well . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Oh yes . # mm . # I don't usually cough . # This is quite a novelty for me . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Right . # Yes . # No . # No . # Mm . # Mm . # Well . # Mm . # mm mm mm mm mm mm Mm I should think it would . # Mm . # Rather a noticeable slurp . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # At the last minute so that it doesn't go brown . # A shoe box would do it . # Yes . # Mm . # That's right and surround it with grass . # Mm . # Tell you what . # Moss is the answer . # Moss looks like miniature grass . # If you can find some moss and dig it up and it lasts longer . # It'll last . # No I haven't noticed any round here . # No . # Perhaps you don't . # Send you some from East Anglia . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # It's been a rum old Christmas . # I've never known a Christmas like this Brenda . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm # No quite . # Quite . # Mm . # Children . # No . # Some years ago in , in New York I think it was the stores were taking on father Christmases . # And they felt they were being exploited . # You know they were only being taken on for a couple of months and they , they wanted to form a trade union but quite a lot of the tra er father Christmases wouldn't join a trade union . # And eleven of them got involved in a fist fight in the middle of one of those New York streets . # It must have been a lovely sight . # Yes . # Er let me think . # Now what was the last thing I saw ? # I don't , I haven't watched many videos . # Erm I say that but of course Neil borrows Arnold Schwarzenegger videos and I watch a bit of those . # He is excellent . # But erm # How much is that ? # Might consider it . # Yes . # Might consider that . # Yes . # Erm but I haven't really watched any serious videos . # The last erm quality # Oh yes . # The last the last quality entertainment video that I watched was Pretty Woman but I didn't like it . # Did you ? # Mm . # Well she has a marvellously engaging personality . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Some of it was . # That was perfect . # And when she went back and she said er you didn't serve me yesterday . # No . # You made a mistake . # A big mistake . # Huge . # And she's got this enormous hat box do you remember ? # It irritated me a bit because what it what it was saying # what it , what it was saying was in effect that the woman er so long as she's free and and open sexually then she can have whatever she wants . # And of course A this is true # and we don't like it . # And B it isn't actually true at all because most , most men would simply exploit that in the situation she was in . # No . # No . # There was something # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yes . # Oh yes . # Yes it was crude but # It's the it's the Toshiba gallery . # It's wonderful Brenda you ought to go there . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Ah ! # Oh ! # Oh he looks nice . # Yes . # Mm . # Oh yeah lovely . # I see . # That is a nice photo isn't it of youngsters ? # Very and a n and a nice occasion when they're # And their dates of birth and the day that you took the photo and where it was . # Because in ten years time you it's surprising how you forget . # That's a very good memento . # Yes and that's a helper yes . # The mother of somebody I expect . # I know . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh . # Isn't it amazing ? # Yes . # Well at various times in my life I've come back to Kingston and I first of all used to see peo girls who were at school with me . # And now I see girls women who are obviously the daughters who er of girls who were at school with me . # I'm just waiting until I see the granddaughters dear and then I shall say right ! # Ready for the old ladies home . # Yeah . # Mm . # Oh yeah , yeah mm . # Oh gosh . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh no . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Yeah yeah yeah . # Ah funny . # Yes . # Ah . # Ooh yes ! # Ah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Oh yes . # You do . # And faces . # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # How's Marisa ? # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Quite right . # No . # No . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # No . # Course not . # Course not . # Oh she did the wise thing . # For Marisa's sake . # Mm . # Mm . # That's right . # Yes . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes I think so . # I think so . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm . # How old are you now , Carla ? # Ah . # Amazing . # Goodness . # Brenda I've probably done it all wrong . # I've just shoved the pots into the dishwasher . # Yes . # Oh I'll bet . # Blimey ! # What shall what what do you think of doing ? # What what about the Quarry one ? # I don't know erm . # It's a bit out of the Town . # It's where we've just come up er but you turn left . # It seems to be moving pretty fast . # There's some movement . # Yes yeah . # A bit of excitement there . # Moving . # Mm # You're not allowed # Yeah . # That's flats home I wouldn't like to live above a car park . # Would you ? # Everybody else had the same idea . # Christmas shopping . # Oh erm totally . # Totally out of the question . # Hm mm mm . # No no no . # No . # Yes yes . # Yes yes . # Yeah # And especially if they planned to go somewhere else today . # One's gone in . # Oh ha ha ha . # Right . # Yeah # Hm hm mm . # Yeah yeah . # The keep clear space yes yeah yeah # No . # On the outside ? # Yeah # How do you get to the downstairs bit Brenda ? # Do you know ? # Oh I know . # I know . # Yeah . # I'm keeping my head swivelling from side to side to see if I can spot a space # Yeah . # Hm mm mm mm . # Oh my goodness me yes # Mm mm # Oh yes . # Well you think so anyway . # Is there anybody behind us ? # Oh goodness the window's stuck . # Still I think she gave you the sign for we are going out . # Yes . # They won't # They won't Brenda because if they did I would be opening the window or door and telling them exactly their fortune . # Yeah # Hm That's beautifully done Brenda . # Lovely lovely parking . # Yeah # Let's let's have plenty . # Yeah . # What do you think it comes to ? # It is as I remember it yes . # Have a have a another twenty . # Have another twenty . # Sorry that's a one er a ten # You think so ? # Mm . # Hm hm . # Oh . # Mm . # Yes yes . # Brenda ! # Nip down and get some # When you're trying to keep track of so many things aren't you ? # Somewhere in my house I've lost a twenty pound note . # Mm # Tip it all out on the table Brenda . # er . # Er # Mm . # Shall I take some of it ? # Mm . # Oh it's a shop . # I was wondering what's that up there . ? # Mm I don't think I ate a lot of them . # Very . # When you're expecting jam and it turns out to be marmalade it's quite a shock . # It's marmalade . # I think it is . # It's very sharp Yeah thick cut marmalade . # No . # She knows ? # No . # It came out . # Mm mm . # Mm mm . # I mean your mother tries to torment you . # Yeah . # Hm hm # Hm mm . # Hm . # Hm . 's furniture is very much more practical than a lot of the traditional stuff that's sold in the shops at vast expense isn't it ? # Mm mm . . # Mm mm . # Hm . # I was just thinking . # Returning from Stone Market . # I had a taxi at twenty past nine . # I arrived at the station in good time for the train but I didn't have to wait more than three or four minutes and I was in London at ten to eleven . # That's not bad going is it ? # At Liverpool Street . # That was the next bit . # Yeah . # Journeys are funny . # You'd think because we live on you know Woking is on top of us but it's but it I notice that it was quite you know a time . # By the time we sat down here I thought well considering that we came in by car door to door practically and that when the driving wasn't public transport it it's taken quite a time to get into # Mm mm mm . # Yes yes strange isn't it ? # Mm . # Hm . # Mm mm . # Now unless you're out with your husband I can't see the point of bringing your baby out on Christmas shopping # Mm . # mm mm . # Yeah My preferred option would be to leave the chap at home with the baby . # That's what I did when Ann was small But then Jerry wasn't interested in shopping anyway . # He quite liked to leave it to me . # Hm hm hm . # Mm . # Yes That's engaged to . # He loved shopping . # Woolworths Marks and Spencers Discount Stores all the absolutely . # Oh I don't know . # I have only met him twice . # By the operation of sod's law I wouldn't mind betting that this nice old man will turn out to be a lovely companion and will treat me as I like men to treat me . # With great respect and kindness and fun and then I will sell the house and the great # Mm # No . # What was he coming over for ? # Oh yes of course . # Mm . # Oh yes # Yes I have made it . # It's easy . # Hm . # Yeah # I said fivish . # That was right wasn't it ? # Hm . # Mm . # Mm . # Yes I in with the Debs card yes . # You'll find your Debs Card . # This is the one isn't it ? # Connect Card ha ha ha ha . # It's my ability to leave lose these things is is wonderful . # Matchless . # You got that for # Mm . # That's marvellous # Yes . # Yes it is . # Mm . # You don't like to ask them # Yes yes # When I have been entertaining Shirley and Terry Jones doing an evening meal on a Saturday or a Sunday and sometimes both to help Shirley when she was getting into the run of going back to work I found that one of the cheapest of dinner party deserts was lemon meringue pie . # And everybody likes it . # Mm . # Mm . # And to take the hex off it I grate the lemons the day before and wrap the grated rind in cling film . # Mm . # That's right I No . # Hm ? # I don't know what they'll have . # You see Mary Ann and Mitch are vegetarian # Oh I think so . # Yes I think it's going to be a proper family Christmas . # Then that would be awful . # I could have done with saving some . # I would've liked to have looked after me and kept an eye on the rest with Paul . # Yes . # Everybody . # Yes . # Mm mm mm . # You mean as it is ? # I think that Neil was a bit of a sensitive area . # You know I'm I'm spending money and time on him that really I suppose in theory I would be spending on my own grandchildren . # However I take the attitude that in modern times people don't people are not obliged # to feel by duty as it were that they ought to take notice of their immediate family . # John and Maryanne are capable of financially supporting themselves . # So I don't worry about the money aspect . # And in every other way psychologically emotionally morally they are able to look after themselves . # Neil isn't . # Mm . # It is true . # Mm . # You found it so . # Mm mm . # No no . # Mm mm . # It is one of the great arguments for the old fashioned sort of religion . # Which you could turn you could legitimately turn to people and say why are you leaning on me so hard for all this support ? # You ought to be reading your bible saying your prayers going to church and getting in touch with the boss . # That's why I laughed when they were said Terry Waite would need counselling . # I bet that Terry Waite was praying his head off and he'd memorised masses of the bible which he would be reciting to himself probably said he thought two o'clock every afternoon I'll remember what I can of Book of Isaiah you know . # I don't suppose he needed any counselling . # He'd do better counselling other people . # Yes yes . # voluntary bit . # Beautiful stuff isn't it ? # In East Anglia people either in the on their pub lunches they either throw themselves on to that or on to treacle pudding . # Or # only bread and butter pudding with custard or chocolate ho ho ! # We've really eaten East Anglia # No . # He looks nice . # Mm . # Yes . # Yes Hm mm # Oh yes . # Well men's the fabrics of men's clothing is better stronger . # Because men feel cold more . # I mean they can wear if you think about it they wear suits in the middle of summer where we're into sleeveless linen dresses . # Erm and er the colours for men by tradition are much I think they're much subtler Hm . # My I hope they reopen at Bernie . # This isn't too bad actually but and I hope you know # It's done done as well enough but I do prefer a Bernie . # Oh yes . # Lovely person . # I wonder if they have come up against a rapacity of the of the rates . # No no . # Yes . # Mm . # What have we got to do next ? # And I must make a real effort to find one of these machines that's working . # Mm . # They were miserable in Debenhams . # mm . # We'll have skip back Maureen winter tights . # Mm . # Thank you yes . # And that . # The heavy doing them justice . # No I think that they'll probably go down to the Mum and # No . # There aren't any people where they are . # No . # They are next door neighbours who I think are very nice but I don't think that Jackie and Nev have a lot in common with . # That's one house that adjoins them and then a little further on it's a lane . # It's about as wide as this Brenda . # It's called Fenn Lane # And it's in between St Mary and Needham market . # About a between ten and fifteen minutes drive I suppose . # Ten minutes perhaps . # No . # Yes and she phoned me and she said I feel as though I dropped out of the bottom of the world she said . # You know I just don't see anybody . # Well of course you're working on Monday . # You see she used to have Mondays to herself and I would often go round on a Monday afternoon and we could we could talk . # But that's gone and I said I can't run in at half past five when you get home from school and chat to you because Nev will be coming at six and I don't want to be there all that often when he's there erm it's just you know it's just happened . # And I also thought to myself and I'm probably going to move a lot further away than Fenn Lane . # No . # She can with a true friend . # I'm very sorry for her because I think she and Nev have made a really a quite ferocious mess of their lives . # Nev never intended to be slaving away doing kitchen fitting . # He wanted to wood sculpture that was his idea in # Yes yes . # He's on the gallop and he looks very old and worn . # Mm . # And she never wanted to return to full time teaching . # It's providential for her that she's got a job that she's very good at and that she enjoys . # In an extremely nice school . # And my handkerchief such as it is if she is no . # I'll have to go to the loo or something to get some paper I shan't worry about . # Such a perishing bore Oh bless you thank you very much . # Hm mm . # That's right and who knows . # When we go into Smith's in Woking I've got myself # Yeah . # I'm amazed . # Yeah . # And I really feel like going back putting my feet up and chatting to you a bit more because we haven't chatted enough have we ? # Yes . # We haven't chatted enough # Oh I couldn't have done a quarter of it . # I couldn't have a quarter of it . # I'd have dithered and I'd have got tired and I'd gone off of # That's right I'll do it again and I'll have another go at it . # I think it makes a very big difference knowing that # Oh it was well worth # Oh it was well C # Yeah it was within you budget and you've done the lot . # I went over budget but then I expected I would . # Cause for one thing I was buying for more . # But I remember when you said that that last year # And I think the year before years before I've had something like forty or thirty five . # In what you might call quiet years . # Mm . # And it pays to travel about You see the problem with Jackie and Nev is always been that they can't believe that you can get things in a place like W H Smiths that will that will do very nicely as a Christmas present . # They tend to go always to the top of the # Oh yes yes . # They go a a Medici shop or Athena or whatever and they're looking at the best . # See Mary Ann and Mitch are giving up on erm buying Christmas presents because she says you're buying things for people and they everybody's therefore I think that tokeny things are the best . # And that's what I've bought this year . # Tokeny things # They're buying disposable presents like giving theatre vouchers and erm I don't know what else but she said disposable things that people can have some fun with . # And what I'm giving is just something nice in the spirit of Christmas but it hasn't broken my bank or my back . # No no you can't # Mm mm yeah . # I don't think that even though by next year I would be a bit better of in the sense that I should have sold my house bought something cheaper and have some capital invested so that I have a little extra monthly income . # I should be living in some where that's cheaper to run . # Oh I wouldn't mind but I wouldn't marry anybody # Mm mm on and off . # You don't know do you ? # You don't know . # Well I would . # I I mean I intend to keep my own roof whatever . # Neil can be in it and look after it . # Yes erm but I don't think I'll ever again buy expensive Christmas presents in the way that I did in the past . # Spending forty and fifty pounds a head on # for mm # Yes . # No I can't er I can't think of myself as doing that again . # Yes . # Mm . # No no it isn't . # Mm . # home people Brenda and I thought Guildford between us . # Yesterday we bought Camberley . # Oh yes . # A bit cold . # Oh yes ! # Oh I know . # The time consumed in getting it all in . # Yes . # Mm . # Yes . # That's right . # Erm I can't It'll come to me # I've only got this one . # I had a cream one and it got wrecked by going I think Neil put it in the wash with one of his black T-shirts . # It came out all # It is . # It's very soft and easy to wear and # Well I don't know erm they're warm . # They are warm and but it's colour I don't know whether I perhaps if I saw cream again this year I might buy it but erm I'm not sure that I want to when this deep orangy colour . # I bought a red one in a different style but the same sort of fabric in Benthalls . # Do you remember ? # When I bought that black and white check skirt # I bought a red blouse # Yes but the sleeve the wrong side . # I'm picking the sleeve head and trying to get it together . # And I would have got it together if I'd had time had gone out to work instead of for days on end being unemployed and sitting and telling me about Karen . # Honestly Brenda you pay for being nice . # Of course he does . # He goes over and over yeah . # Doesn't listen to a word I say . # Like the woman's no good Of course I told some things about Wendy . # But it really made yet more hair fall off the top of his bald head . # I said fairly bluntly . # I said look a working woman needs a working man to help support herself and her children . # I said no nobody is going to be able these days woman not be able to support herself on twenty hours a week which is what Karen does putting out bread in the Asda . # She's the original one . # No . # It was Michelle who was coming around with the baby . # And I found two pairs of Michelle's knickers after that and I didn't know what I shou . # Now I don't know how they managed this dear because she was coming round in the day with little Donna with her and I was around and there you are you see . # Indeed love will find a way . # Anyway erm I said to him look . # A women needs a man to support her . # I said mark the chap that she's got at the moment is taking her out to discos and things and she'll find that he doesn't really want to kick in and help to support her . # I said she she might well come back to you . # I said she's tried to keep you on a string just in case she didn't land the next fish . # He looked horrified . # You know as far as he's concerned it's all love and glamour . # Well I think that she was trying to keep him dangling so that she'd have somebody to fall back on if she didn't land another man . # She is now . # She is now yes . # She's now carrying on . # Erm he's seen the man going in and out of the house . # She's told him that she's got this other man . # Yes . # Well there is another man and she has told Paul that frankly she's lapping up the attention . # He's taking her out for meals and they're having a good time together you know . # Quite strange but as soon as he's paid for for the goods and got the goods the chap's going to go off looking for another . # Yes . # Cause he doesn't want to stay with her . # But I've told Paul that if he goes back to Karen and you know takes some his things out . # Then he takes all of his things out and himself and he never comes back . # I've had this twice and each time it's been upheaval because he's got a lot of goods which had to moved in shoe horned in moved peoples belongings out of one cupboard into another . # And the second time round it's been perfect for him because he bought from Karen's house the Hoover and the saucepans and everything that was his . # Everything that belonged to him . # But he said that before I said why was Michelle able to come in between you and Karen . # He said well Karen had been getting moody . # He said Karen is getting . # Paul is boring . # She's told Paul that he's boring . # What Paul needs is this little girl who doesn't care whether a man's a bit boring . # He is . # He is . # quietness and # Yes yes yes He's a pleasant enough chap . # Yes . # But he is not erm a playboy . # He's not going to spend money on like Pete was forever buying Pam cheap jewellery from Ratners and erm things of that nature . # Well she tells me that she's going to throw Shaun out because Shaun is boring er dun put er Shaun she has no respect for she says because he hasn't got a job . # He won't get a job he won't work . # And she said to me what did I think of the idea of taking Pete back . # Once they were properly divorced taking him back just as er a lover . # And I said that sounds to me to be a very good idea . # I said then you're not at his mercy because anybody to whose at Pete's mercy will suffer . # He's got a very nasty streak . # He's got a nasty snide way of putting things . # Oh yes nasty . # Oh he adores her . # Oh yes he wants her back . # And I said she said I you see I know him . # I said there's a lot to be said for a chap that you inside out know his ways and how to cope with them but never ever put yourself at his mercy by marrying him . # And the house will be hers you see when they're properly divorced . # It will be in her name . # So if he starts coming the old soldier she can bung him out . # Oh yeah I went guarantor for that . # No no she managed I told her on pain of death not to tell Pete that I was backing # erm cause otherwise he would of sat back and said oh Jean can pay that . # But she knew that in the last resort that if he did win that I would do it but he's he's paid off now . # As soon as he paid off he went on the dole again . # He's quite a gypsy you know he looks like a gypsy . # Did you meet him ? # Oh ! # Plausible rogue . # Is it ? # No ? # Oh you're going right oh yes you haven't got your right no . # I thought perhaps that the hooting was # No . # Something . # You might yet . # Oh yes # Mm # Is that a Bernard or one that you happen to know of ? # Mm mm . # Yeah # Yeah . # I think a cup of tea don't you ? # Well we'll see how we go . # I don't think I've got anything more to get actually except er # And for Jackie if I see it . # Dave's book . # Yes I'm sure that's going to be straight forward . # Book for Jackie not quite so straight forward . # I'd actually I don't think I'll get a book for Jackie because I will be honest with you she has so much reading to do for her English teaching and drama . # Ah-h-h ! # No . # Ah-h-h ! # Ah-h-h ! # No . # That's right . # Oh the . # That's Chinese isn't it ? # And kimono for the Japanese . # And a sash round the middle # The obi . # Oh yes That's Japanese . # Ooh ! # Mm # Oh how nice . # No , no that's right . # Yes , he's alright , well I don't suppose he's alright , but he's , he's staggering on you know in the way that # Yeah . # Marg keeps me informed , she said she meets Jo in the town and they exchange a few words with them # She's writing a children's book , erm , well she's written one , and it's going around to the publishers and she's written or she's writing a second . # She is a , a fanatical gardener she goes and visits friends throughout the year , Marg has got her life well settled , yes . # It's falling off . # Just as I predicted it would , it's falling off . # She's happy you see . # I think so , yes . # Doesn't say much about him cos he lives in Barnslow and only comes over occasionally that he can sort things out on the . # I rather think that he still lives in and as Marg said coyly to me one year , he had given her a lovely little candle in a special little bowl with , with water # safety candle , but it was very pretty , it's from Marks & ; Spencers and she said er your candle has , has just give up the rights of last night . # Yes # No # We won't be very long . # Yeah , quite , quite , yes . # Where do you come from then ? # Oh yes , yes . # That's an effort . # Yes . # Mm , there used to be the Cardoma almost opposite here , it was an enormous cafe downstairs and an upstairs , and when that went there was nothing to replace it # Yes , I'm just , just scrobbling about Brenda to see where I've put my purse . # You sure ? # Right , and I , I must get to the Nationwide . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # Mm mm , mm # Mm , it is nice # Mm . # No I've always liked the in Woking , I've always liked that for a little snack . # Mm they were different now but I always used to like it . # Obviously # I knew you'd like it # He's enjoying it his karate . # Mm # Oh yes # Is it ? # He's an orange belt I think at the moment . # I think its white , yellow , orange , green , I think he's orange , I think he's next one is green , I can't quite remember . # Oh yes , he wants eventually to have his own group and I'm encouraging him . # Mm , mm # Yes , he did reasonably well , he hasn't done anything outstanding but he , he's , he's done better . # Mm , mm . # Mm Neil found the # Oh yes and they said that's a good school for # Mm # No . # Mm , what was he coming over for ? # Oh yes of course . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Mm , mm # Yes I have made it , mm , its easy . # Mm , yeah # I said fiveish , that was right wasn't it ? # Mm # Mm . # Mm # Yes I # Yes # I did , yes . # Its a question of finding card # This is the bill isn't it ? can I have the card ha , ha , ha , ha , , my ability to leave , loose these things is , is wonderful , # Mm , that's marvellous , so it should of been a hundred and forty five . # Yes , it is . # Mm . # You don't like to ask do you ? # Mm . # Yes , yes When I have , have been entertaining Shirley and Terry , doing an evening meal on a Saturday or a Sunday , sometimes both to help Shirley when she's getting into the run of going back to work I found that one of the cheapest of dinner party deserts is lemon meringue pie # everybody likes it . # Mm . # Mm and to take the I grate the lemon the day before and wrapped the grated rind in cling film . # Mm . # That's right darling . # No , hope not # Mm ? # I don't know what there'll have , you see Naomi and Mitch are vegetarian # Oh I think so , yes , I think it's going to be a proper family Christmas # Oh that would be awful . # I could of done the same at home , I would of liked to have looked after Neil and kept my own electric # Yes , everybody , yes . # It's fairly typical though isn't it one year you # could do with # staying around you mean . # I think that Neil is a bit of a sensitive area . # You know , cos I'm , I'm spending money and time on him that really has those in theory I would be spending on my own grand children , however , I take the attitude that in modern times , people don't , people are not obliged # To feel , by duty as it were , that they ought to take notice of their immediate family , John and Maryann are capable of financially supporting themselves , so I don't worry about the money aspect and in every other way physiologically , emotionally , immorally they , they are able to look after themselves Neil isn't . # Mm , this is true . # Mm . # You found it so ? # Mm , mm . # No , no . # Mm , mm its one of the great arguments from the old fashioned sort of religion , that you could turn , you could definitely turn to people and say why are you leaning on me so hard , for all this to fought , you ought to be reading your bible , saying your prayers , going to church and getting in touch with the boss why I laughed when they were saying that Terry Waite would need counselling , I bet that Terry Waite was praying his head off and he'd memorised masses of the bible which he would be reciting to himself probably set himself two o'clock every afternoon , I remember what I can , book of you know I don't suppose he'd needed any counselling , he'd probably do better counselling other people . # Yes , yeah . # Beautiful stuff isn't it ? # Mm . # In East Anglia , people either in , eh , on their pub lunches there , how they throw themselves onto that , all on too treacle pudding . # Or home made # bread and butter pudding with custard or death by chocolate . # We really eat in East Anglia # No , she looks nice . # Yes . # Mm # Mm , mm do you buy Dave's clothes for him ? # Oh yes , they # Well , men , the fabrics of men's usually better , stronger # because men feel cold more , I mean they can wear , if you think about it they were suits in the middle of summer where were into sleeveless # Erm , and , er , the colours for men by tradition are much , I think are much subtler mm . # Well I hope they re-open the Bernie , this isn't too bad actually , but , I like , you know # it's done , done us well enough , but I do prefer a Bernie . # Oh yeah # Lovely , girl # yes . # I wonder if they have , come up against the rapacity of the , of the rates . # No , yes , yeah yes # Paynes # What have we got to do next ? # And I must make a real effort to find one of these machines that's working . # Mm # Mm . # They were miserable in Debenhams . # Mm . # Mm . # Maureen winter tights # Mm # Thank you , yes . # And that , thank you . # A heavy cold will stop me doing them justice # No , I think that there'll probably go down to the mum and slept there # No . # There aren't any people where they are . # Well , there are next door neighbours , who I think are very nice , but I don't think that Jackie and Ned got a lot in common with them that's ,tha that's one house that adjoins them and then a little further on , its a lane , its about as wide as this Brenda . # Its called Fen , Fen Lane # and its in between Creeping St . Mary and . # About erm , between ten and fifteen minutes drive I suppose , ten minutes perhaps . # No . # Yes , and she phoned me and she said I feel as though I dropped out of the bottom of the world she said , you know , I just don't see anybody , I said well of course you were working on Mondays , you see she used to have Mondays to herself and I would often go round on a Monday afternoon and , we , we could talk , but that's gone and I said I can't run in at half past five when you get home from school and chat to you because Ned will be coming home at six and I don't want to be there all that often when he's there erm its you know , its just happened and I also thought to myself and I'm probably going to move a lot further away then Fen Lane . # No . # To tell you the truth Brenda , I'm very sorry for her because I think that she and Ned have made a really a quite ferocious mess of their life , they've never intended to be slaving away to be doing kitchen fitting , he wanted to do wood sculpture that was he's idea in # yes , yes , he's on the gallop and looks very old and worn # Mm and she never wanted to return to full time teaching , its , its for her that she's got a job that she's very good at and she enjoy , in an extremely nice school . # such as it is if she is , no , I have to go to the a loo or something get some paper , I shan't worry about them , such a . # Oh bless you , thank you very much , I knew I had a # Mm , mm . # that's right , and who knows that when we go into Smiths in Woking it might not be so busy # we might see something for # Jackie , mm # Yeah . # Amazing . # No , but I really feel like going back and putting my feet up and chatting to you a bit more , cos we haven't chatted enough have we ? # Yes , we haven't chatted enough . # , oh . # Oh , I couldn't have done a quarter of it . # Yeah . # I think I've done a quarter of it # I'd dithered , and I'd got tired and I'd gone off and been # That's right do it again , oh I have another go at it . # Oh I could have spent the whole week , I just , I just , I could of spent five afternoons in Ipswich , would of done or Norwich # I think it makes a very big difference knowing that the # without having to think too hard . # Oh it was well # Yeah , its within your budget and you've done well , I went over budget , but then I expected I would , because for one thing I was buying for more . # No . # I didn't , but I remember when you said that , that last year when I counted up # With the er , erm , was it years before that I've had something like forty or thirty five # in , what you might call quite years # Mm . # Well it pays to tramp around you see the problem with Jackie and Len has always been that they cannot believe that you can get things in a place like W H Smith that will , that will do very nicely as a Christmas present , they tend to go # always to the top of the # You know , they , they yes , yes they go to the Madechie shops and Athena or whatever and there looking at the best , and you can't afford it See Maryann and Richard are given up on erm buying Christmas presents because she says your buying things for people they don't really want , everybody , therefore I think tokeny things are the best , and that's what I've bought this year . # Tokeny things # there buying disposable presents , like giving theatre vouchers and erm I don't know what else , but she said disposable's things that people can have some fun with # Mm and what I'm giving is just something nice in the spirit of Christmas , but it hasn't broken my bank or my back # No , no you can't # Mm , mm , mm # yeah # Mm # Yes , yes I don't think that on our next buy , what with the next year I would be a bit better off in the sense that I should have sold my house , bought something cheaper and have some capital invested so I have a little extra monthly income , I should be living in somewhere that's cheaper to run # Oh I wouldn't marry him Bre , I wouldn't marry anybody Brenda # Don't know # don't know don't know # Well I would I , I mean I kept to keep my own # whatever your , your in it , and look after it , yes , erm well I don't think I'll ever again buy expensive Christmas presents in the way that I did in the past . # Spending forty and fifty pounds ahead on # Mm , yeah . # Yes , no I can't erm , I can't think of myself as doing that again . # Yeah . # Mm . # No , no it isn't # Yesterday we bought , yeah # Where ? , my goodness # Oh yes . # Oh no # the time consuming , getting it all in . # Yes . # Mm . # , erm do you think erm # It'll come to me # I've only got this one , I had a cream one and it got wrecked by going , I think Neil put it in the wash with one of his black tee shirts , and # it came out all purple bluey # it is , its very soft and easy to wear and . # Well I don't know , erm , # they are warm , er , but its colour , I don't know whether I perhaps I , if I saw cream again this year I might buy it , but erm , I'm not sure that I want erm there's this deep red , because I've , I've bought a red one in a different style , same sort of fabric , its very do you remember ? , when I bought that black and white checked skirt I bought a red # blouse # trying to get it together and I would of got it together if I for being nice # Doesn't listen to a word I say , like , the women's no good cos I told some things about which would really made yet more of his hair fall of the top of his bald head , I said I said look , a working women needs a working man to help support herself and her children , I said , er no , nobody is going to be able these days , a woman not going to be able to support herself on twenty hours a week , which is what Karen does , putting out bread in the Asda . # She's the original one # no , it was Michelle that was coming round with the baby # and I found two pairs of Michelle's knickers after that , I didn't know what , now I don't know how they manage this year because , she was coming round in the day with little Donna with her and I was around , there you are , you see , these , they , they will love and find a way , anyway , erm , I said dear look , a woman needs a man to support her I said mark my words when the chap that she's got at the moment is taken her out to disco's and things , she'll find that he doesn't really want to kick in and help to support her . # I said she , she might well come back to you I said she's tried to keep you on a string just in case she didn't land the next dish he looked horrified , you know , as far as he's concerned its all love and glamour . # Well I think that she was trying to keep him dangling so that she had somebody to fall back on if she didn't land another man . # Why she's landed # She is now , she is now yes , she's now carrying on . # Erm his sleeping she's told him that she's got this other man # Yes , well there is another man and she's told Paul frankly she's lapping up the attention , he's taking her out for meals and their having a good time together you know , why its great , but as soon as he's paid for , for the goods and got , got the goods , the chaps going to go off looking for another . # yes , he doesn't want to stay with her , but I've told Paul that if he goes back to Karen and take some of his things out , then he takes all of his things out and himself and he never comes back # I've had this twice and each time its been , its been other people , because his got a lot of goods people's belongings out of one cupboard into another and the second time round there's been purgatory because he brought Karen's house , her hoover and the saucepans and everything that was his , everything that belonged to him but he said that before , I said why was Michelle able to jumped in between him and Karen , he said well Karen had been getting moody , and he said Karen was getting bored , Paul is boring , she's told Paul that his boring boring . # He is . # he is # yes # yeah # yes . # He's a pleasant enough chap # yes , but he is not erm a playboy , he's not going to spend money on like Pete was forever buying Pam cheap jewellery from Ratners and rubbish from that nature . # Well , she tells me that she is going to throw Shaun out because Shaun is boring , er , Don put her , Shaun she has no respect for she says because he hasn't got a job , he won't get a job , he won't work , and she said to Lee what did I think of the idea of taking Pete back , once they were properly divorced take Pete back just as a lover and I said that sounds to me to be a very good idea , I said then your not at his mercy because anybody who's at Pete's mercy will suffer , his got a very nasty streak , his got a nasty snide way of putting things . # Oh yes , nasty . # Oh he adores her , oh yes he wants her back , and I said , she said , I , you see , I know him , I said there's a lot to be said for a chap that you know inside , know his ways and know how to cope with them , but I said never ever put yourself at his mercy , I'm marrying him , and the house will be hers , you see , when there properly divorced it'll be in her name so if he starts coming the old soldier , she can bung him out . # Well I , I went guarantor for that . # No , no she managed , I told her on pain of death not to tell Pete that I was backing # erm cos otherwise he would of sat back and said oh Jean can pay that . # But she knew that in the last resort if he did I would do it , but he's , he's paid off now as soon as he'd paid off he went on the dole again # He's quite a gipsy you know , he looks like a gipsy , did you meet him ? # Oh plausible rogue . # Forward , is it ? , no . # Oh your going right # oh yes you haven't got , your right , no , I thought perhaps that hooting was er # No , somebody got # You might yet . # Oh yes . # Mm # Is that a or , or one that you happen to know off ? # Oh . # Mm , mm . # Mm , mm # Yeah # Yeah I think a cup of tea don't you ? # Well we'll see how we go . # I don't think I've got anything more to get actually except a # If I see it . # Dave's book , yes I'm sure that's going to be straight forward , book for Jackie not quite so straight forward . # I'd , actually I don't think I'd get a book for Jackie because I will be honest with you she has so much reading to do for her English teaching and drama # Ah # No . # Ah . # Ah . # No , that's right , that's right # Mm # that's Chinese isn't it and the kimono for the Japanese and her a a sash # round the middle ? # Oh yes , that's , that's Japanese . # Mm . # Mm # Ooh . # Mm # How nice # That goes underneath the lip , I though I'd done that . # Ah that bit goes under , ah . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm # Mm , mm . # Mm Where do you want to put that ? # How much do we need ,got a pound . # Right , good idea . # Yeah . # Well , the thing I mainly notice when last week when Paul was home , not last week , the week before last I had Paul solidly at home , he moved himself entirely in lock , stock and barrel at the weekend , he was then with me waiting for his job and he went out every day and did little bit's of shopping for me , got him from under my feet , saved me money , cos I was only buying what I absolutely needed , and the amount of time that I had , I mean I was able to go out for the whole day with Peggy on Wednesday , I was able to get food prepared and , admittedly I didn't manage to get as much done as I thought I was going to do , but then I think that's with most people in life , # but , not to have to drag out in the car to the solar and buy food in the supermarkets # Oh it was glorious I made a note to myself actually , that I'm only going to go out once a week for a proper shop , from a list , in the solar and the rest of the time I'm going to go to the quite expensive little Robber's Roe , round the corner from me . # You can't . # Well yes , I do a lot of that , mm , yes . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # Yeah , yeah I hate people who park on the ramp and causes to put yourself to a hill start , they are a # The automatic , yeah . # Yes . # Neil of course is doing the male macho bit , oh yes it's , all very nice driving the automatic , but I like gears really , yeah . # Oh yes . # Gerry was taught to drive in nineteen forty six in the States , where they , they gone , they'd gone over to total automatic , and he despised manual gears , thought they were a ridiculous waste of time and effort , said you want to concentrate on the , on the road , not on the car , but then you see Gerry improved himself , he was a # yeah , he was a Squadron Leader he was Squadron Leader , being engaged in combat he done the lot , he didn't need to prove that he was male . # with our parking and aren't we ? # Like , yeah . # Yeah , erm , also , erm , # Oh , but we did get everything . # Got something for everybody now . # And once you've done that , you've got spare time and spare money you can buy extra , but come , come down to it Brenda , once the Christmas Day is over # does anybody remember particularly what they were given , or make a great deal about it , of a meal of it , unless you've given them something absolutely outstanding like a fur coat , I remember the fur coat I was given in # Well exactly . # some old man , they are the worse you know . # Ah , perhaps a beginner # Mm . # God in heaven # Mm . # Mm . # Yeah . # We've only gone through six tapes today . # , it's quite good . # When we went to John Lewis's in , in High Wycombe , they got some cheap fabrics on in lace or , or fine material , and you know I very much now regret not getting some , because I want to dress up , remember I had a , a lace cover , a fitted lace cover on my kitchen table # in one of the bedrooms a lacy do you remember that ? # Had a fitted cupboard full . # Mm # I know . # Yes , oh . # That's why I'm so thankful that I'm on the reading and that I like sewing , I like walking and I've made some very nice friends within easy walking distance , I can go out and have a coffee with them , because I , while I'm recovering from the agony's of from the finance # I can do all those nice things in Jan , Feb and March , and not to mention when I get home tearing my garden to pieces , that's gone to pot , which is as well , because it doesn't make it , see , see one thing I find about coming down here , I see the really smarter shops than I would unless I were in Norwich and it makes me realise still after this , I don't crave for the things in shops . # Yes , yes , yes . # I won't be the only person from East Anglian that's come down to London over the weekend to shop ,to stay with relatives or friends and take advantage of London's shopping . # Oh yes , it's a busy line , always . # There's an extra # Yes , I , I mean you can't carry all # that's right . # Oh yes it was . # Mm . # Mm . # And when that's right , but when , when we went on our clothes buying jaunt , we could go back to the car # in the boot . # Yes , yes . # Well the only , my next visit to London will be for fabric from Liberties # Yes , yes # . # Perhaps it's got an unhappy go line , you know , a lot of people do jobs like that to get away from under the heat of a task . # Could be . # Yeah . # Yeah . # Mm . # Oh it's perfectly all right , oh no problem . # Some what dear ? # Oh plenty , plenty . # Oh this has got two zips . # Mm # Oh , it's not the , not the heaviness I can hardly somehow . # I can see the point of the second zip now , I think , I think it's where you padlock it . # Yes , I mean I'm not going to bother , but I think , I think you padlock the one , the end of that zip is , I'm not sure , er Neil will know # Yeah , I think there's isn't there in there really ?plain white bag I'm going to hopefully put out in there to protect that , those groups I don't know why that suddenly can fall up side down , but it's alright . # yes . # There's no weight to that , I mean I've got my # handbag and that bag , Christmas tree can go there , that can go there and I just about be able to make it Brenda , just about be able to make it # Yeah , yeah tea , tea . # No it's bulk . # Mm , mm , oh , oh right , ah , oh there it is yes fine , yes thank you dear . # Yes , I want to leave early tomorrow , because I'm , I'm not going to rush for a train , I don't want to be caught thinking oh the last train to Stow Market goes at four o'clock and I've got to run for it I got to be prepared to miss the train . # No rushing . # Well I can get a taxi easy enough , there's plenty of them god knows . # Mm , yeah , well , there again , if I leave early I can take it all in my stride can't I ? # Mm , yeah , yeah I think there more willing to do that than they used to . # Mmm # Mm , mm , mm , mm ah tea . # . # is he ? # Mm # Excellent . # Mm , mm , we seemed to have wasted no time . # We didn't have to queue for food we waited five minutes to get into the car , we didn't have to queue for food or coffee , we ke , we didn't even get into very long lines too pay . # But what's it going to be like next weekend Brenda ? # Mm . # Quite . # Mm # Erm , one , one set for Paul and one for Neil , P for Paul and the coloured's for Neil . # Where'd you get paper rope from ? # The Christmas tree decorated only with silver stars cut out and bows made out of paper rope , you cut the paper rope and just tie up the bows . # What could be more quicker and easier and more effective than that ? # I got the calendars , # Marg wasn't it ? # Marg and didn't I get cats for both Shirley and Marg ? # Kittens # Book . # Mm . # Mm . # Right , well I'll have one upon er Norwich Mark's and try to get the Christmas tree , Terry's slippers , tins of biscuits , no I'll go into Ipswich with you for the biscuits , I'll see if that what Ipswich Mark's has produced . # Mm , mm . # Mm , mm , yeah . # Mm , yeah . # No problems , no . # I don't know , no . # Mm , quite . # Might oh dear , dear , dear , dear too much to take in huh . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm # Mm . # No do I , but . # so much here . # Yeah . # It was , it was very bad because it was a distinctive book , somebody knows that it's my book . # Mm , yeah , yeah . # I wouldn't have thought there was honestly not . # I think that is a lot of infection about and I know what brought on my cold , it was going out with Mark to Lathenham , and instead of wearing my anorak I only wore my lambs wool throw over , and I got jolly chilled coming out of the car and going into Lathenham church . # Mm . # Oh yes . # Mm , mm . # Oh , mm , mm . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm , yeah there you are my dear , really interesting . # Oh , oh , oh , oh , # Oh . # Well she's only got two , but she entertains about five others . # Mm , they all come and visit . # She's talked about going to Yorkshire , but , not at the moment , there's nothing much doing in the market , er . # Mm . # Got family Marg has got is eh , in Rotheram , she's got an aunt and a cousin # Oh yes , yes she does , but , that's about all she's got two cousins , that's right , and one of them's married and got children and she used to have in the north , the great friend Sylvia from school days and Sylvia would of been one of the first Anglican Deacons to be ordained as a , as a priest # she was doing so well in the church and she died of cancer . # She had cancer and it was cured and they , you know , they said , well were pretty certain that your clear but I'm afraid you've got to wait five years , four years and six months after they said that , it hit her again and she died . # Mm , mm , it is . # That's right , # who killed , who killed herself , yes , committed suicide . # Yes . # Goes up to this aunt . # Yes . # Train , train and taxi's . # Yes , she comes up by train . # No # No , I can't , I really can't . # Mm , mm . # Mm , mm . # Er I paid thirteen pounds , ninety . # You might well say . # Mm , mm . # It is . # Seventeen I think it is , seventeen , I'm not sure . # Maybe , maybe more , perhaps it's seventeen with the provisional licence . # But you may reckon that anything to do with # I know . # No . # Mm . # Mm , mm , mm , yes I think it's seventeen . # No , it's the general audacity of the tax system , which was to , to ripe money of us so that it can give us we can spend our money on rubbishing layabouts . # I mean , deserving cases like Neil who as he says only want to be taught , get next to nothing , but it seems to me that people like your sister Jane and Trevor get given the earth . # I think so . # They shall never know what . # No . # No . # The odd few pounds yes . # Mm , mm . # Oh . # Oh . # Mm . # Mm , well I can quite see that this maybe the only way that I can help Neil . # Mm . # Oh . # Oh dear . # Oh gosh , can't bear think of that . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # No , no . # Quite . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # No , no , quite , ah . # Oh . # . # Mm and that she will not let them call their soul their own . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm , mm . # Mm , mm . # Mm , mm . # Mm # Mm # Yes . # What's the extent of her indebtedness now ? # Is it , erm # Mm . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm . # Oh yes . # Oh yes , no question of . # No , no , no . # Yes , absolutely . # Oh pointless , get no pleasure from it # no # Yes , yes exactly . # Yes . # Mm , mm . # No , erm , they weren't quite right . # No , but , there lovely black , there's one pair of black and white curtains that's hardly been used , there jet black with a white stripe , I thought I would make Ron , a lovely , cook's apron , hello # Alright . # . # Do you know , I'm trying to think , is it up on the hill ? # In Guilford ? # Yes . # Mm . # Yes . # Oh , I thought it was Mr Howard's . # . # Yes , very good . # We went to Guilford . # Yeah , yes , got the lot . # Almost everything . # Mm . # Had a good day at Tesco ? # No . # That's the usual fee . # Not bad at all . # Mm . # You know I've got a straight navy coat that I've hardly ever wore , I've discovered that it'll only cost eleven pounds fifty to have it shortened at Sketchley's , and it's all done . # Oh yes , I'd never get a professional job on that heavy cloth and all the so at some point that'll . # That's not fitting . # Oh yes , yes . # Oh . # No , I didn't notice that . # Oh that's where you see it , yes , yes . # No , I didn't . # Is that because of the food price war ? # Are they still doing that , are they still trying to keep there prices down ? # Yeah , I mean it's alright for people like my son John , who's got a good salary . # Oh it must be probably more than that . # Well he does , he goes in on Saturdays very often , he goes in on Sundays very often , you know , goes up to have a look at a site or goes into the office to look over something in peace without the phone ringing all that's sort of thing , he puts in a lot of time that's not strictly accounted for , Gerry did , I did as a teacher , but then we were well paid . # Mm , it . # Roll on the common market day when the social dimension will stop that , it'll stop it in it's tracks , sheer exploitation that is . # Disgraceful . # Mm , mm . # Quite , quite . # Mm , mm . # Mm . # Mm , mm # Can't , I can't do it . # When he was first with me I could belt up about seven in the morning , but , recently I've noticed that I feel unwell if I get up and rush out . # But , I , physically I can't do it , I , I've aged up in the last few years . # My , my years have caught up with me you know . # It's all very well keeping mentally flexible and all the rest of the who-har , but if you , er , my , my mother stopped and said to her many years ago , she said , you don't look your age , you don't act your age , you don't sound your age , you don't think your age , but you are your age , and this is absolutely true , as you grow older , nothing will stop the fact that your arteries get a little harder , so that , you know , that you get raised blood pressure quite easily if your agitated and you are , for some reason you , you have to puff a lot more , I was reading about this just recently , and these are changes that take place whatever you do , you can exercise , and you can take vitamins and you can keep your weight down , but you age . # Well you can fight it , I do , but you don't win all hands down . # Yes , yes , but erm , you know , I have had to say to the chaps , one of them came in and he said he'd been spoiled down at the cedar and I said oh well , I , I've been cooking a breakfast for Neil of course by the operation of sods law , Neil suddenly goes off the idea of having breakfast , so I find myself cooking breakfast for this other lump , who is as idol and selfish as anybody ever met in all the born days , and I said to him just recently , I said , I , I can't get up and do breakfast's in the morning any more , well he says he come's down and does he's own ,you see they can when they feel that they want too . # Well , it's , it's simple that if I got up at half past six , and took him up a cup of tea at quarter too seven , and when he was around at seven o'clock , I was grilling bacon and I was frying eggs , and I hope , I don't know whether perhaps it's my cold , but , I , I just used to feel terribly unwell after he'd gone , for about two hours and my legs were so wobbly , I was sitting down on the sofa , I may go back yet to cooking him breakfast if I feel like it , but , the , I mean if I can say to these chaps that , there are times when I don't feel like doing things , well , I reckon Dave that they are so glad to be in that house with the central heating , with the twenty four hour er , er a day water , and the comfort , there not going to argue . # Brenda # can I phone Marg ? # Warn hear . # Er , over on number seven 'B' , . # They doom is upon the . # Ooh , . # This is mine isn't it ? # This is my dish , yes . # yes , # yes , # unclear , # fit it all in as they say . # Yeah , I didn't finish my tea , I never do , so I'll , I'm going to do that now # Erm , this Jill , who is this , is this girl friend ? # Oh I see . # Mm . # Surely , can you , I mean . # It's terrible . # Lord . # Why can't people be happy . # Why can't they be contented with what they've got ? # Mm . # Yes , # having , # having been through that experience with Helen , he'll be a lot more weary . # Neil , Neil now says , that when he meets a girl , he , he waits to see if she's got any characteristics in common with the dreadful Vicky , the girl that he eventually fetch her much deserved slosh on the chops and was pulled into Ipswich Magistrates Court , you know , oh I shouldn't laugh , but erm , he says he looks for those characteristics , and the moment he sees that the girl is going to be this sort of neurotic , excitable , hysterical creature he walks away . # Yeah . # Good . # Mm , mm . # Mm , yeah . # Oh how nice . # What , what , where was she going to go tomorrow then ? # Mm , yeah I know . # , yes . # Mm . # Oh it's so sad , yes . # Oh . # Yes , oh . # Good god , no , well even without a partner , I stay stuck at home . # I was , I was off on , on Sunday , I mean I've joined yet another marriage agency , off on last Sunday to Latherham , with another nice old chap , you know , erm , I , I go out with erm , women friends , we , I've arranged , er there's one very , very good place that does lunches , run by a couple of homosexuals and erm , old age pensioners on Tuesday get , get a lunch , an eight pound lunch , for four pounds , so four friends , three friends and myself are going for a special Christmas lunch that they do , fortnight ago we went for a lunch with the group of the town's women's guild and friends , erm , my women's group that I belong to over at the village of which is run by the television actress er Helen Fraser # oh I do , it's , it's very humble it's very old ladyish , but it's , it's around , it is . # It's not much is it ? # Yeah . # Mm , mm . # No . # I say . # Mm . # Totally different . # Even when you've got money worries , life isn't boring . # My poor old friend Ron , is worried about money up to his , up to his arm pits , but he manages to get out and play his violin , you know , two Saturday's ago I went up with him to Norwich to stay with his nice lady Trudy , and in the evening , Saturday evening , I went to the gorgeous old church in Norwich where he and the other's were all working away playing the Mozart Symphony or two . # Mm . # . # I just wonder how many more people there are like them . # Yes . # Yes . # Mm . # That's right . # On Christmas day . # How nice . # Yeah , yeah . # Mm . # Yeah , lovely . # Oh yes . # Yes . # Mm , mm . # Yes , of course . # Oh it helps , yes , yes . # Yeah , yeah . # Of course not . # Yeah , yeah . # Yes of course . # Mm . # You fill obliged . # Yeah , yeah , I know , well my daughter in law , was practically down on the phone kissing me last year when I said look Myrie , wouldn't you like it this year if I didn't come to you , you know , she's done Christmas's for me , year in year out # she said , John and I would love to have a Christmas on our own , I think it # I think it effect they , I think they in fact invited there # her parents , but they , they don't have their friends , in fact I'm not sure that they did very much at all , I think that Myrie meant it when she said that what they wanted was the most peaceful sort of Christmas that you could possibly imagine , with no big teas , big meals or anything # Exactly wondering about what to eat . # Yes , quite . # Said John , well , we've got other ideas we'd like you to come to us for Christmas , so I thought , as I said to Brenda , you don't turn down an invitation from your own children # But , actually I was # I certainly am not . # I was looking forward actually to looking after Neil # Definitely , yes , and you , you and Dave could have come up and er Carla , perhaps not Lee , but , you know , he may have wanted to go off somewhere else , erm , we could all have bunked down on what spare space there was and I was going to do a very primitive almost medieval , middle ages sort of Christmas # I wasn't going to rush around buying horribly expensive things like smoke salmon that I couldn't afford , I was going to do a big family feast and I was going to get in a few games like the monopoly or lotto or you know , I just , I haven't worked it out but I thought oh what fun # and then , invited to be a good , to be a good mum and a good . # I shall enjoy it and I , I very touched that they # Mm . # Mm , mm # yeah , yeah . # Well do you know , when I met , I , I'm meeting old chaps through this very excellent marriage agency , I've never expected any thing like it , they are marvellous , and the sent me a nice old lad , but I knew I was onto a looser when he said , of course I go to my daughter-in-law every Saturday for lunch , she absolutely insists because she says , she wants to make sure that I'm eating properly , now this is a very healthy old man with a very good income who could afford to buy any food he wants and the fact of the matter is his that he's son is probably not , he doesn't want to upset his old dad , and it's handy to have him to come on Saturday for lunch and be done with it as it were , but I thought surely Bernard your own sense would tell you that nobody want's their old father and father-in-law every Saturday of their life , for lunch oh . # Oh no . # My watch . # it didn't get repaired . # We , we felt we had a lot of talking to do . # . # Oh very handy why ? #