Penniedarling

 1968 -  My First Christmas in England

 

David and I married in England in June 1968 it was summer time.  After moving into our first home together, finding a job for me we then enjoyed many long weekends touring around England, firstly in a Vauxhaul then in a London Taxi.  As the weather got cooler and colder I started to get really excited about my upcoming first White Christmas.

 

We were both born and grew up in Australia where Christmas was a wonderful long hot summer school holiday time with the beach being a popular place to visit for our families, but even as young kids we were very aware that Christmas in the UK and other northern hemisphere countries was covered in snow.  Our story books showed kids building Snowmen and Christmas cards depicted winter and snow… even today some cards bought in Australia depict snow??

Back to 1968…  when I mentioned my excitement about looking forward to my first Snowy White Christmas to friends every single one of them told me that it never snowed in Surrey at Christmas, snow didn’t fall till well after … I was a tad deflated but it didn’t put me off … Christmas 1968 was going to be my first ‘Winter’ Christmas white or not and I was looking forward to snow whenever it came. 

 (I had seen snow in Australia way back in the late 1950’s on a trip somewhere south of Canberra that I enjoyed with my Mama and my favourite Uncle Tony.)

December rolled on and my excitement mounted despite what those people said.

Come Christmas Eve we were staying with Elsie and Rupert Waugh, parents of David’s friend Peter and no snow was in sight.  That night we headed down to the local pub with Peter and friends for a bit of Christmas Cheer, as we left the pub late that night… 

 IT WAS SNOWING! As we walked back home it snowed and snowed. 

Next morning everything was covered in snow and I mean ‘everything’ so so beautiful my dream had come true.  On Christmas Day we enjoyed an English Christmas Lunch then David tried to build me a Snowman.

On Boxing Day we headed off to see the start of ‘The Hunt’ which was very impressive if a tad ‘wrong’ and something I’d never seen before but on the way I discovered that I do not like snow! Snow is slippery, I slipped and fell into a pile of snow on the footpath!  There I was being so cool and ‘in’ fashion with a leather mini skirt and long leather boots sitting in snow!

We headed off to Europe on the 2nd of January 

Give me a good hot Aussie Christmas any day.

I think Rosie sent that bib to David, he’d sent her an apron with Bra and Garters on it, we still have that apron.

I must have been given white stockings and a warm beanie can’t remember what else, I wonder what was on the Telly? There’s two kittens having fun behind me.

I’m sweeping snow from the path, not a good photo but don’t I look seriously cool in a Leather mini-skirt and boots, bit silly when it’s this cold but I loved them. 

The Waugh's home.

Lots of snow to scrap off the windscreen before we headed back to our flat.

Boxing Day and the start of 'The Hunt'.

 On the 2^nd of January we headed off to Europe for 5 weeks of living in our London Taxi and seeing, France, Spain, Portugal, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland before heading back to the UK to find a new flat and jobs so we could save money for our next adventure.