"Evening all" as Dixon of Dock Green would say..
In order to take HER mind of excruciatingly nail-biting stuff of needing only forty three, yes.. only another forty three more Dear Readers needed to read MY Blog, before one minute past midnight tomorrow night, in order to reach extraordinarily amaaazing total of ONE THOUSAND READERS in ONE MONTH..
Oh.. good thing YOU don't have to read all that aloud.. YOU'd run out of breath!
WE have extraordinary Tale to tell YOU.. Tale of the THIRD House.. this house is exactly half way in distance between other two houses that appeared in very recent Post.
But.. and here is big difference.. other two 'houses' know SHE is retired.. but for this client.. no sirree.. SHE will never be 'retired'.
WHY? Because for many years, Lady Lever has been one of the very nicest women SHE has ever had priviledge to work for and, for one 'small' detail, which will become clear at end of Post.
HER details were given to new client by the (now retired) Managing Director of Partridges in Bond Street, Mr. Clifford Henderson.
SHE received a telephone call from Lord Levers' secretary asking HER to come and discuss refurbishing lamps and lampshades and please, would SHE be able to bring silk samples?".
On the appointed day at appointed time, SHE pressed intercom and was admitted and was instructed to take lift to second floor (third in America).
Exiting lift, SHE was met by Lady Lever herself, who shook HER hand and led her into an enormous duplex flat.. she asked HER if SHE would like some coffee and went into the kitchen which was occupied by two smiley faced women shelling peas.
Coffee was taken on a tray and they went to investigate which lampshades needed refurbishment, silks and styles of lampshades were chosen together with different linings for rooms and a schedule of work was drawn up.
Lamps were checked, fittings, plugs, in-line switches and wiring, several were known to be faulty, it was agreed SHE would return the next day and remove all of them that needed immediate attention and another schedule was drawn up for the rest.
It was truly a massive project, SHE said quotation would be faxed through that afternoon.. "Perfect" said Lady Lever, "YOU are exactly as Clifford described YOU, I am sure the price will be fine, when you come tomorrow to pick up the faulty lamps, would you like a deposit of 50% to start the work?".
And this, Dear Readers, for several years, was how it always was..
Lord Lever died.. and enormous duplex was re-jigged to be made smaller. Lots more work was done by HER as walls were moved and Lady Levers' rooms were all moved about, in fact, if YOU entered the flat, YOU would never realise that it had ever been any different.
A truly remarkable 'remodelling' job by an excellent team of crafts men and women.
Then one day.. SHE received call from Lady Lever.. in tears.
She had knocked a small table in her study and off the table had 'flown' a miniature Tortoishell Box which had smashed into many, many pieces.. "Please ......, do you know of anyone who would be able to mend it for me".
HER papa had been in Antique Business for many years, most of his colleagues had gone to The Great Auction House in the Sky but there was one whom SHE knew would be able to help..
Telling her not to worry, SHE gathered largest roll of sticky tape SHE could find, kitchen paper, miniature plastic bags and flew to help..
Up in lift, front door open.. along corridor to study to see.. oh dear, poor little box.. in a very bad way indeedy.. but with sticky tape and wet kitchen towel SHE quartered floor.. several times.. to make sure not one speck of shell was missed..
And left.. to telephone an extremely old friend of HER papa who was 'retired' but who knew everyone, who was anyone, in the business of Oriental Fine Art..
"Sad tale" he said, "Never mind, it will be a very interesting piece of restoration work for her and it will astound your client as it will be invisible.. here are her details, she lives in Wales, got a pen? ......., good luck, come and show me the box before you take it back to the client".
SHE called telephone number in Wales.. man answered telephone, SHE said "Good afternoon, please may I speak to ......, MY name is ........., there was a gasp at the other end of the line and man said (ooooh, I do hope YOU are sitting down Dear Readers).. "and my name is Christopher Hooper and I am your cousin and my mama has been looking for you for nearly FORTY years!"
"Hazel has terminal cancer and is living in Bristol, this is her telephone number, call her immediately, give me your telephone number, restorer will call you when she gets back, go to see Hazel first, then come and stay with us."
SHE dialed telephone number in Bristol.. most beloved womans' voice said "Hello".. Hazels voice was VERY 'thirties'.. HER papa used to say "it was sexiest voice he had ever heard".. SHE said "Hay dahling, its' .......".
SHE went to stay with this most beloved woman on June 10th, 2002 and all was revealed.. Constance had been jealous of extraordinary bond between her sister-in-law and her only daughter and had told both people GROSS FIBS.. (Constance, brother and SHE had all stayed with Leslie and Hazel and their two boys in Harrogate circa 1955).
But oh.. such joy to be with each other.. time vanished.. talk was talked.
Hazel had grown up in Madras, had known FE and HER grandmama all her life, knew where all Hooper 'skeletons' were and are buried and was QUITE prepared to sing like proverbial Canary.. gave HER a hugely important document.. details of all direct lineage back to Gt, Gt, Gt, Gt, Gt Grandfather..
Hazel had a twin, Barbara, she was invited to stay next time and was there ever a funnier time! I doubt it.
More about trips to Bristol will be told in other Tales, one Tale especially, displaying major amount of TomFoolery, will be about Hay and Claude The Grate.. not a spelling error.
Fragments and Ormalu mounting was sent to Wales, restoration and the price was discussed, SHE faxed it, it was approved and a deposit received. Deposit sent to restorer to activate work.
SHE then spent a very funny long week-end with cousin Christopher, whom SHE had last seen aged twelve, and the restorer. Both as mad as hatters.. but very funny and clever.
The restoration was beyond brilliant.. impeccable, SHE took it to show HER papas' friend and he examined it VERY carefully wirh his 'loop'.. only with that amount of magnification were YOU able to see the work.. "Yes, your client should be happy with that" he said, with a smile!
SHE called and left a message that "Box is ready to come home now".. and was invited to come for tea that afternoon.. and walked down street, most carefully, to deliver little box back to happy home!
Lady Lever was speechless.. and said "it is MY box, it really IS MY box.. oh ....., I cannot tell you how happy I am". And called in Betty (Lord Levers secretary who still works for the family) to show her the little restored box.
Balance of invoice paid immediately..
And, as SHE walked home.. SHE thought about how 'funny' (peculiar) life is.. if Lady Lever had not smashed her beloved little box, SHE would never have telephoned Wales to speak to a restorer and found HER cousin!
And, SHE would never have found beloved 'Hay dahling'
June 4th, 2003, SHE slept on a gurney so that SHE could be beside this most beloved and treasured woman, HER aunt, as she lay in a bed in Bristol Royal Infirmary and said "I will always love YOU" to her on morning of June 5th as SHE left for London.
Hazel Crystal Hooper, nee Sell, died June 11th, 2003.
They had had a year and a day.. SHE will always be grateful to that small Tortoiseshell Box.
GeeGee Parrot.
August 30th, 2012.
