Thursday, 20 October 2011

Joyce Grenfell's hat

I have had a request for a picture of me wearing Joyce Grenfell's hat, so - thanks to iMac - here is one.

I was at the Norfolk residence of one of her good friends (Verily Anderson) at Christmas time, and saw it hanging on a hook in the hall. I said - not knowing it's provenance - I could use it as a dust hat (sadly I did for many years) and my host's daughter gave it to me.

It was the hat that Joyce used to go bird-watching in when near Cromer, and it was always hanging on the hook waiting for her, even after she had died. In her autobiography, there is one photo of her wearing this hat in Norfolk, but I do not have it to hand.

For a few years, I left it hanging on a nail in a beam at my workshop, and one year, a wren built a nest in it and raised a family of three chicks, just above my head. Joyce would have liked that.


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9 comments:

  1. Tom Stephenson20 October 2011 at 12:24

    P.S. Those Ray Bans were given to me by Jack Nicholson (if you wanted to buy them).

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  2. John Going Gently20 October 2011 at 12:39

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Judith20 October 2011 at 12:51

    Verily Anderson! I haven't heard that name in decades. Thanks for the memory jog. I used to love her books when I was a kid. This post sent me off to Google to find out what became of her and I see that she died last year at the age of 96.

    PS: I like the story about the wren.

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  4. Tom Stephenson20 October 2011 at 14:02

    Verily's grand daughter (one of them) has an entertaining art blog here in Google land, Judith (http://eloiseohare.blogspot.com/). She has commented on mine last time I mentioned her grandma, and put me in touch again with her aunt, who used to live in Bath when I first met her. Apparently she had - at one time - more books in public libraries than Agatha Christie. The entire family are barking mad, as far as I can make out.

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    Replies
    1. The Red Attic17 March 2013 at 10:53

      rubbish. We're all completely utterly totally saner than sane could possible be

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    2. The Red Attic17 March 2013 at 11:24

      Hi tom stephenson,
      I've lost your email. If I had it I might say 'hi'.
      From the only sane one in the family

      Delete
  5. Unknown20 October 2011 at 15:01

    Love the ray ban's Tom...the hat's sweet but ...so so...

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  6. Judith20 October 2011 at 15:24

    Thanks for that Tom, interesting.

    Incidentally, regarding Harris Tweed - maybe Dr Who caused the shortage. I read that when the 11th Dr Who made his debut in 2010 wearing a 60s Harris tweed jacket the ailing industry got a much needed shot in the arm, as Dr Who fans clamoured for a Harris tweed jacket.

    However it seems that these days the BBC is selling knockoff tweed jackets made in China, much to the Harris tweed industry's chagrin.

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  7. Cro Magnon20 October 2011 at 21:43

    Keep looking Tom... it doesn't really suit you, and I can't really see it on Ms Grenfell either.

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