Actress and TV star Sherrie Hewson shares her life with us and discusses topics that affect us all such as family, relationships and health. This issue, the kindness of strangers and memories of learning ‘secretarial skills’!
So good to be with you again! I hope you are well and bearing up.
On my morning walk, I always pass an older lady’s house who lives several streets from me. She isn’t very sociable but having known her for some time just saying hello, I always check to see if she’s in her front garden, which I have to tell you is immaculate. The rhododendrons, geraniums and roses are wonderful. I always stop and admire her garden; she gives me side glances but usually ignores me. Then one day she wasn’t there. I stood and waited, but to no avail. When I went back an elderly gentleman came out of the adjoining house and said: “Scuse me, you’re the young lady who comes every day aren’t you?” (I loved him for calling me ‘young lady‘). “I’ve got something for you,” he said and beckoned me to come through the gate.
I noticed a pot with a rhododendron in it by the doorstep. “For you, from Isobel. She wanted you to have it to say thank you for coming and loving her garden,” the man told me. “I’d no idea what she was talking about but promised her I’d give this to you.” He was shutting the door as I asked him: “Wait, sorry, where
Rhododendrons evoke fond memories for Sherrie
■ is Isobel?”
I didn’t even know that was her name. “Oh her ticker gave out,” replied the elderly man, “She was 89, it was a good innings.”
I still walk past her house and hope someone will tend her garden. And I have called my rhododendron Isobel.
The elderly gentleman reminds me of a story when I was about 15 or 16. Mum saw an advertisement in the local newspaper for young ladies who wanted to learn ‘secretarial skills’. So off I went to this very imposing house and the door was opened by someone whom I can only describe as Lurch from the Addams Family. He showed me into a room where five girls were at a table with six black typewriters. Then a very large lady rushed in and ordered: “Start!”
Lurch looked shocked at the assault on his typewriters as we attacked the keys, and this didn’t bode well! Every time I pressed those enormous keys they got stuck, and it was one big mess on the paper. I just burst into tears and left. My mother made me go back to apologise a few days later. Mrs Lurch opened the door and looked furious when she saw me. “He’s dead!” she shouted. Apparently Mr Lurch had died days before through the stress of work and she blamed it on girls like me! I ran for my life. Needless to say, I haven’t been fond of typing since!
“Every time I pressed those enormous keys they got stuck. It was one big mess..!”