Juliet Gardiner | England’s World Cup hope | DIY spirits | Slang
It was good to read David Kynaston’s appreciation of Juliet Gardiner’s writing, so widely admired (Juliet Gardiner obituary, 14 July). The school we both attended, leading to a lifelong friendship, failed to recognise her talent. On the bus together one morning, Juliet let me read her latest piece of homework: 11 strikingly imaginative pages about the stone effigies of knights in St Peter’s church, Berkhamsted. At the end I found her teacher’s only comment: “This essay is too long.”
Ann Segrave
Lewes, East Sussex
• I was 18 in 1966. As the fourth goal for England went in against West Germany, after he’d leapt from his seat my dad said, “watch this, you’ll never see it in your lifetime again”. I fear he might have been right. I’m also reminded of Brian Clough’s quote: “We were the best team on paper – unfortunately we played on grass.” Looking forward to the Euros now. Hope springs eternal.
Chris Walters
Buxton, Derbyshire