. . . . . . .my father roller skated with Agatha Christie!
That's not him in this photo with Agatha in the center. He would have
been only 10 years old at that time, however he told me that he skated on
the same Torquay pier at the harbour as a boy and recalled seeing her and
her friends having a great time.
Agatha on the right above.
stayed at Christmas 2016
The pier is still there and although I've never roller skated on it I have
sauntered along it more times than I can count. At one time there was
a theatre/dance hall at the end but it was destroyed in a fire in April 1974
and sadly never re-built. Ferry boats operate from the end of the pier and
cross Tor Bay to the busy fishing town of Brixham.
The seaside piers of Britain are an indisputably iconic fixture of life in many
of the coastal cities and towns, whether for function or fun.
Currently many huge cruise ships, including Cunard's Queen Victoria (one
of my favorites as we've sailed on her twice) are sheltering in Tor Bay and
along the English Channel coast while inoperable due to COVID-19.
This past Sunday PBS aired an interesting TV documentary about
the late Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie with several views
of Torquay, my own home town, where she was born and spent her
early life. . . . .as did I much later.
Granddaughter Jasmin 'meeting' Agatha Christie
Torquay, June 2015
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller;
15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her sixty-six
detective novels and fourteen short story collections, particularly those revolving
around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's
longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which was performed in the West End from
1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971,
she was made a Dame (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records
lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold
more than two billion copies.
Via Wikipedia
A recently published book titled 'The Mystery of Mrs. Christie'
by Marie Benedict has tweaked my interest. . . . . .
Described as 'Historical fiction, British literature, meta-mysteries, the real-life
1926 disappearance of novelist Agatha Christie, interesting questions,
reckless conjecture.'
If anyone has read this book I would love to know what you thought of it.
Can you tell I'm homesick?
.png)
Very interesting. I love Agatha Christie’s books
ReplyDeleteHercule Poirot and Miss Marple are my favorites!
I feel your longing Mary, and wish it was possibl for you to transport by Magic carpet!
ReplyDeleteI recorded the PBS documentary on Agatha Christie...haven't watched it yet. Now I'm eager to see it. I love all things Christie. Loved the tidbit of history about your dad as a lad seeing her roller skating with her friends. That's just cool!
ReplyDeleteLove those skating outfits!! I am guessing your 10-year old father recognised AC because she was already famous? I've not read the book, so cannot help there. Just by the by, I've recently rewatched the 80s adaptations of Tommy & Tuppence and Why Didn't They Ask Evans? with Francesca Annis and James Warwick and oh! the costumes!!
ReplyDeleteDearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteWhat fond stories but I'm most impressed with your exotic looking granddaughter Jasmin; what a beauty she is!
Hugs,
Mariette
What an interesting post, Mary. No wonder you are longing to return to Torquay, a very special place in your life. Who has not read some Agatha Christie? I devoured those books as a young woman in the 1960s, and loved the movies too. Jasmine is a gorgeous girl, you must be proud of her. xx
ReplyDeleteYour nostalgia and homesick mood comes through, yes. Torquay is a beautiful place in your pictures, and comes alive every time you tell us about it.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law in Yorkshire is an Agatha Christie fan and years ago gave me a book "The World of Agatha Christie", putting much of her life and her work in historical context. Of course you know that when she disappaered, she was spotted at a hotel in Ripon, where my mother-in-law lives :-)
Sorry, I meant to say Harrogate near Ripon!
ReplyDeleteI often stayed at Moorlands House, near Haytor, where Agatha Christie wrote "The Mysterious Affair At Styles". At the time I was there it was owned by HF Holidays, for whom I worked as a walks leader. There was a regular stream of visitors who just walked in wanting to know about Agatha Christie's time there. The manager used to show them an ancient desk near the entrance which he claimed was where she wrote the book. It was no such thing, but there must be photographs of it all over the world!
ReplyDeleteDear Mary,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this very interesting post. The first photo, with ladies so beautifully dressed is my favorite. And then thee is Jasmin looking more beautiful every day.
Mary we have used the sonic scarer before and it did seem to work. We have the extension cable we use for the mower plugged in and its on the floor, we have found that this works for us. Our bigger problem is the water this leaks in when we have heavy rain, it floods the floor. I want to get the ditch that Edwin made a few years ago made deeper, put shuttering in and ensure its higher than the floor and then pour in concrete, hopefully the water wun to the side and down to the drain on the patio.
ReplyDeleteAgatha Christie - great writer!
ReplyDeleteI like the photo with her sculpted bust and your lovely granddaughter by it, with a big, warm smile.
It will be so wonderful when you can travel again, won't it? I know how much you love to do so.
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating to know that your father roller-skated with Agatha Christie! My husband is a big fan of her novels.
I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie, I've seen all the Poirot and Miss Marple TV series. Your granddaughter is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting post, Mary. I so enjoy reading Agatha Christie's books. I'm sorry you are feeling so homesick. This pandemic is getting so drawn out and yet it's not over yet. I hope the vaccines are effective and bring back, in a few months, some measure of normalcy. And I hope that you will be able to travel to your home country once again. Hang in there, dear Mary.
ReplyDeleteEvery person has a story and a history that we know nothing about and it's always so interesting to share such connections through memories and photographs. Love seeing their fancy attire even for rollerskating. How much change Agatha Christie would have seen in her life being born in 1890 and living until the mid-1970s. I turned 10 years old a month after she died; and was really into rollerskating at the age of 12. It's fun to know that the activity has been around for so long and that your dad also rollerskated in his time. I think we are all homesick in some way, or maybe sick of being at home. HA! Just kidding. I am very much a homebody but am looking forward to a time of free and safe travel again so that we can continue to explore this big beautiful world and I also really want to get to the states to see my boys and my mom. Take care, Mary.
ReplyDeleteI do hope you will be able to return later this year. We do get homesick for sure just to travel. We took a couple hour drive yesterday and I said it felt like I was going on a road trip. How fun to read the history of roller skating. I loved that you were able to take Jazmin a few years ago. What special memories.
ReplyDelete