I could not think what to write … then came across this true
story - the limerick is mine …
There was an old woman of Wadebridge
Whose enjoyment was an afternoon playing bridge
Her hand played high …
She slapped her thigh …
… too much for the lady of Wadebridge …
 |
| A game of bridge - but NOT the winning hand |
… based on Wendy Brown, who died immediately after being dealt
a ‘once in a lifetime’ hand because she couldn’t take the excitement.
 |
| The old railway station at Wadebridge - now The John Betjeman Centre |
The grandmother of 12 died from a massive heart attack at the
John Betjeman Centre in Wadebridge, Cornwall – during her regular Tuesday game.
 |
| John Betjeman statue in St Pancras Station |
John Betjeman (1906 – 1984), poet, writer and broadcaster,
became Poet Laureate in 1972, passionate about Victorian Society and
architecture, yet hankered after his beloved north Cornwall.
 |
| Trebetherick, north Cornwall - looking across to the Bristol Channel |
He lived out his final days in Trebetherick, where his father
had had some properties, and where many of his childhood holidays had been
spent … getting there via the train terminus, opened 1834, at Wadebridge.
 |
| St Enodoc Church |
St Enodoc Church was commemorated by Betjeman in his poem Sunday
Afternoon Service:
So grows the tinny tenor faint or loud
All all things draw toward St Enodoc
Cornwall Tour Site - re Wadebridge and Betjeman Centre
Wendy Brown's story in The Daily Mail
Trebetherick - with some snippets of Betjeman's poems
Write Edit Publish Bloghop details June 2017
The river used to need wading across, until a bridge was built in the 1460s, from then on the settlement was known as Wadebridge.
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
65 comments:
I suppose she died doing something she loved - and on a high.
Love the origin of the name Wadebridge. As always you have tracked down some quirky fun. Thank you.
Totally love your ability to put a fun twist on almost everything :) I suppose dying of excitement is as good a way as any, certainly beats dying of boredom...Double thumbs up for a very clever and very Hilaryesque take on the prompt. Much enjoyed reading. Thanks.
Hi,
An astonishing historical post. It was engaging to read, and I learned about some events that happened in the past that I didn't know.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat
Slightly whimsical, Hilary? Wonderful stitching, though - enjoyed it very much. And it was quite the cleanest limerick I've seen in a long time!
John was also a frequent visitor to the Teignbridge area of Devon where he had a number of chums, one of whom was my first father-in-law. Both of whom were great raconteurs, though to be honest John with his tone of voice did have the edge on most people.
Hi Hilary. Poor Wendy! What a way to go though, playing a game she loved. And great limerick for her! I'm sure she's chuckling if she can see it!
I knew you'd come up with something interesting, Hilary! Good for you.
Hope all goes well...
Denise :-)
To die happy is a good way to go.
Ha, I went out with a guy for a short while many years ago who played bridge and he tried to teach me. Even in those days my memory could not cope with the game and I gave up both bridge and the man!!
Not sure if you realise that my old blog as moved to a new place, the link is on the old blog.
Another great post, Diane
I guess she died doing what she loved. Interesting about the name Wadebridge...
It's been years since I played bridge, but what a great game. She died happy and active and that's what counts! Love the limerick, the unique story surrounding it, and the Wadebridge and it's history!
Great addition to the June WEP!
Hi Hilary!
Such fun! You know how I ALWAYS enjoy your spin on Great Britain History.... That is THE ONLY way to go, by doing something you truly enjoy in life. She left a happy woman.
Hah! I love how you took a different spin on bridge. =) I should play a game of that tonight with my hubby. *sigh*
I remember my grandmother framing her pat hand, her husband hated it because he didn't like to lose.
That really sounds like the kind of story my grandmother would have told... about the time so and so died playing a hand of cards, that everyone assumed was probably made up but it had enough of a grain of possibility that it COULD be true...
That's a great limerick. I'm eager to hear about this upcoming blog hop. I should just click. the. link. Hmmm?
What a fun bit of history!
Hell of a story. It reminds me of '1000 Ways to Die'. Apparently there was a couple that had been married for a couple of years and finally consummated their marriage. They both died in the throws of orgasm due to heart attacks. Kind of mind blowing.
@ EC – thanks … the story just amused me and of course it fitted ‘Bridges’ … delighted you enjoyed it …
@ Nila – thanks so much … I just amuse myself and I’m glad to know you too. I agree dying of excitement must be great … a bit of a shock to those around you … but in fact reading more the family thought it was a really good way for her to go …
@ Pat – thanks so much … I was somewhat surprised to find out that she lived in the town where the River Wade was bridged! Couldn’t resist could I!
@ Mike – probably, but it amused me to write up – while the limerick just came along and matched up too … so thank so much …
@ Mel – that’s good you met John Betjeman … someone mentioned ‘Slough’ to me today … so much poetry he wrote – fascinating to read you knew him. I’m sure his voice must have been melodious … I guess he’s on Youtube …
@ Denise – I know poor Wendy – but she was kind enough to live, then die, in Wadebridge … so I could write about her – and I do hope they’re having a laugh looking down …
Thanks for the complement … I didn’t write about bridges though for which I’m grateful …
@ Alana – I agree to die happy and unexpectedly is probably the best way to go …
@ Diane – I used to play kitchen bridge, but in no ways could I play regularly … so can see your way of thinking too – and I can’t count of the numbers … if I have a glass of vino – then I’m fine!
I will go and look for your blog – it’s obviously dropped off – thanks for the reminder …
@ Bish – she loved her bridge game and camaraderie of friends – but the Wadebridge link was too good to be true …
@ Yolanda – I don’t play now … I used to play occasionally with my Ma and some her friends in Cornwall to fill in and have a chat and gossip! Made for some amusing times … but certain she died happy – astounded probably! I was chuffed with the limerick … so thank you … and generally the tie in of everything coming together …
@ Michael – yes British history can throw up some interesting and quirky stories and this was one … 2,000 years of history in one post isn’t bad is it … thankfully she did leave this mortal coil a happy person …
@ Crystal – I wondered if anyone else would go this route – so far none … but tying in Wadebridge as well was a real blessing … I hope you can get your hubby to play with you … not sure where the third and fourth come from?!
@ Steve – oh gosh I can believe that would have frustrated your grandfather … but what a fun story to read about … your grandmother had some courage there …
@ CD – looks like this one was true … though they weren’t exactly sure of what cards she held – but it was a very high pointer … understandably no-one thought to check exactly …
@ Jacqui – thanks re the limerick … I hope the links I sent you help … re the two bloghops I do … this one and “We are the World Blogfest” … yes I hope you give both a try!!
@ M of PepperWords – thanks for coming over and I’m delighted you enjoyed this story line with its bit of history …
@ Robert – many thanks … well theirs was some way to go to … you hear about these things: someone difficult for those who found them!! – but think it sure can’t happen – obviously does ...frightening thought though!
Cheers to you all – so glad you enjoyed the post … and thanks for commenting … Hilary
Could Bridge count as a 'dangerous sport'? Crazier things have happened!
By the way, your lovely Limerick has a severe problem in the scanning department. It reminded me of this:
There was a young man of Japan
Whose Limericks never would scan.
He said "the reason I miss
Is simply like this-
I always try to fit as many words into the last line as I possibly can".
Lots of quirky connections made there! Very entertaining (though I feel sorry for the lady of Wadebridge).
That was neat. If you gotta go, why not go doing something you love. Thanks for the quirky history lesson and laughs.
Awesome name for a town, Wadebridge. It makes so much sense:)
What a way to go--but for that to be the most exciting thing she experienced is sad. Great photos
Really interesting post Hilary and I love that statue of John Betjeman and used to go and see it whenever I was at that station.
Just to let you know that I've nominated you for the Mystery Blogger Award as I enjoy your posts so much and want more people to find your blog.
https://thewrightsdaysoffun.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/mystery-blogger-award.html
She passed doing what she enjoyed doing, and better that than something else. Great post indeed, and warm greetings!
It must have been a pretty good hand! That was interesting, thanks for sharing.
Love your post. It proves that everything is connected to everything. It just takes some ingenious writer to find those connections, to uncover the bridges.
interesting bridge post. Playing bridge to crossing a bridge and finding connections via a bridge....you connect the dots, that's for sure. Interesting research - you are the Google Master, that's for sure.
Is that a true story? It sounds apocryphal. I say this because I heard a similar story about a man and a poker hand. And that story is old enough that it made it into a short story someone in my writing group wrote.
Not that it might not be true...
I have never played Bridge- but I can imagine there would be some excitement about a rare or perfect hand. Great job on the limerick. :)
~Jess
I can hardly belive that! So she didn't get to play out her hand? Oh dear, that's actually quite sad. Interesting and an entertaining read though.
Have a great rest of your week,
Andrea
Well, this was a delightful contribution to the WEP. I'm imagining Wadebridge before the bridge as I write this comment. And a poker hand with cardiac arrest power. . . fascinating. Thanks, Hilary.
Your posts are always so interesting. I really like that photo of the church. Too bad the woman didn't have an ace up her sleeve.
Not a bad way to go when the time comes though!
@ Bazza – I’m sure at times people’s tempers would flare – a dangerous game then. I’m sure my limerick isn’t up to scratch – it’s not something I write or practise … but I thought I’d got this one just about right … ah well – I enjoy it! But thanks for letting me know where it’s wrong …
@ Anabel – as others have said … the dots connected with this game of bridge – I’d have liked her to have survived a little longer so she could really savour the moment and deal – before going …
@ Toinette – many thanks and good to see you – she certainly went doing something she enjoyed … while the story fitted the prompt …
@ Mark – the name of the town is so appropriate isn’t it …
@ Sage – well yes … if she’d been able to be around a little longer that would have given her time to fully appreciate the hand. Oh ... good - glad you like the photos …
@ Pamela – did you see John Betjeman’s statue in St Pancras – he was an amazingly talented man. Thank you so much for the award … I appreciate your thought and am so glad you enjoy my blog ....
@ Blogoratti – yes she was happy with her evening out and even happier with her hand … everyone seems to think that it was a good way to go …
@ Laura – it was an exceptional hand ... and am delighted you enjoyed the read …
@ Olga – I hadn’t realised I’d connected so many dots – it’s just something that happens as I draft up my posts with lots of ideas in them … thank you …
@ Joanne – yes one of ‘my posts’ … lots of bits but in this case all bridges of a variety related. It was such fun to find out the connections and didn’t take long (thankfully!) …
@ Liz – yes a true story … the only thing they weren’t sure about was the layout of the actual bridge hand – as in the moment no-one thought to note her cards … but many were high. I’m sure it happens with other sports … poker, as you mention, too – one could weave a story around the scenario …
@ Jess – it’s good to get a high hand … then it’s always a come down playing it not so well – as I do with my style and very rustic kitchen bridge …
@ Andrea – no apparently she didn’t get to play her hand …but she enjoyed the look! Just happy you enjoyed the read …
@ Lee – Wadebridge before the bridge was a challenge to get across … so many died – that it inspired the building of the early bridge … well it was more sedentary than a poker hand … being a bridge hand – with the power of a cardiac arrest or a stroke (of death) …
@ Truedessa – thanks so much – I write content I enjoy reading and am so grateful you and other commenters enjoy too…
@ Beste – I quite agree … if you’re going to go – go with a good hand to play …
Thanks so much to you all – so pleased you enjoyed the story with all its bridging the gap links … cheers Hilary
Love the limerick :-)
I love how you saw bridge and thought of cards. Fantastic! I don't know the first thing about the game, but I watched a show last night and they were learning how to play it and kept saying how difficult it was. I'll stick with Go Fish. :)
Elsie
"Wadebridge", Ha, I love it. The English can be so literal. Excellent limerick. I think you have to have a special knack to write them. Well done.
That was a beautiful limerick. So witty! :-)
Greetings from London.
Oh my. My spouse plays twice a month but I didn't realize it was so dangerous.....:)
She had a good life and was happy. That's the way I want to go, except while sleeping not playing bridge. Must have been a shock to her friends.
That woman really loved Bridge. That story will live on in local lore I am sure. :)
I love this take on bridges. And, of course, I love the history and human stories. I do feel for Wendy, though.
Dear Hilary - What a way to go - doing what you love :) Like Tommy Cooper. Fabulous. You're making me more and more want to visit Cornwall :) Fil
@ Ronel – thanks re the limerick …
@ Elsie – thankfully the idea for the game of bridge came up. It’s not an easy game to learn … we were taught early on – my parents both had played … so at least I still know the rudiments of a hand … Go Fish sounds good though …
@ Farawayeyes – thank you … our names have been formed over many hundreds of years before we could write – so needed to describe the place. Just glad you enjoyed the limerick …
@ Mario – wonderful note re my limerick ... thank you!
@ Troutbirder – well just make sure your wife isn’t dealt a high hand! Glad she plays though …
@ Joylene – yes she did have a good life before the magnificent hand was dealt. Exactly way to go … but difficult for her friends …
@ Deborah – good to see you – yes I think that story will be around for many a year …
@ Lynda – I think Wendy was probably happy and she’d had a good life living til 80 and still active apparently. It seems to be different to all the other bridge entries – I’m on my way to get round now …
@ Fil- yes Cornwall is a good place to visit ... they are waiting for you! Yes, like Tommy Cooper … dying while he was performing on live tv …
Thanks so much to you all … it has cooled down … which many of us are grateful for … !! It was HOT … cheers and have good weekends - Hilary
I guess there are worse ways to go. At least she was enjoying herself and got to see her killer hand.
At least that lady died while doing something she really loved. Amazing story.
Well, some would say that's the best way to go, doing what you love. Saw this blog hop awhile back and it sure looks fun. May join in one of these days. Have a nice weekend!
And there's the joy of blogging - it takes you places you never imagined you'd go!
(Unless, perchance, you've always dreamed of writing a limerick about Death by Cards?)
Fun post! :-)
If you're hankering to return, it's probably where you should be. I longed for Florida the whole time I lived up north (ten years). I never felt more 'me' than when I returned. I appreciate all that is around me, often. :)
A bridge too far! Another lesson learned for which I thank you. I expect o see more limericks from now on!
@ Pat - yes plenty of worse ways to go ... and she did as you say get to see her 'killer' hand ...
@ Lynn - it is an amazing story - more so as I tied in the word 'bridges' ...
@ Sharon - she was living her life, happily having an afternoon out with friends. The bloghop is fun ... so I hope you'll join us ...
@ Jz - yes this strange world of blogging ... I certainly didn't expect to go back to Wadebridge (having been there 20 months ago!) ... I'm not into limericks - these things do not come easily - even one entitled 'death by cards' ... just delighted you enjoyed it.
@ Rosey - living where we wish to live is probably a good thing - I seem to be a coast person ... but glad you feel more at home now in Florida ...
@ Keith - thanks ... but the limerick is one that is not bound to appear too often - just glad it's appreciated.
Linda left a comment on Myotonic Goats ... "I know nothing about bridge, but I do love a good limerick. I don't think I've heard one based on a true story before."
Thanks Linda for this ... just thought I'd bring it across to the right post ...
Thanks everyone ... our summer has now gone - cooler and with some hanging rain! Cheers Hilary
Goodness, what a story! She must have been passionate about bridge. And people are, you know. I read a novel by Louis Sachar, the author of Holes, I think it was The Card Turner(?)in which a teenage boy discovers the world of bridge and resolves to play and finish a game a new-dead relative never did finish. It is, apparently, as complex as chess!
A fun post, love the limerick and poor lady but she died happy. Wadebridge sounds wonderful.
Unbelievable. Poor woman. That would be me or the HH if we won the lottery:)
Loved the limerick.
Seeing England is on our bucket list--if the craziness ever settles down.
Have a great weekend.
What a fun twist to the bridge challenge Hilary. And I can't help but hope we all exit our lives doing something we enjoy.
Oh dear. I hope that once-in-a-lifetime hand wasn't a prank. Years ago, when playing cards with friends, we thought it'd be funny to stack the cards when Bob was away from the table for a bit. In a three-card had, we made it so he had three queens, which of course had him decidedly over the moon. (Forget the poker face!) But we also gave his wife three kings... and me, three aces. It was absolutely hilarious. Thankfully, he didn't keel over.
Somehow I can't imagine getting so excited about a hand of cards but I like Susan's comment, above. Hilarious!
@ Sue - they do love their bridge and there are many clubs and groups who always get together ... I've noted the Louis Sachar novel ... I've recently seen a fabulous film on chess ... they say chess is more difficult than bridge - as I play both, but only the kitchen variety - I can't comment!
@ Sally - so glad you enjoyed the limerick - but she was happy. Wadebridge is a more interesting place than I had to investigate when I went through about 21 months ago ... I need to return.
@ Sandra - yes ... one of those stories. I guess - my heart would flutter if a winning lottery ticket came by ... thanks re the limerick. Oh good - I hope you can get here someday and see little ol' England!
@ Deborah - well it was different to the others and I could so easily have written about bridges ... and at some stage must put some photos up ... yes I certainly wouldn't mind going this way or similar - dying happy ...
@ Susan - I don't think it was ... certainly wasn't authored as such - I'm glad to say. Oh yes taking the mickey out of others in games - when they leave the room - is always fun to see the reaction! That's great -definitely no poker face ... lots of jollity ...
@ Janice - we can at times ... the heart does a few extra beats or misses one or two -I don't play cards that often ... but early on in life I enjoyed a game ... and yes, Susan's comment is just so funny ...
Cheers to you all - enjoy the Summer ahead ... and thanks for visiting - Hilary
I'm sure she died happy. If only we could all go like that, doing something we love, and hopefully without pain. The Unknown Journey Ahead agingonthespectrum.blogspot.com
Hi Bookworm - thanks ... I'm sure she died in high expectation - just what came next was somewhat different to what she expected. Still I agree if we could all go like that - it'd be a good way and without pain. Cheers Hilary
Well written and researched. I have no idea how to play bridge, but I recall seeing something about it in the newspaper when I was young. It was wedged under the comic strips, next to the horoscopes. At least, I think it was bridge. I know it was a card game with North, South, East, and West referenced.
Hi JL - thank you ... and yes that sounds like bridge. Cheers Hilary
Sorry, couldn't help but laugh about the woman who couldn't take the excitement!
Hi PJ - I laughed too ... at the story line ... I think we so often react with laughter at stories like this ... she was happy though, and she thankfully provided me with the perfect matching set for this post! ... cheers Hilary
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