Joyce Interview 1931 born 85 January – ‘its horrible you don't think your gonna get old when your young and fit as a little fiddle.’ Lives near milnthrope. aklethweite. in a cottage‘about 300years old or more our cottage, green fields behind, been then since 1970.’ (around Lupton) my husband used to go round and collect all the milk in a milk tanker so he'll probably know where you live. I went to kendal high school at 11 yrs old (kirkbie kendal) till i was 17 then i went to music college in manchester. i did piano and you had to do a second instrument and i did violin. ‘i don't know why you felt you had to do what you parents want you to do in those days, my dad loved the violin and wanted me to learn it so i started learning it- i wasn't really good at it, i didn't really practice it enough, i wanted to do clarinet but i daren't say anything so i just carried on with the violin.’ i then taught piano for years and years and years up until my sight was going. i loved the theory side of music. i just taught at home because i was bringing up family i had 3 children. after my youngest son was born i did it with a vengeance because i thought i'm not having anymore children. i used to teach loads, i had about 21 in a week, they would come after school and Saturday mornings it was hard work because you were never done. i felt i was neglecting my family a bit when they came home from school. isn't it funny, they don't want to do what there parents do, i taught my daughter then when she was in her early 20's she's said to me, o mum i'd like to learn again and she did grade 1 and she went and the fella said to her 'oh i hope you do great' and she said she was scared to death because she wouldn't talk to him in those days. she's still into music, she lives down in Buckinghamshire and she works with radio 2 etc and has to make sure people get their royalties they deserve not the people that are singing but the people who write it. you can ask her everything about music she knows it all. Gosh songs from the 60's 70's 80's 90's.
i did like to draw, i used to like doing pencil drawings, i still have some from kendal high school i went to i keep saying ill throw them out and my sons like 'no no!' some of them are not very good though! i used to like drawing scenery, bridges and waters, i wasn't very good at doing people. my son started off using pencil in he's teens son: 47yrs he could of gone to art collage at Carlisle but he looked round and didn't fancy it but now wished he had gone . he is in sign writing - aztec design my son uses digital cameras and things for his sign writing. they do it all vinyl now, but when he first started it was all with a brush/pencil till he was in his 20's! got a good business my daughter wasn't so bad at drawing either but she she didn't bother. 3 children boy bedfordshire 61 daughter buckinghamshire right by the themes Windsor henley 56 28 yr old daughter into art and design she's in London doing freelance she does she did a big thing for heathrow airport and designs shop windows boy kendal 48 he has 2 sons - ones 16 the others 11 they are all arty when i passed my driving test 1953 (had to give up driving a few years ago) there wasnt the same traffic about, it must be terrible today. Visually impaired group: we used to be in a different building at sight advice but they sort of kicked us out because they government dont give sight advice money. 'who would like a glass of sherry?' oooo no joyce doesn't like a sherry (joking) shes knows i like a sherry! we joke about it more then anythings. oh gosh you know, karen usually sits with me, she lost her mum 2 years ago and i used to try and talk to her because she lives on her own, she started calling me mum after, and -paul lost his mum so he calls me mum now. and john, ive got 3 children. my daughter rings me up and says how many more children have you got now!?
ooh we're having cake! ill never eat my lunch! i like baking, i still bake, i used to make lovely things, but now i cant see to do the same. ill still make a chocolate cake, ill make one for easter, i ice it on the top with butter cream and i put wall nuts on. ive always loved baking. i used to decorate wedding cakes and birthday cakes because i went to icing classes and i could do all sorts of things. but i got that i had to stop doing them because i cant see to do it. I've done age 2, 1, 18 oo they were hard to almond paste. we ones did the doogle cakes and you stuck a big mirangue on the top you know, the you butter cream piped it in the top to make his coat look all wrinkled.
we moved here when sight advice kicked us out and it was all in the gagette it said crafters bitter... and they were interviewing me and they asked me my age and it was in the gazette! now everybody in cumbria knows my age! (they ran out of funding) im so glad nicki took us over. i don't know what we would of done, we'd have just have finished if you hadn't stepped in. oh we used to enjoy it you know, it was a nice social gathering we done more chittering then work really! we're all partially sighted. meet roughly every 2 weeks now and go down to lunch at the union jack , im having a sarnie today. these only 3 of us going today theres usually 8 of us its brilliant what we used to do, I've made a rug, i said id be dead before i finish this! but i did it in about 3 months, you just cut the materials into little oblong shapes and pushed it through. the thing ive made, i just didn't believe id made all the things. Jan used to get mad if we said 'well i cant see' she used to say you don't see you feel! so was such a shame when we thought we were finishing, now its a much shorter day, by the time we get started its nearly home time. (shows me her talking watch) ‘I have a talking watch, its great because I cant see the hands anymore. i have a toy boy, (niki:the most handsome guy in milnthorpe) oh he is not he's got a lot of wrinkles, he said he has more wrinkles then i have, i said well i cant see mine so i dont know how many i have. we used to go from half 9-half 2 and the other place it was a nice long day and they used to bring the dinners in. Â