THE MAD WOMAN OF PUNNET’S TOWN

This morning, I stumbled across this poem in my files and thought that we Punnett women should start a tradition of being photographed as so vividly described by L.A.G. Strong!  Really!  I have no such photos but am posting a few Punnett women below anyway, and am sending out a call for pics of wonderfully mad Punnett women - I celebrate our vitality and joy!

THE MAD WOMAN OF PUNNET’S TOWN

A-swell within her billowed skirts

     Like a great ship with sails unfurled,

The mad woman goes gallantly

     Upon the ridges of her world.

With eagle nose and wisps of grey

       She strides upon the westward hills,

Swings her umbrella joyously

       And waves it to the waving mills.

Talking and chuckling as she goes,

        Indifferent both to sun and rain,

With all that merry company:

         The singing children of her brain.

L.A.G. Strong

Leonard Alfred George Strong (1896-17 August 1958) was an English writer, born in Plymouth of a half-Irish father and Irish mother, and was educated at Brighton College and at Wadham College, Oxford (Open Classical Scholar) where he came under the influence of W. B. Yeats. Some of his poems were set to music by Arthur Bliss, as was this one.
Per “Biography” Great Authors of World Literature, Critical Edition Ed. Frank Northen Magill, “Outstanding among his poems are “An Old Woman, Outside the Abbey Theatre,” which is epigrammatically ironic in a manner worthy of William Butler Yeats, and “The Mad Woman of Punnet’s Town,” which depicts vitality and joy.”

from top, left to right…
Rachael Punnett, daughter of Malcolm Punnett; Brenda Punnett.
Maureen Kirkwood, daughter of Thelma Punnett (1940-1949), older sister of Jack, Langley, Duncan and Chris.
Punnett girls – Zen (daughter of Malcolm), Gemma (daughter of Mark), Kate and Sophie (daughters of Paddy).

One love! Lisbie x

Rhoda Isaacs Samuel (Cus)

Some more stories of Rhoda Isaacs Samuel (Cus) before they are forgotten!

Cus’s expressions were varied and my favourite was when she lit her clay pipe and started to relate incidents of her childhood and adolescence to whoever was interested.  i was one of those who could listen to her for hours as she was so captivating.  Many of us remember her collection of drinking glasses which occupied a large space in her living area.  She said that every visit she made to Kingstown , a glass was bought so that she could have a drink of water.  Her partner of many years, St Clair Samuel (Tin) enjoyed drinking rum, and when he became drunk, many of her glasses were broken!  There were so many that no dent was made to the collection.  They were of all shapes and colours.  She always wore a ‘head tie’ that was large and starched to perfection , showing off several styles of intricate tying.

Cus had never left the mainland so Dave Dunn to whom i was married invited her to spend a couple weeks with us in our Bamboo HOuse on Mustique, where we were working.  Dave accompanied her from Arnos Vale Airport on the tiny airplane , a 10 minute or so flight, which was a happy time for her.  We drove her all over the island,  she accompanied me on my afternoon walks with our Alsatian and Siamese cat, she enjoyed the rich  hotel food that Dave brought home each night, accompanied by wine and brandy and a cigar!  One day before she returned home, driving along she saw a wild goat kid on the dry hillside.  Dave asked her if she would like to have it and we all took off to capture it .  It was caught and she named it, "Fine Em".  It went on the plane with her and became her precious pet.

Until next time,

Brenda