On the train en route home from a Wolf-at-the-Door weekend workshop attended by 17 people, a number of whom take part in a regular Wolf-inspired writing group run by Danielle, who also joined us.

Ananda and I used the idea of ‘the quest and the question’ to invite folk to ‘Make Friends with their Imagination.’

Our journey through the stages of a quest included the stage of the ‘ordeal’, a time of trial when we often don’t get what we want or enjoy, but something much more valuable can result. Ananda led an exercise in which we wrote couplets, the first beginning ‘what I wanted’ and the second ‘what I got’.

This was what I wrote:

I asked for freedom
And what I got was fear.
I asked for a path,
I was given shoes, a rucksack and a map.
I asked for awareness and calm
And what I got was a door swinging open.
I asked for teachings
And I was given a mirror.
I asked for practices
And I was given a cloth.
I longed for death
And I was given awareness of impermanence.
I asked for answers -
I was given questions.

Looking for a sheltered spot to read, having given up on ‘big walk’ plans due to the greyness & windiness of the day… I came upon this

…. But aren’t they pretty?!

…but one of the things I love (yet am also mildly irritated by at other times…) is that people knit things like lamp post cosies!… And tree cosies… And even railing cosies…. I do think this one is particularly good, however, on account of the seagulls… And the blue sky, of course.

Ananda and I will be running the Annual Wolf at the Door retreat at Dhanakosa this summer with Varasahaya and Larry Butler on the team too. Exploring the theme ‘Writing as Awakening’ we’ll use the idea of the ‘the quest and the question’ as a starting point. For more details and to book, see the Dhanakosa website.

For more information see the Triratna International Retreat website.

Walking by the M-shed museum a few weeks ago, I suddenly noticed that one of the banners outside was a picture of Ilene Powell – the 1920s Bristol ‘Original Bridget Jones’ – whose diary we’d discovered when I worked at Oxfam in 2004. This is the story:

I’d thought “Bridget Jones” as soon as I heard Louise Zaal (then Manager of Oxfam’s Cotham Hill Shop), read me the very first extract – about being on a diet – from Ilene Powell’s 1925 diary. (See below for some extracts.) She had found the tiny pocket diary in a mixed box of donations from an unknown donor. I was managing Oxfam’s Queens Road bookshop at the time (November 2004) and had spent the morning, as usual, sorting book donations in the back yard of the Cotham Hill shop.

We were standing in the shop basement discussing recent treasures we had found. We both loved the detail that Ilene gives about her life – the chaps, the dancing, the diets, the places she went in Bristol. I could immediately think of lots of friends who would enjoy it too, and also that the local paper might find the idea of a “Bristol Bridget Jones” a good story – so Louise asked me to do a press release. It was just a few weeks before the second ‘Bridget Jones’ film was due out, so we knew it was topical. I stayed up late that Wednesday night transcribing the diary and was sorry to say goodbye to Ilene on 21 March when she made her last entry.

Little did I think that 10 days later the story would have been broadcast as hot news across the world in newspapers and magazines from the Mirror, Mail, Express and Telegraph to the Miami Herald as well as on national TV and the BBC World Service!

The day after her story broke, there was a frantic rush to trace Ilene and her family. National newspapers were on the phone and I was even interviewed by a chap from Reuters. He asked me where the diary itself was. I’d been a bit worried about it going astray because it was so small, so I told him, truthfully, that I had it in the pocket of my cardi for safe keeping. Later, tracing the story in news bulletins, via Google, around the world that statement kept echoing back to me – “Shop Manager, Jen Brown, said “I’ve got it in my pocket””!

Although Ilene had died almost 20 years before and left no children, her executor, Nick Hastings (the son of a friend), was quickly found and produced fantastic photos of the glamorous Ilene that confirm she was quite some lady! These included her in top hat and tails and the particularly striking picture of her – looking very much the flapper – astride a motorbike. I met Nick and his wife, Pauline, one afternoon at their Stoke Bishop home for tea. They were full of colourful memories of Ilene and quite sure she’d have been delighted at all the fuss!

Oxfam went on to produce an illustrated diary with pictures and facsimiles of the text from Ilene’s diary and it was sold that Christmas in shops across the country.

The height of my ‘fifteen minutes’ of fame from this particular episode included a brief appearance on BBC TV’s ‘Points West’ teatime show and being interviewed by Libby Purves on ‘Midweek’ alongside singer/actress Anita Harris and the man who writes the ‘Purple Ronnie’ books!

Here in Bristol, we rounded off an extraordinary whirlwind of activity by celebrating Ilene’s birthday on the 28th January 2005 with a 1920s style party, complete with jazz band and Charleston dancing at the Odd Fellows Hall in West Park – one of the places she’d lived. I danced so hard that night my shoes broke! I thought she’d have approved.

* * * * *

Below is the original press release I wrote about the diary:

P R E S S R E L E A S E

The Diary of a “Real” Bristol “Bridget Jones” turns up at Oxfam….

Oxfam’s Bookshop at 1 Queens Road has just been given the 1925 pocket diary of 17 year-old Ilene Powell of Knowle and she has a lot in common with Bridget Jones….

• Wednesday 14 January “I now have lemon juice in hot water, mornings, with no sugar, instead of my first cup of tea, also apples before a very small breakfast of dry toast and weak tea – if this doesn’t get my fat down I’ll give up dieting! Did not go out today.”

The diary (a leather-bound pocket book, issued free by The British Malt Products Co and written in pencil) gives a fascinating glimpse into the giddy life of a 17-year old in Bristol in the roaring twenties, including:

• Friday 16 January “Town this morning – Pa said I could buy myself a pair of shoes, but did not spot a decent pair. Mrs Denman asked me to go to Hippo; but developed a cold, so went to see Colleen Moore in the “Perfect Flapper”, also Edmund Lawe in “Honor among Men”.

• Wednesday 21 January “Got up before 12 o’c. Took Bill in a cup of tea – et puis, a pillow fight ensued. No breakfast – had lunch at 2 o’c. Went along road to buy ping-pong balls with Bill; came back and played 3 games (I won 1 only). Had tea at 6 o’c. Gave D.J. a dancing lesson at 6.30. After that, had a few dances with Bill till Clarie came home.”

• Friday 30 January “Once again I get up in time for dinner. Went in town about 4.30, did a little shopping. Met Bill in Clare St. as arranged. We had tea in the Picture House with Mum. Left her and went up to White Ladies to see ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’. I think I saw ‘the world’ in there tonight.”

• Saturday 7 Feburary “Met Vera as usual, had coffee with the lads in the Oakroom. Went to tea dance with Bill, Mollie, Vera, Clarie and Mervyn. I danced with Jack Gough, Ken Hughes etc. Jack Woodley pinched car and took me to White Ladies. Danced with all the lads as usual, stopped Bill from going to the ‘Old’. Had a good time, 6 people asked to take me home. There was a fight and Mrs Morgan fainted. Ticked off J.G. for making love to me on the roof garden. Home at 1.30 o’c.”

Said Jen Brown, Oxfam’s Bookshop Manager, “It’s fantastic what turns up here. Almost every week we unearth some treasure and this is a real gem. We plan to offer the diary to the Bristol Record Office but thought that Evening Post Readers might like to share of glimpse of our “1925 Bristol Bridget Jones”.

Oxfam’s Queens Road Bookshop sells thousands of books, records, CDs and videos every month to help alleviate poverty and suffering. It always needs good, clean donations and can collect.

Ends

Some information about the “ Bristol Bridget Jones”… (From “Personal Memoranda” at the front of the diary….

Miss Ilene Marjorie Powell
Strathmore
Wells Road
Knowle
Phone 251

Personal Memoranda:
Size in gloves: 6
Size in boots: 3
Size in hats: 6 5/8
Weight: 8 st (Jan 1st)
Height: 5ft 3 ins (Jan 1st)
Telegraphic Address: Powell, Wells Road, Bristol

* * * * *

I did transcribe the entire diary (it’s only about 4 pages of A4 text as it was tiny and she didn’t write every day) but it’s the property of Oxfam and obviously copyright, so I can’t include it here.