[hilly]

Hi all... sorry about the date ! lol It was the 1950's of course !! I was working my way round the States mainly as a mother's help and stayed with fantastic families who all treated me so well, I'll never forget it... highlights included riding with two cowboys, Lloyd and Jess in Texas !!! But I travelled on greyhound busses and in the south, the whites sat in the front and blacks in the back... I sat in the middle ! and all the loo's, and cafe's were of course segregated, and children were bused into black or white schools. The plantation owner was a woman in New Orleans who I was a companion to.. (her servant as well !) 1 I had to sit with her at meals and catalogue her vast collection of records. I also had to give her orders to the cook, house boy and maid..and had the keys to the food stores.... My great sin was one evening when I showed her photos I had taken of them. She went very silent and spent the eveining having hushed converstions with her faimily. Then early in the morning about 5.0am she burst into my room and told me to get out immediately...the actual words she used were 'get out you nigger lover'... quite scary for a 17 year old girl in another country...

Neicy, of course the British were guilty of slavery as well (we put little boys up chimneys and all sorts of nasty things ) and I certainly was'nt getting at people from the south, and I'm sorry if it upset you....I was just saying what happened to me..I was very lucky that I had met a delightful family there who took me in and looked after me until I went on to my next job. It was interesting too that the British Ambassador did not want to help me for fear of alienating the powerful families in New Orleans.....It's just amazing and wonderful that so much change can happen in a lifetime..

I loved New Orleans, the French style buildings, little courtyards, the wrought iron work and the jaz and would love to go back one day....if I ever get better.... and Neicy, I love the people from all the States of America !

Hilly xx