Just wonderful GP. Made me laugh, made me cry.
I can't wait for more.
Thank you, Grannyp. 
What to reply - except as usual thanks friends. It did occur to me afterwards that it was odd how much sex then defined 'morality' not to say 'virtue.' Suppose it was hangover from time that whole social structure, kinship, etc, depended on legitimacy. All of it which hung on the virtue - outside marriage - of women, in those days pre easy birth control. My parents' attitudes translated into religious terms but still came from that. Not something it occured to either of them to think through. Still it made for a lot of good plots. Nineteenth century writers of fiction had it easy.
My Beautiful Wife has been reading romance novels and asked me to look at one. A woman left unchaperoned for a length of time best plan on marriage whether either party wanted it or not. Such easy pickings for the villans in the stories.
I think I would've liked your Mum, grannyp. Despite the maybe-stifling effects of being a wife and mother in those times, it sounds like she had a wild heart.
The sex-before-marriage issue was a very big deal with my Anglican forebears, apparently. My grandmother's sister got pregnant while single, and her parents were so ashamed they sent the daughter off to have the baby in Sydney (hundreds of miles away), and they themselves moved to another town to live. I'm not joking. It seems beyond belief.
Yes; it is beyond belief. But more than just prudery I think. I'm going to tell more family tales - but in meantime, tomorrow, may try to reflect on this in another blog. Thanks Bob too. Just had coffee with Mrs R by the way, told her the story about the headmistress; made me laugh like anything. Told me her Dad nearly threw her (and now also) my Beloved out of house once when he discovered they were anticipating marriage, even before the engagement...
Grannyp, this is a terrific post; I particularly liked the headmistress story.
Thanks Zinnia. She was a weird and interesting woman my headmistress - someday I'll have to write more about her.
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