The Leslie F​lint​ Tr​ust

Present: Rose Creet, unnamed male sitter, Bill Willis, Leslie Flint.

Communicators: Mickey, Rose Hawkins.

Mickey:

...and by the way, where are you going for your holiday Rosie?

Rose Creet:

I... oh, I don't know darling. No idea.

Mickey:

No idea at all?

Rose Creet:

No.

Mickey:

Should have thought you'd have had a holiday. Done you good. A change.

Rose Creet:

I'm quite happy at home.

Mickey:

Are you?

Rose Creet:

Mmm...

Mickey:

You're like old Flint, he's the same.

Rose Creet / Leslie Flint: [Laughing]

Mickey:

Well, if old Bill gets his car you can have days out to the seaside can't you?

Rose Creet:

Oh yes, that would be possible.

Flint: [Laughing]

Mickey:

A day down at Brighton, all of you!

Rose Creet / Leslie Flint: [Laughing]

Rose Hawkins:

Hello dear...

Rose Creet:

Oh hello Rose.

Male sitter:

Hello.

Rose Hawkins:

Good evening everybody

.

All sitters:

Good evening.

Rose Hawkins:

Oh! You're back again are you dear? How are you? Did you have a nice time?

Male sitter:

Yes thank you, very nice.

Rose Hawkins:

That's right. I don't suppose you had much to come with did you?

Male sitter: [Laughing]

Not a great deal.

Rose Hawkins:

I expect you spend out all your lot quick enough...

Male sitter:

Yes...

Rose Hawkins:

...what with two children and a wife as well, you found that took all your pennies...

Male sitter:

Yes, it's not exactly cheap there.

Rose Hawkins:

It isn't cheap anywhere is it, if it comes to that. You go to Brighton or Southend or anywhere else, they rook you right and left.

Male sitter:

Well there you come out... come back with hardly anything on.

Rose Hawkins:

I beg your pardon?

Male sitter:

You come back with hardly anything on, if you...if they're clever.

Rose Hawkins:

Well I thought you went to the place where they didn't bother to wear anything at all!

Male sitter: [Laughing]

Rose Hawkins:

That's what I've always understood, in France...

Male sitter:

Well they are rather like that, tend to be.

Rose Hawkins:

Oh well. [As] long as you had a nice time, that's the main thing.

How are you Willis?

Bill Willis:

I'm very well thank you Rose.

Rose Hawkins:

You're conducting the machine business are you?

Willis:

Uh, yes. Well I'm just sitting here close. Actually, it's conducting itself now.

Rose Hawkins:

It's what?

Willis:

Conducting itself.

Rose Hawkins:

Oh. What, you set it and then it goes on its own then?

Willis:

Yes, it's just moving along.

Rose Hawkins:

Well, that's easy work then ain't it?

Willis:

Yes.

Rose Hawkins:

Well my dear, how are you?

Rose Creet:

I'm very well, thank you Rose.

Rose Hawkins:

You're looking fit as a fiddle, aren't you, eh?

Rose Creet:

I'm feeling very fit.

Rose Hawkins:

Anyone would think you'd been away for a couple of months holiday to look at you!

Rose Creet: [Laughing]

Rose Hawkins:

It doesn't look as if we shall see you over here yet awhile anyway.

Oh well, so long as you're happy. That's the main thing ain't it?

Rose Creet:

Oh yes, that's the main thing.

Rose Hawkins:

I often come up into your room, you know; listen to you playing your piano...

Rose Creet:

Do you?

Rose Hawkins:

I was up there the other night.

Rose Creet:

Oh.

Rose Hawkins:

Wish I could play the piano, you know. I ain't got no talent at all.

Rose Creet:

What did you do...

Rose Hawkins:

Me? I used to sell flowers.

Rose Creet:

Oh yes, I know. But, I mean, you had no hobby of any kind had you?

Rose Hawkins:

Isn't much time for hobbies dear, not in my job. Trying to sell my flowers, by the time I sold out, well, it's time to go to bed. Might have a pint on the way home. That was that.

Rose Creet: [Laughing]

Rose Hawkins:

Of course, you wouldn't know what that is, would you dear?

Rose Creet:

I? Oh yes I...

Rose Hawkins:

I mean, having to work all day and...

Rose Creet:

Oh.

Rose Hawkins:

You know, being fagged out at the end of the day and going home to bed.

Ah well...

Rose Creet:

Well you haven't got anything like that now Rose?

Rose Hawkins:

Oh no. I've got my interests over here.

Rose Creet:

Yes. What have you...? What sort of interests?

Rose Hawkins:

Well, I'm very particularly interested in the animals. I spend quite a lot of time with them. And, um... of course I expect that sounds a bit strange to you? But, you know... ooh, we've got all sorts of, uh, pets over here you know. And I was always very fond of cats.

Rose Creet:

Tell me Rose, is there a special animal kingdom there?

Rose Hawkins:

Oh yes. But, you know, the animals that have been made a great deal of fuss of, that you call your pets, you know, that... you know, you cared for and thought a lot of - they become quite knowing, as you probably know yourself.

Rose Creet:

Yes, I do...

Rose Hawkins:

And over here they have much more intelligence, even than they do on Earth and, of course, they can express themselves more. Not that they can speak, but over here, you see, we, um, can communicate entirely by thought. We don't have to, um, speak in the normal way, we can pick up each other's thoughts quite easily after a time and you get used to it. And, of course, you can pick up the thoughts of animals. Of course, they think, you know...

Rose Creet:

Yes.

Rose Hawkins:

...they are very knowing. Oh, I'm very fond of the animals and I have quite a number of cats you know. Of course, that's not my job, you might say, but, um, I'm very... very interested in them, you know.

Rose Creet:

That's what I'd love to do when I go over; go to the animal kingdom...

Rose Hawkins:

I've a lovely garden dear.

Rose Creet:

Oh?

Rose Hawkins:

I've got a beautiful garden.

Rose Creet:

Have you?

Rose Hawkins:

Oh, I don't have to sell 'em now, I just grown 'em!

Rose Creet:

How do you grow them?

Rose Hawkins:

Oh, just put them in the earth as seeds, the same as you do, and up them come.

Now you're going to ask me if we have seasons...

Rose Creet:

Yes!

Rose Hawkins:

I can read what you're thinking you know!

Rose Creet: [Laughing]

Rose Hawkins:

Well, we do have seasons, but not exactly as you understand it. We don't have winter and summer and spring and so on, but we have a kind of a 'change in the atmosphere' - I suppose that's the only I can put it. We, um, don't get any, uh, snow or, um, hail. We have, uh, no rain - but then it isn't necessary here.

Flowers just grow quite naturally in their own time, and they're very wonderful flowers too. They grow much taller than they do on your side. Everything seems bigger, when I come to think about it, you know.

Rose Creet:

Mmm...and the colours?

Rose Hawkins:

Flowers and trees...

Rose Creet:

I suppose the colours are magnificent?

Rose Hawkins:

Oh, the colours my dear - oh, you haven't seen anything like it! There are colours here you've never even seen or heard of. Wonderful colourings we've got.

Rose Creet:

Mmm...

Rose Hawkins:

Oh dear, someone's here trying... what's he say? Trying to attract my attention I think. Someone else wants to have a go at this machine business.

Rose Creet:

Oh.

Rose Hawkins:

I'm... eh? Alright, just a minute!

I'd better go, but I'll come again. It's only a try-out isn't it?

Rose Creet:

Yes dear.

Rose Hawkins:

Well goodnight.

All sitters:

Goodnight Rose.

Rose Hawkins:

You're a proper case you are aren't you dear, eh?

Mickey:

You talking to me?

Was she saying I was a proper case?

Rose Creet: [Stifled laughter]

Mickey:

I haven't pulled her skirt to let her know her time was up...

Rose Creet: [Laughing]

Mickey:

You're a proper case yourself, ain't you Rosie?

Rose Creet: [Laughing]

You're keeping them in order Mickey...

Mickey:

Well, it's only an experiment and therefore we want to get through as much as possible in the time.

Rose Creet:

Yes, quite. Yes, yes.

END OF RECORDING

This transcript was kindly created for the Trust by Jose Bas Filho - March 2018.

The audio was digitised from the original master tape by Jack Terrence Andrews in February 2008.