Can you remember how long you have lived in this house?
Since 1938.

Was that when you were married?
We lived at Dunstan Hill before that, for a couple of years.

Did your husband work on the farm?
No not there.

Where were you born?
In Newholme beside Amble.

Did you live there until you married?
No, I used to live at Dunstan Hill, and I worked at - Hutchinsons they called her. Which I didn't like very much.

Did you work in the house?
You had to work hard then, in the house. The postman used to come on the motorbike, and this dog used to chase him. It was a police trained dog. She was an old cow this woman. She said, when you and Nancy go to the dance, he will warn me when you come back in. When we came back, he was a golden Labrador, and he came over and licked us both, not a sound came out of him. In the morning she said to us, what time did you get back. I said well your police dog didn't wake you, she was disgusted with him. The dog knew we were his friends.

Did you work when you came to Dunstan? When you lived in this house?
I was a school lady for 18 years, cooking. I liked that mind. With Betty Morris. Paula was there. It's organised now, you had to get out at 60. I said to Miss Newbiggin, I can't understand how they work longer at Newton School. She said 'cos they can't get anybody. I think that's awful. They don't do what we had to do then. We had to peel potatoes. When I went down the hill, I used to have a potato peeler. I had to walk to school, because the bus wasn't insured for me. The school bus. The children were in the warm bus, fetched them to the warm school. I had to walk home. George had the car then, sometimes he would come and pick me up.

What did George do?
He worked in the quarry at Embleton.

Did he enjoy working in the Quarry?
He buried his talent, he was an artist you see. He never took any exams.

Did he start painting after he retired?
Everybody seemed to have pictures but me. I couldn't understand where they went. It's terrible when you think. He always had a painting on the table. I thought they were the same one, but they were all different ones. Everybody has pictures.

He painted one of Holy Island, we had that at the Bogie. Did we give that one back to you?
This is Dunstanburgh Castle, it's a lovely one. The girl from the Airforce, she lived along the way, she came to see us one day, and I said I haven't got any pictures. She went and brought it along. She said. I'm bringing this one back to you. I said I'll pay for the frame, and she said, I shall put it down the toilet if you do. You are having that.

Did he enjoy painting?
He loved it. Matthew has taken after him in a way.

Were you involved with Craster Tower at all?
No. Annie went there when she left school.

Life has changed a lot in Dunstan hasn't it?
It's amazing really. Moira & Lyall have been robbed. You knew about that didn't you. They had their bungalow robbed. Now that, if I'd been educated, I would have liked to have been a detective, 'cos I do think it's odd that Moira & Lyall was in the policeman's house in the afternoon, when it was taking place. There must have been somebody who was watching, because they were there about 5 hours and they were robbed of every damn thing, jewellery, money and everything. They've got somebody, he's in custody whoever he is. It was the same over here, from the policeman's house. Then after that they were going out, Sally and Eleanor were going to Whitley Bay for the skating, then he was going somewhere. They robbed that house as soon as they got away, well I says to Ian, is it not something you said? Well it's obvious isn't it. They took the double glazed window out of the bottom, took a great big television, and the other one. At half past nine there was a knock at my door. I didn't answer, I was a bit frightened. In the morning I saw Ian coming up. He says that knock at you door was a policeman. I said I think that's disgusting. Half past nine at night, enough to frighten anybody to death. He was wanting to know if I'd seen anybody. I used to watch Countdown in the afternoons at that time.

Dunstan has got so much larger hasn't it?
Everything is built now. There was a man standing here this morning when the first bus came, do you think the top cottage is let?
I think it's Marjorie Lumsden's son, Ian.
Well there was a man standing with 2 or 3 kids for the bus this morning. I wonder who that was.

Church life, you were very much involved with that weren't you?
Yes. I was on the committee for a while. We always went to the church, St. Peters. I was in the W.I. I was at the end of the teapot always. I was asked if I missed the W.I. and I said I miss the teapot. I enjoyed it. I joined the over 60s. I don't go to the whist 'cos you've got to go from chair to chair, it's too hard. There was a service at church the other day, but I couldn't go.