Uncle Ifor s Welsh Dresser

Transcription

1 Uncle Ifor s Welsh Dresser Year 8 reading task Pupil reading booklet Assessing pupils progress in English at Key Stage 3

2 Uncle Ifor s Welsh Dresser Pat Lacey Brewsham & Moore, Estate Agents, Farnfield. 12 The Close London SW 30th January Dear Sir, Would you please send me particulars of any three bedroomed houses for sale in the Farnfield area which are in a good state of repair, adjacent to the local primary school, near open countryside and have a good garden. Most important of all, they must have a very large kitchen. I do hope you can help me. Yours faithfully, Jennifer Clarke Ms J Clarke, 12 The Close, London SW. Brewsham & Moore, Farnfield 3rd February Dear Ms. Clarke, Thank you for your letter. I enclose particulars of several properties, but would point out that it was impossible to comply with all your requirements. As you will see, Ashling, in Meadow Lane, complies with most of them; there is a primary school at the end of the lane for the children, there are open fields, at the other end of the lane, the garden is a reasonable size, although somewhat overgrown, and the kitchen, although you do not give exact specifications, is large ( Ashling was once a farmhouse). However, the house has been allowed to fall into a certain state of disrepair its previous owner was an elderly lady who is now living with her daughter although nothing, I would have thought, would be beyond the capabilities of a reasonably competent D.I.Y. enthusiast to manage alone. If you wish to inspect the property, I will be available to show you around all week. Moore 2 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in Crown copyright 2006 English at Key Stage 3 DfES CDO-EN

3 12 The Close 4th February Dear Mr. Moore, Thank you for your letters and enclosures. My elderly aunt and I will arrive at Farnfield station at 10:45 this Saturday. Unless I hear that you would prefer not to have him in your car, I should like to bring Meredith, my Border Collie. He is not very big, loves trains and sulks if left at home by himself; the last time, he ate the rubber plant and was very ill. The rubber plant was not improved, either. Normally, I would have brought my own car, but it has to go in for servicing. By the way, perhaps I should explain the reasons for my very precise requirements; the primary school is for me, as I am a teacher; the garden is for Aunt Hetty who has wanted one ever since she gave up her own to come and look after me in our flat when my parents died; the open fields are for Meredith; the kitchen is for Aunt Hetty s Welsh dresser (Uncle Ifor, who died many years ago, made it for her when they were married and she refuses to part with it), and the good state of repair is for my fiancé Mark, who could not, I m afraid, be described as a reasonably competent D.I.Y. enthusiast. However, he is a very competent executive with a large oil company and is actually in the Middle East at the moment for a month. Meanwhile, I am fairly competent with a hammer and chisel, and Aunt Hetty is not above holding the nails. I hope you will forgive these autobiographical details, but I thought it might help if you were aware of the situation. Please don t hesitate to say if you would prefer not to have Meredith. I can always leave the rubber plant with friends! Jennifer Clarke Brewsham & Moore. 6th February Dear Miss Clarke, I shall be at Farnfield station at on Saturday, the 8th, and look forward to meeting you. Please bring Meredith and the measurements of Aunt Hetty s Welsh dresser. Moore Crown copyright 2006 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in DfES CDO-EN English at Key Stage 3 3

4 12 The Close. 10th February Dear, Thank you for being so kind to us on Saturday. I had no idea that estate agents could be so helpful. I must apologise again about the hole Meredith made in your car seat. I think he was over-excited after the journey. You must let me pay for it. Both Aunt Hetty and I loved Ashling. And I am sure Mark would, too. If only the kitchen was two inches longer! However, Aunt Hetty still seems to think we can get her dresser in and suggests that she re-takes the measurements and we try again this Saturday. Perhaps I could collect the key from the office this time, to save you the bother? I shall have my car back tomorrow. Jenny. Lyndhurst The Rise, Farnfield 10th February Dear Jenny, I feel I must write and set your mind at rest about the slight tear Meredith made in my car seat cover. It s nothing that a patch won t take care of! I m so glad you like Ashling. As I explained, the old lady to whom it belongs is my grandmother; she is in no hurry to sell as long as it goes to someone who ll love it as much as she does. I can quite understand why your Aunt Hetty wants to keep your uncle s Welsh dresser. Clearly, it was a labour of love. If only he had made it two inches shorter! However, I don t think the problem is insurmountable. My grandmother tells me that the inside kitchen wall was put up twenty years ago in order to make the breakfast room, and could easily be removed without harming the original structure. Perhaps you and Aunt Hetty would like to come down again and see what I mean. What about this Saturday? 4 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in Crown copyright 2006 English at Key Stage 3 DfES CDO-EN

5 12 The Close 16th February Dear, Thank you for yesterday. Meredith and I both adored our walk. I think early spring is always the best time for woods, don t you? Mind you, in a few months time I shall be saying the same thing about the summer! I do hope I shall be able to see the daffodils that you say grow down by the stream. Oh, why didn t Uncle Ifor make Aunt Hetty a nice little coffee table or a set of dining-room chairs! However, even though we ve now found out that it s too high as well as too long, Aunt Hetty is still hopeful! She wants to come down yet again to see if we can take the floor tiles up or cut a hole in the ceiling! Could you bear it? I must say, she and your grandmother seemed to have got on very well. Now she knows there are gentians in the rockery, she s more determined than ever to live in Ashling. Meredith sends his love and say s he s not really afraid of rabbits. But being a town dog, he d just never seen one before! Yours, Jenny P.S. Mark will be home in a fortnight. Perhaps he will have a bright idea about the dresser. Lyndhurst, Farnfield, 16th February Dear Jenny, That was a splendid walk we had yesterday! I haven t been in Bramble Woods for years not since Gran used to get us to go blackberrying for her. I m sorry Meredith was frightened by that rather ferocious rabbit. It s a shame about Uncle Ifor s dresser. I suppose we couldn t saw a bit off the bottom? Ask Aunt Hetty what she thinks and then come down and we ll measure once more. If you could manage Saturday again, there s an old James Stewart film on at the local cinema club. I remember you saying how much you liked him. Mum says she and Gran would love to look after Aunt Hetty and Meredith. Yours, Crown copyright 2006 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in DfES CDO-EN English at Key Stage 3 5

6 Lyndhurst, Farnfield. 23rd February Dear Jenny, I hope you enjoyed the film. Too bad Aunt Hetty forgot to bring the new measurements. What about next Saturday? I promise I won t try and kiss you again. I don t know what came over me. At least, that s not strictly true you looked so pretty in that fluffy thing you were wearing. I just didn t think twice. I certainly forgot you were an engaged woman. Please forgive me! I ll make sure it doesn t happen again. Yours, Brewsham & Moore, Estate Agents, Farnfield. 12 The Close, London SW. 27th February Dear Mr. Moore, I am writing to make an appointment for my fiancé Mark Johnson to view Ashling, Meadow Lane. I trust a.m. next Wednesday would be convenient? If I do not hear to the contrary, I will arrange for him to meet you at the house. Jennifer Clarke 6th March Brewsham & Moore. 12 The Close, London SW. Dear Sir, Ashling, Meadow Lane, Farnfield Please note that I am no longer interested in the purchase of this property. Yours faithfully, J. Clarke 6 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in Crown copyright 2006 English at Key Stage 3 DfES CDO-EN

7 12 The Close. 6th March, I am sending this to your home address because there are one or two things I must say that would not be suitable for your secretary to read. To begin with, there was absolutely no need for you to point out to Mark all the things that needed doing at Ashling and then try to sell him a newer house. You d never mentioned to me that the roof leaked! And there was no necessity for you to be so pessimistic about Uncle Ifor s dresser! I m sure we could have found a way, somehow. Not that we ll have the chance now, as Mark and I are no longer speaking to each other, and our engagement is off. As I couldn t possibly manage the mortgage repayments on my own, the purchase of Ashling is off, too. Aunt Hetty has taken to her room and refuses to talk about it. I never though you could be so underhand and deceitful. I can only imagine that your feelings clouded your professional judgement. Jenny P.S. There is no point in coming to see us. Anyway, I won t be here I am going to stay with friends in Norfolk. Lyndhurst 8th March Dear Jenny, I hope that Aunt Hetty will send this letter on to you. I was very sorry indeed that you felt you must break off negotiations for Ashling. And I can assure you I had nothing at all to do with Mark s reaction. I didn t even go with him to view it, but sent our junior partner Stephen Watson, instead. I must admit that my feelings for you over the last few weeks have grown far beyond the limits of a business relationship, but your happiness will always come first. Under the circumstances, I quite understand why you do not wish to continue with the purchase of Ashling, but I hope very much that we will not lose touch. Norfolk. 13th March Dear, Aunt Hetty sent on your letter. I m sorry I d got it all wrong. It never occurred to me that someone else would show Mark around Ashling and he wouldn t know you from Adam. I m still very mixed up about everything. Aunt Hetty says it s bound to take time. Thank you for everything. Jenny Crown copyright 2006 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in DfES CDO-EN English at Key Stage 3 7

8 Lyndhurst 8th September Dear Jenny I thought you might like to know that Ashling has now been sold, but that the new owner has had it converted into two separate flats, one of which is available for rent. Would you and Aunt Hetty be interested? I m sure Meredith would! Please come and see for yourselves. How about Saturday? Yours, P.S. You missed the daffodils but the blackberries are early this year in Bramble Woods. 12 The Close 14th September Darling, It was wonderful to see you again. And the blackberries are out of this world. As you say, the ground floor would be best for Aunt Hetty. You didn t have to be so devious! I would have come to see it, even if I had known you would be our landlord! See you next Saturday. Come for the day, if possible, and I ll book a theatre. P.S. Strange but Aunt Hetty hasn t even mentioned the dresser! Love, Jenny 8 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in Crown copyright 2006 English at Key Stage 3 DfES CDO-EN

9 Lyndhurst, 19th September Dearest Jenny I think you know how happy I am that you and Aunt Hetty will be coming to live at Ashling. See you Saturday. All my love, P.S. I didn t dare mention the dresser d you think Aunt Hetty has forgotten about it? Lyndhurst. 22nd September My dear Aunt Hetty, Jenny has passed on your congratulations on our engagement. Thank you! You know how pleased I am that you will be occupying the ground floor flat while Jenny and I have the top. It is most kind of you to give us Uncle Ifor s dresser for a wedding present but I really don t think we would get it up that narrow staircase. Your affectionate nephew-to-be, 12 The Close. 24th September Dear, No one has ever given my Ifor credit for being such the excellent craftsman that he was! The whole thing will take apart and bits can be left out or added, to make it narrower, shorter, taller, without altering its basic design. I never told either you or Jenny this because it made a good excuse for continuing to visit Ashling while you got to know each other better (I never did think Mark was a suitable match for her). Certainly, there would be no problem getting it up your stairs! However, it has served its purpose and I ve decided to spare you. Much better if you and Jenny buy the furniture you really want. So I shall have it downstairs in my kitchen, and send you a cheque instead. Your devious but loving, Aunt Hetty. Reproduced by kind permission of Pat Lacey Crown copyright 2006 Secondary National Strategy Assessing pupils progress in DfES CDO-EN English at Key Stage 3 9