Liz Moody’s Dulwich Life is written by Anna Sayburn, inspired by Gainsborough’s portrait “Mrs Elizabeth Moody and Her Two Sons”. It imagines how Mrs Moody might live today.
Thursday 5 June
Here’s Sam’s essay on My Family: ‘Mummy is drinking less whine, but Daddy is drinking more whiskie. He doesn’t go to work any more. Mummy is selling things to pay off our detts. I’ve put my bike lock round my chello so she can’t sell it. I’ll probably need it when I’m buscking on the street for mony for food. Lukily Granny Corneelia pays for the scoohl or I espect weed have to leeve.’
Honestly, where’s the Data Protection Act when you need it? I explained to Mr Linley that, yes, we are going through a financial readjustment at the moment, but frankly I was more concerned by Sam’s appalling spelling. I said I’d try to reassure the boys that everything was going to be fine. Then I started crying.
Mr Linley was very kind. He put his arm round me and mopped me up with his hankie. Very clean, monogrammed, he said I could keep it after I blew my nose into it. He said he was sure I was doing a great job holding things together and putting on a brave face. Then he said he had a proposal, quite modest, and he’d understand if I wasn’t interested. I leant forward and assured him I was very interested indeed…
Photo: Thanks to davescunningplan on Flickr.com (with CCL)
Gainsborough’s “Mrs Elizabeth Moody and her two sons” can be viewed until 5pm every day except Mondays at Dulwich Picture Gallery (Picture by Permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery)
