English Rose

Phyllis Rose Salisbury has lived in the Grandview neighbourhood for the past ten years. This picture shows Phyllis standing beside the Nootka Rose in the flower garden.

I was born in a very small village in England, on a very cold day in February. The first thing I remember is my first day in school. My mother left me at the door and I felt very alone. I soon adjusted and did very well in my school years. At the age of 14, I had finished high school with good grades and could have gone on to further my education, but in those days it was more important to acquire working skills. I went to work in a private school for girls, working in the kitchen. This experience helped me greatly in future years, as I became a short order cook, and worked in many restaurants and hotels.

When I was about six years old, my mother and father used to go to my grandmother's house for Sunday dinner. I had an aunt and uncle not much older than I was, and we all went to Sunday school together, and on the way home one Sunday, I ran across the street to be with my uncle. A car came around the corner and sent me spinning in the road. I remember going to the doctor. I guess I was just shaken up. My father came to get me on his bicycle. The doctor's daughter gave me a real white rabbit to take home with me.