Last week I went to Eva Baird's funeral. She was for sometime Ken Mackintosh's other half. She lived with Ken at Edenvale Road until his death. As all readers of this blog know Ken was a strong personality with set ideas of how the world should be. The world according to Ken was black and white, no grey areas just his opinion. But he had met his match in Eva. She was just as strong willed as he was adamant. Their arguments were over trivia, including her chain smoking and her bingo habit.
Eva was very generous host. Nobody called without getting a cup of tea, maybe some toast or a bacon sandwich. On one occasion I had bought some kippers and instead of accepting the bacon I asked if I could grill a kipper. It was a very hot day in June and Ken was in the garden. I duly cooked the kipper, and took it outside. Eva went berserk, calling me all the sorts of names about the smell. Unreasonably I thought as I had asked if it was OK. But the worse thing was that I got a bone stuck in my throat. No amount of tea or coughing would dislodge it. Ken matter of factly suggested a trip to the hospital. Eva just shrugged lit up a cigarette and gave me a look that said ' Serve you right'. Her being an ex consultants PA, I thought would have more sympathy. Eventually after eating masses of dry bread. the bone dislodged and calm, for me at least, was restored.
Ken invested in a PC computer and ink jet printer. He never mastered it beyond the odd email. Eva though went to classes to learn to use it, but in the end most of her time was spent on it playing bingo or patience. She had luck though and won regularly on the bingo at Tooting. Incidentally the bingo hall at Tooting is well worth a visit, it is monument to the old age of Picture Palaces.
After Ken's death she moved to Wimbledon in to a block of flats called Jimmy Savile House. Just before her death when the Jimmy Savile debacle was at it's height, the residents of the block asked Eva to sign a petition to have the name changed, she refused, because Jimmy Savile had been very good to her and Ken, lending them his caravan, for weekends away. Maybe she didn't believe all the accusations, however her pen remained in her pocket.
