Comments on: A VIEW FROM SRI LANKA, Number 59

By: Lulu Pearce (nee Samarawickreme)

Lulu Pearce (nee Samarawickreme) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:37:50 +0000

I read your newsletter and noted with interest the piece about my Grandfather’s and Father’s firm of auctioneers – Shockman & Samarawickreme. You may wish to note that it was the Vision and Inspiration of my late Father Derrick and his beloved elder brother Lloyd that has made Shockman and Samarawickreme what they are today. They were also the team that were instrumental in bringing this firm of auctioneers from the margins in Kandy to the mainstream in Colombo.

By: Yasmin (Sri Lanka)

Yasmin (Sri Lanka) — Tue, 31 May 2011 02:34:28 +0000

Lovely!!

By: Ray (UK)

Ray (UK) — Mon, 30 May 2011 14:50:03 +0000

I hope you are well. It’s a real shame you missed getting the chess set. I would have looked forward to a game when we next come over to Sri Lanka!

Actually, I occasionally play chess via e-mail with a friend of mine in Spain using standard notation (P-K4, etc). So, if you fancy a game sometime via e-mail, do let me know!

By: Emil (Sri Lanka)

Emil (Sri Lanka) — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:41:21 +0000

On reading your account of Schokman and Samarawickreme, a bit of nostalgia seemed to seep into my cranium!

My dad, particularly after he and my mother parted, picked up quite a bit of furniture – not antiques but of good quality – from S& S’s Auctions and perhaps from those conducted by Piggford and Pritchard who were their competition in Kandy where both started in business.

I attended S & S’s auctions very occasionally and, on one occasion, my wife (at the time) and I were in opposite corners of the room and Lloyd Samarawickreme who was conducting proceedings was kind enough to let us know that we were bidding against each other! A different time, for sure and one in which pretty well all the bourgeoisie in the Kandy district knew each other by their first names!

Couldn’t resist the temptation of letting you in on this bit of genuine trivia!

Regards and I do enjoy your unpretentious and entertaining newsletter!

By: Sheila (UK)

Sheila (UK) — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:28:58 +0000

Hope you enjoy your chilli cheese on my birthday! (At least that’s when you are expecting it.) Tommy Coulthard always said in Dominca that no woman got older than 29 and no man got older than 39 so on 31st I have my umpteenth 29th.
Below the Stansted flight path it is growing dark,The first star is out, the moths, too but the wind of today has dropped so the candles in the garden can flicker happily.

By: Savi (Colombo)

Savi (Colombo) — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:28:41 +0000

O dear – lost the chess set did you, Royston? Never mind – it was never meant to be yours and you made me quite peckish with your talk of Fried Beef – Yummy!!

By: Jayantha (Negombo)

Jayantha (Negombo) — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:27:37 +0000

Thanks Royston…The Beer outlet nice..prices as well…

By: Alice (London)

Alice (London) — Mon, 30 May 2011 07:27:09 +0000

I’ve been enjoying reading your Report each weekend and like the mix of topics you include – for instance you’ve had me pondering whether rice cakes or oatcakes are gluten-free… but if small spoonfuls of porridge were baked to form cocktail-sized snacks they’d definitely need enlivening with chilli-cheese, spicy chutney or somesuch!!