“In her tidy suits, complete with matching pin – butterfly, pheasant, bird, dragonfly, or roses – her sensible shoes, her proper shirts closed to the neckline, and her hairdos styled after her beloved Queen Mum, this avowed monarchist nominated me her “favourite granddaughter,” a proper lady. It was the ultimate seal of approval that I could «passer pour une anglaise» [pass as an English person]. Sundays at Granny St-Onge’s had a uniquely English flavour compared to time spent at my grand-maman ...Dumont’s boarding house. The only commonality was the piano that both homes boasted in their living rooms. My grand-maman Dumont had an ordinary upright, the type that could be found in old movie houses playing along with the picture shows. The sisters, or the priests, or some second- or third-removed aunt would play a traditional air, and everyone would join in to sing along, sometimes quite raunchy songs, as long as grand-maman herself was in the kitchen out of earshot, as she inevitably was.MoreLessRead More Read Less
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