One night Mouse went to bed and had a dream. It was her second term at Art College, 1961, January. She dreamed she saw a notice on the wall saying "WASHING UP PERSON WANTED. APPLY WITHIN."
Then she forgot about it and the next day went to college and saw a lady pinning a notice to the kichen wall - the same one she had dreamed about. For some reason she felt she would get the job and looked curiously at the other person washing up - She saw Robert drying the dishes.. She had seen him around the college. He was 6' 4" with hair to his shoulders and a long grey coat with a scarf (not done up) and a paperback sticking out of his pocket.
Mouse arrived at Robert's studio at Fellow's Road. She looked around curiously at the volume of paintings and murals (many of them burned by his landlady at a later date for unpaid rent (Josie!) ) It was a dark room- faces gazing from paintings everywhere. He told Mouse to sit down and then started to paint her.
They met the next time at Swiss Cottage and Mouse said she felt very daring as she saw him sitting on the steps. She remembers suddenly reaching out and touching him on the shoulder.
The atmosphere in London then was very strong. They lived without money, ate in workmens cafes and went to the cinema once a week. Films watched were 'Wuthering Heights', 'Samson and Delilah' with Victor Mature, 'The Sound of Music', and other films that were on the scene such as 'Lolita'. London had embraced them both and they were completely and totally in love with each other.
The National Gallery was their second home and they used to meet I was told, under the Andrea Del Sarto 'Portrait of Sansovino.' 'The book', a cafe next to Foyles was their meal place and the 'loft' when they were at home in Hamstead. Eventually, Mouse left her Grandmother's and went with Rita and Marion to live at Queensway and Hampstead. It was her one and only 'girlie' experience she had of living in a flat. She remembers feeling incensed with rage at how untidy the place was - strange - when later days she was so disorganised herself although that is hardly surprising living with someone like Robert! Mouse enjoyed living with the girls but in the end all she really wanted was Robert. Eventually they lived together at Eton Avenue, a beautiful and memorable time in their lives.
