Marcelle

Marcelle lives in Sheffield, where she was born and raised. She took care of Silver, Sonnet and Marcus when Silver on a Fulbright and teaching here in '81 - the kids were teased mercilessly and Sonnet reports "girls used to fight each other." Sheffield located in South Yorkshire and in the 19th century became world known for steel - this where crucible and stainless steel invented, you see, fueling an almost tenfold increase in the population during the Industrial Revolution. International competition caused a decline in traditional local industries during the 1970s and 1980s, and at the same time the nearby national coal industry collapsed, affecting Sheffield's status. Their football club fell into the third division. People demoralised and out. Yet, to my surprise and after many years of decline, the Sheffield economy is going through a revival. A '04 Barclays Bank study shows that in 2003, the Sheffield district of Hallam was the highest ranking area outside London for overall wealth with 12% of people earning >£60,000 a year. Knight Frank reveals that Sheffield the fastest-growing city outside London for office and residential space and rents during in 2004, which is the most recent data I can find. No doubt Sheffield hit hard by today's recession but I may yet have to revise my vision of England's Detroit. So .. back to Marcelle, who is a salty old dog and enjoys a drink - I pour her champagne and white wine over dinner - and loves a good tale. She tells me of watching WW2 German bombers fly over Sheffield's factories "and not feeling the least bit afraid," which she notes due to her youth - perhaps. I also learn that her flat burgled recently and she beat off the entrant. And, you know - I am not the least bit surprised. She enjoys watching Eitan and Madeleine and we agree: "youth is a feast for the eyes."