Hey Mom, Read This. A Love Letter to Mom
We had the pleasure of having a "Proper Chat" with half-sisters Natasha Gregson Wagner and Poppy Wall. Natasha is the daughter of the late legendary actress Natalie Wood and Richard Gregson who is Poppy's father as well. Poppy's mother is British journalist and novelist, Julia Gregson. Natasha recently shared with us something she had written in celebration of her beloved step mother, Mummy Julia. We see it as a love letter to Julia as well as to Poppy. We were so moved by her words that we asked Natasha if we could share it with all of you.
Courtney and Whitney
'In Praise of my Stepmother' by Natasha Gregson Wagner
I love my stepmother. I have loved her since the moment I laid eyes on her one Saturday evening in 1979. I heard footsteps clomping against the sea-weathered stairs at my father’s rented apartment in Malibu. Her proper English accent is the perfect blend of windchimes and a cup of tea. She was dressed in a gauzy white hippy top and long flowy skirt, her red curls bouncing as she walked, her silver bracelets jingling through the front door. Who is this magical creature? I wondered to myself, as I snuggled back under the sheets. Will she be here in the morning? Is she my dad’s new girlfriend? Yes, and yes were the answers to my questions. Over the years, Julia would become one of the most treasured people in my life, I am pretty sure I knew it that night. A feeling washed over me that I will never forget. I know this person.
Natasha & Momma Julia
One afternoon my dad called me on the phone and told me he had some “news" "Darling,” he started the call cautiously, “well, uh, it seems that Julia is pregnant, well, yes, she is pregnant…” Before he could finish his hemming and hawing, I interrupted him with my cries of “Hurray, Yippee, I’m so excited, Courtney!!! Daddy Gregson and Julia are having a baby!!!”
Julia gave birth to my half-sister Poppy November 17, 1983. After so much loss, this human gain was not lost on me. I was THRILLED and have loved her deeply and dearly ever since my dad’s awkward phone call to me.
Poppy & Momma Julia
After my mom died, I spent all my summers at my Daddy Gregson and Julia’s farm in Wales. It was in their kitchen and around their dinner table that I learned the art of cooking, setting a table, whipping up a simple flower arrangement and upping my conversational game. The suppers in the Wye Valley lasted for a couple of hours and during that time it was imperative that you had something interesting to say, that you listened intently when others were talking, that you made yourself useful by clearing the table, stacking the dishwasher, or making of a meal. Even if it was just plucking the herbs from the garden, handing my dad the Colman’s mustard and olive oil for his salad dressing or my favorite, making the crumble topping which consisted of mashing a stick of butter into the flour, sugar and oats and kneading all the ingredients together. This was a sensory satisfaction that I enjoy to this day and one I have taught my daughter Clover, to her great delight. At Whitebrook Farm, I learned how to be a house guest, how to do my own laundry and even hang it on the line outside. Things I was not asked to do at my home in Los Angeles.
I knew even as a young girl that the simplicity of this household was my path forward. In so many ways, I have modeled myself after Julia. When I am cooking, or parenting my daughter, working on a project, having guests to stay, or partnering with my husband and I hit a snag, I ask myself “what would Julia do”
My sister Poppy and I joined the “Hey Sis, Eat This” podcast to talk about Julia and the indelible impact she has had on both of us. Her recipes, her famous motto “I’m going to rest my personality”, her exquisite heart and all things sisterly.
I love this podcast because Courtney and Whitney talk about their bond as sisters, their divine and hilarious mama and how good food has shaped their lives.
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