(A forgotten draft post from quite a little while ago)
Had a little chat with my UK based baby brother last week.
Are you going out and about now? No!
Are the case numbers still high where you are? No, just can’t be bothered,
So no pub? No, not even the pub. Tried it to begin with Now can’t be bothered. Too much of a hassle, too many people. I’m content staying close to home
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We laughed and went on to chat about how things had changed
For years many had the attitude of Y O L O (you only live once) – spend up, take risks, enjoy life, blow the consequences – followed by F O M O (fear of missing out) – constantly wanting/needing to know and worrying about missing out on something.
Then along came ’The Pandemic’ – sometimes called Corona Virus – Covid19 – Rona – ‘Strange Times’ even ’You Know What’ – and even though we have constantly been assured all is well out there, some still have F O G O (fear of going out)
Now a new variant has arrived – H O G O (hassle of going out). Something baby brother and I have been feeling. That ‘do I have to go’ – ‘there’s always another time’ – ‘do I have to wear a mask’ – ‘how many will be there’ feeling.
Even though we want to, it’s all too much.
It appears we’ve both settled on J O M O (joy of missing out) as our sweet spot
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A few weeks on now …..We’re both feeling much better 😊
I’m enjoying resumed activities and he’s starting to visit his favourite pub. Both of us are still cautious, not fearful, just wary of people and places plus keep a mask in our pocket and wear it when or if necessary. Don’t know about the UK – but since our government has basically ’left us to do our own thing’ known daily positive case numbers in Victoria are averaging 10,000 a day
So it’s still out there!
How about you – are you feeling more safe, secure and comfortable or is it still a hassle
More revisions and changes to those dreaded but necessary restrictions we had in place for nigh on two years means our lives are constantly changing. Maybe not to the extent as in the UK (and possibly other countries) ‘no big deal – learn to live with it’ …..here it’s back to the office and except in certain circumstances QR codes check ins are becoming a thing of the past with masks not needed. It’s proof of vaccination – 2 plus a booster – that ’lets you in or excludes you from’various establishments plus at times a negative RAT test.
So even though daily case numbers are much lower (but fluctuating) , Omicron (faster transmission but less severe – so ’they’ say) appears to have affected some of my friends’ state of mind more so than Delta – they seem to have returned to taking it slowly – in fact much slower than before. They aren’t fearful like previously – just less confident with being out and about …fully vaxxed but still cagey about visiting the supermarket, let alone cafes and restaurants with a trip to the cinema or using public transport definitely best left to others.
That is fine – I’m happy to see them now and again under their own specific terms and conditions but meanwhile I need to get on and enjoy however much is left of my life.
Which means over the past couple of weeks while I’ve been trying to dig myself out of some bad/sad/down days I’ve sat in a breezy hairdressing salon (doors and windows needing to be open for ventilation) – served morning tea to nursing home residents (hoorah for a return to volunteering) – and sung maskless at choir rehearsal (it’s very difficult to sing wearing one so this was a very welcome change)
There was another (non dept of health) change to choir procedures that everyone thought was just grand – may I present to you ’Dog’ (yes, that it’s name) – a beautiful black & white Border Collie who was ’rescued/adopted’ by our accompanist during the last lockdown.
We don’t often get visitors who just sit and listen without feeling the need to join in
Dog was peaceful and quiet, possibly a little unsure, checking Sue was still there
Also with one habit Sue is trying to break. ‘Just giving her the sniff test to make sure she is who she says she is’
How about you – what changes affected your recent days, weeks or even months? Have they made life easier or more complicated for you?
Hopefully nothing as dramatic as the flooding rain my family in Brisbane experienced – all is well now. None came into the house, just the garden to put back together now😊
#keeplifesimple
xingfumama hosts ’whatsoever is lovely’ – Sue’s beautiful Border Collie was my lovely this week
Life this Month can be found HERE at Denyse Whelan Blogs
Before we left home back in July I went through a lot of WIP/UFOs (also known as ’works in progress or unfinished objects😊) and mentioned to The Golfer there were a few things I really wanted to set to and finish while we were away.
Little did I know as I wrote that post then, when we in Melbourne were in lockdown a year ago, the city (Victoria…..and many other parts of Australia) would be in the same situation 12 months later….
And here we are with the finishing date to our winter stay looming and the little piece of embroidery still isn’t finished…not for want of trying though…..I’ve thought about it but somehow the light in the cabin hasn’t been the best or it’s been too hot/windy sitting outside….need to be able to see where the needle goes (those holes seem to get smaller) , can’t sew with hot sweaty hands or concentrate when the wind has been ablowin’, …..
Tuesday however was just right and while The Golfer was doing just that both am and pm I had a little self hosted sewing bee 😊
Somehow I don’t think It’ll be finished before we get home in October but I really hope I get the last stitches in before Christmas….same as I hope that by then there’s an end in sight to the madness in our country (as well as worldwide) caused by the Delta strain of Covid-19.
Borders – edges to keep things in and out (my definition). Borders – Wikipedia’s definition
As well as our internal state & territory borders here in Australia we also have the big international one
At the moment….or should I say, once again… because of covid cases cropping up……there are internal state/territory border restrictions. They are keeping people ‘trapped’ in their own state and keeping people ‘excluded’ from other states.
And of course there’s the big one – the international one. Closed for the majority of the population since way back very early in 2020. Keeping people trapped in the country and others who so desperately want to return excluded
There are so many reasons why – but sometimes even I wonder ‘why’? Has it done more harm than good – if other countries have not closed up why are we still closed to the world.
Just got a touch of the miseries today….I’m sure they’ll go away as quickly as they came As for this b…..virus, it’ll go away one day I’m sure – hopefully I’ll still be around to witness it!
‘Our Big Girl’ left home last week. She and ‘her partner’ left their old home in the hands of its new owners and drove out of Melbourne towing her new home (a spanking new little…..very little….Jayco Pop Top Journey Outback caravan). They’re taking 12 months worth of leave (accrued annual, long service and sick) to do The Big Lap. Yes they’ve done all the planning, sold up everything and anything they didn’t ‘love’ including house, rented a storage unit for things they couldn’t part with, and are now off to drive around (and discover) our Wide Brown Land.
This is a photo of my Mum and Dad taken many years ago – I think at the time they were on holiday in Skegness (a seaside town on the east coast of England). Dad stayed on in the RAF after the war which meant we lived in many places, and after we all left home they became great travellers enjoying time away now and again both in the UK and in Europe. They did venture ‘down under’, loved it here but found it a long way – nearly 24hrs travelling as opposed to just a few across The Channel and beyond.
Now this is a photo of The Golfer’s Mother and Father (my in-laws) taken many years ago – at the time they were spending a few days visiting one of his sisters, a four hour drive from their home. They weren’t one for ‘holidays’ away from home and I remember my sister-in-law writing and saying how her Mother was on tenterhooks the whole time she was there. Seemingly she had a very relieved look on her face as they were leaving for home.
Both of these couples had their birthdays and also the days of their deaths in the first half of the year so we both (The Golfer and I) can be a bit pensive during those months . It all seems to come to a head about this time of the year and we need time to ourselves.
Amongst many things, my parents gave me a love of music and dance , love, laughter and travel – my in-laws gave me a respect for a simple way of life. My father in-law was a country boy born in the small rural village of Boxted in Essex (East Anglia) and for most of his working life was a chimney sweep.
Sometimes when I look at this saying I have hanging on the wall (author unknown)
There are but two things we can give our children; One is roots, the other is wings.
it makes me think of them and the legacy they left of being adventurous as well as enjoying life both at home and away.
So very different -yet so very much alike – both couples had one thing in common.
To see me, The Golfer and our family enjoy life and prosper When we told them we were leaving, migrating to Australia. and it was possible they wouldn’t see us again ‘Go for it’ they all said. Move on…live your new life But never forget where you’ve come from
Just before leaving time – 1972
Sitting here with my early cup of tea I’m thinking of how many times I’ve wished my children well, sent them on their way to enjoy new lives with the reminder to remember their roots. Some have returned a little worse for wear needing home comforts/love for a while longer- others have revelled in new found freedom
How have you felt when ‘leaving’ has cropped up in your world It’s a word with many emotions attached
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Do visit Denyse’s blog to see the latest edition of Life this week – you’ll find lots of interesting people over there. Linking to Senior Salon hosted by Esme
(Oh and OBG hasn’t gone far – their first planned stop was Bright in the High Country…..just 4hrs up the road. Plans for a few days stay have now been extended to 7 (and possibly more) courtesy of the statewide lockdown we here in Victoria have been put into, which isn’t too bad as there’s lots of things to do up there even at this time of the year with its cooler temps (-2c/29f overnight) .. ….except there are only 5 reasons they (like us) are allowed to leave home, straying from the van park for exercise is limited to 2hrs within a 5km radius. Pubs restaurants and cafes are closed so no pub lunches in front of blazing fires either)
Earlier the month before, two family members had ‘close shaves’ – one had been gone a few weeks seeing and doing what was on ‘the bucket list’ but getting more worried as days went by, finally managing to get a flight back from Glasgow (nowhere near where they were). They had booked with a travel agency which had worldwide outlets (High Street ‘shops’ all over the world) so appreciated the negotiations that took place between their ‘contact’ in Melbourne and someone in the uk to get them onto one of the fast filling aeroplanes coming back to Australia.
Another, plus her daughter, were booked to fly out; granddaughter had obtained a work visa with employment all lined up, daughter was going along to keep her company; they’d have a week or two sightseeing, granddaughter would start work, daughter would then go and visit family before coming home. So not hearing from the agency they continued to think everything would be ok – until g/daughter’s contacts in the uk said….”we recommend you don’t come”. . They spent days cancelling everything and watching the world shut down
Then the task began for both families to try and get refunds, in other words recover everything they’d outlaid already. Flights, accommodation, other transport plus entertainment and other bits and pieces. Trouble was…..just about every other traveller (worldwide) was trying to do the same…and it took a long long time. Both families were lucky in getting back all payments – there was a little argy bargy with some companies offering credit vouchers not cash but last I heard (at Christmas time) that was ‘all sorted’
So what this is leading up to is that after all this time of a closed international border (apart from instances of approved returning Australians who then go into a quarantine program) Australia and New Zealand have finally opened their borders to each other. The first flights took place the other day…..quarantine free but with a catch. The bubble will be burst if the virus raises its ugly head on either side of the Tasman….people could be ‘stranded’ away from home not knowing when they could make their return journey …..people will be looking for refunds….and if this article is anything to go by (see link below) – they will need to pick their airline carefully or there may be problems getting them!
12/4/21. “Those undertaking travel on either side of the ditch will do so under the guidance of flyer beware. People will need to plan for the possibility of travel being disrupted if there is an outbreak,” Ardern said. ‘ While everyone is hoping it doesn’t become necessary, there is still a possibility that additional travel restrictions could be reimposed at any time. This could involve the trans-Tasman bubble being paused or suspended with little or no warning, in the event of a new COVID-19 outbreak somewhere in Australia or New Zealand. If this unfortunately happens, the government is unlikely to help and most current travel insurance policies specifically exclude cover for getting stuck somewhere due to COVID-19 border closures’ Link – Which airlines will refund cancelled trans – Tasman flights. https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/refund-cancelled-trans-tasman-flights/
Yesterday was My Day for remembering I’m the world’s worst for jotting things down with no clue as to when & why & where they came from.
Do you remember this – I thought I was getting better But guess what I discovered yesterday – another scrap of paper In amongst some knitting patterns
“the sky that morning was so flat and new it looked ironed “. I have a vague inkling where I read/heard it but it’ll mean rereading a book to prove myself right😊
Yesterday was My Day to admire the most beautiful clear (almost flat) blue skies that I just had to record – there should be sound – fingers crossed it works
I’m sure the best of us (and maybe even the worst of us) have had thoughts of family during this year. Like them or loathe them, live on their doorstep or on the other side of the world, I’m sure they entered our minds at some time or another. And like those times when you ‘can’t have’ something you seem to ‘want it’even more, that longing for family might have been more pronounced for some than it had ever been.
My close family is spread all over the place, some in the UK, some in the Middle East and us down here in The Colonies …..as my mother used to describe Australia. This separation has never bothered us, we are another generation in a long line of generations raised in military style, used to packing up and moving on every few years, settling in but ready to move again when necessary. Keeping in touch, knowing we would ‘catch up’ with extended family when the time was right.
Next sister – Me – Little sister – Baby brother 1998
My little sister Patsy is sick…….really sick. And for the first time in a long time I miss her.
We had already planned to visit her again this year in Cyprus where she lives. Well, that didn’t happen did it.
Looking ahead and making new plans to visit late next year has been one of the things that’s kept me going over the past few months. Well, they aren’t looking too good either.
Our international border (in and out) closed back in March this year and with the way things are going……with the worldwide escalation of new cases – not a slowing down, and now a mutation, a new strain, a variant of the virus evident in the UK (and possibly other countries) I really can’t see it opening in March 2021 as has been mooted. Yes, vaccines have ‘arrived’ but they won’t be available to the general population for quite a while and my personal thoughts are that the virus isn’t going to disappear ‘just like that’
Trying to look on the bright side of things I know Patsy is being given the best care available but it’s so hard to be upbeat when someone you love is in pain and there’s nothing you can do about it.
So I’ve decided I’m done with here for this year. I can’t concentrate anymore I’ll be back in 2021. Hopefully in a better frame of mind …..because I’ve been a real misery lately. And hopefully having heard better news about my lovely little sister.
She (in yellow) and me Paphos 2014
Joining Corinne for this weeks Monday Musings – sharing thoughts with others. Joining Denyse for the latest edition of Life this Week
So, we had months and months of ‘nothing’……go nowhere – see nobody. Time enough for some to realise they really needed people in their lives…..time for others to realise this was how they liked it. Peaceful quiet homebodies who would venture out occasionally and as long as their basic needs (food home health) were covered were content to work with how things were.
I suppose we are lucky here in Victoria ….and other parts of Australia…..in that (apart from returning from overseas Australians who must do a mandatory 14 days) our long months of quarantine/restrictions are nearly over and our lives are slowly moving towards what is being called a COVIDsafe Summer.
We are definitely not back to where we were,…..45 days of no community transmission does not mean ‘it’s been beaten’, ….memories of 20,000 Victorian cases (700 a day at one point) plus over 800 Victorian deaths are still strong……we’re still ‘ruled’ by a combination of numbers and space/distance – there are some circumstances where The Mask is still required – but on the whole we can smile at others with uncovered faces 😎….
All that has meant that pubs, cafes and restaurants are doing a roaring trade again…..well those who have managed to survive financially or who are willing to try and trade out of their financial woes. Also subject to new guidelines, leisure centres (gym and pools) have reopened – so more and more ‘retired oldies’ are braving the new world, exercising and meeting up with friends…..and most are enjoying it.
I now realise that because of a ‘we must get together’ need others had, after 2 (large, 12 people) lunches, 1 (small 6 person) coffee gathering, 1 book club meet plus 2 gym sessions in the last two and a half weeks I’m ‘peopled out’…. I’ve seen and been seen, compared experiences, reassured other’s we’re ok… Selfishly, now, after such a short time, I want my quiet back…..
There are new things to do – books to read – maybe, just maybe places to go. I’m working on some small waistcoats……similar to these HERE Adding a band of fair isle means (just as before) I need quiet uninterrupted time. plus pen paper and charts 😊
March 2012
March 2012
March 2012
So what’s on my mind this Monday afternoon? I know I had a couple of episodes during this time when everything just ‘got to me’. It’s been hard to put my finger on the cause – I’m confident living a quiet life wasn’t it. Rightly or wrongly I’m putting it down to the uncertainty of the way things were.
Maybe this ‘new normal’ life’ we’re being offered needs to be filled with a mix of fast/slow – quiet/‘noisy’ days ….just like it was before!
How about you……do you have any ideas on how you will approach your ‘new life’. When you get the chance that is 😊
Joining Corinne for this weeks Monday Musings – sharing thoughts with others. Joining Denyse for the latest edition of Life this Week
October seemed to come and go quite quickly. Not a huge amount of anything was done except wonder if and when things would take a turn for the better and life would become more free and easy (in other words we’d be free from restrictions). The garden started to come alive so there was a bit of pottering done and rainy days meant there was a fair bit of reading done
As far as knitting went I actually had something else in mind but decided it easier to fish out a WIP (work in progress) and finish something‘simple and straightforward’ rather than get crotchety trying to work out increases & decreases at the same time as keeping different colours under control so plain and simple with easy stripes it was. A simple boat neck ….no designated back or front …..which means an ‘independent 2 yr old’ is able to ‘dress themselves’. Who else remembers the “me do it” stage??
After a conversation with a very excited younger (going to be a grandma) friend last week I’ve begun something much smaller and a lot more subdued in colour. Her daughter (mother to be) wants her newborn baby girl’s clothing to be soft (and girly??) so at her insistence soft pale colours it will be and as she’s not a knitter herself I was asked to make several cardigans as well as something like an old fashioned matinee coat, not lacy like feather and fan but plainer…I met up with ‘Grandma’ in an allowed meeting in the park where she looked over a selection of patterns and this (bottom left corner) is what we’ve agreed on. ‘Grandma’ will look at cardigan patterns another day and (all being well) Babe’s not due till May so there’s no hurry 😊
Feather and Fan stitch is often referred to as Old Shale – poking around on the net I found this article that disputes that and shows the reason why. I’m sure many knitters will find it interesting. The comments on the post are interesting reading also. Feather and Fan versus Old Shale
I’m between books at the moment. Actually it’s more like I’m‘book’d out’. The last one I read was The Yearling – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a coming of age for the main character, a look at life in rural 1870’s Florida. Maybe it was the patter of speech used…..written and spelt as spoken, set in 1870’s Florida it wore me out trying to concentrate. I’ve read lots of books written in dialect but none so taxing as this one.
Better luck next time eh ??
Yarn Along can be found at Ginny’s. Do pop over to small things to see what others have worked on this past month. Unravelled Wednesday hosted by Kat is here at As Kat Knits. Lots of knitting and reading to see there.
Looking around I’m sure I’m seeing smiles behind masks…..I’m wondering where they’ve been hiding for the past, however many months. And as well as perceived smiles I’ve noticed smiling eyes. They definitely have been missing. Smiling eyes haven’t been seen for a long time. During a walk around the supermarket you’d be met with a downward glance, a furtive look at a list and a quick scurry away. The other day someone actually nodded a greeting to me, acknowledged I was there. Laughed and smiled (unseen hidden by masks smiles ) when we both reached for something on the same shelf….then remembered it’s really not all over and stood back. We both shrugged shoulders, moved on wondering when our faces would be able to tell the tale and not have to rely on body gestures.
I smiled and heaved a sigh of relief last week at some good news. An X-ray showed the worrying pains I’d been feeling in my upper back/shoulder area were nothing to do with my heart, my lungs were clear, there’d been no pneumonia, the coughing will be back under control again when I resume twice daily puffs of an asthma preventative. It showed more spinal degeneration (bummer, just what I need) higher in the thoracic spinal area. Referred pain……Oh well, I’ll live, it just means another set of exercises to be done in conjunction with the lower lumbar region ones!
Coming back from the Chiropractor on Friday I passed a church notice board. and saw these words in bold letters
Beneath it some wag had nailed on a bit of wood with the words. Give them one of yours!
That certainly brought a smile to my face 😊
We missed World Smile Day back at the beginning of October….as much as we tried Victoria wasn’t quite ready to smile again. I think we are now and I’m doing my best to find something to smile at each day.
How about you- have your smiles gone into hibernation….gosh it’s been hard for us all worldwide so it’s no wonder they aren’t visible. Have you discovered anything special to bring them back to life again.
Thanks to case numbers dropping substantially here in Victoria the overnight curfew was lifted last week but we were eager to hear what other changes were going to be made……what else from our stage 4 restrictions was to be eased.
We anticipated ‘going an extra mile for a lot longer’ was going to be one of them and last Sunday discovered we weren’t wrong!
One of the changes was that we (in metropolitan Melbourne) now have an extra 20km to move about in …..the previous 5km from home radius has been extended and is now out to 25km…an awful lot further than before We’re are also allowed out for as long as we like…..no two hour limit for shopping or exercise.
Much to the annoyance of some members of the community mask wearing and social distancing guidelines have not changed.
Anyway amongst the list of changes these….selfishly….are our favourites:-
The Golfer is happy because….yes, he discovered golf is now off the restricted list.
My back and my feet are happy because my podiatrist and chiropractor (allied health providers) can resume ‘routine face to face’ care and not be restricted to treating on a ‘needs/pain’ basis.
And ‘oh happy day’ they have allowed hairdressers (and barbers) to reopen😊
Unfortunately we still can’t sit down inside a cafe to drink a cup of coffee…..but, hey, we can’t win ‘em all. More discoveries aka changes are coming on November 1st…..fingers crossed that one will turn up then
It was only February this year but seems a long long time since we stopped on our way home from Mildura to have a quick look at a recently painted silo in Nullawil. Very different to others we’ve seen….yes a rural scene but not a native animal in sight. https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/nullawil A man and his dog – Darren the farmer and Jimmie the kelpie. by Smug (aka Sam Bates)
We were late getting on the road so The Golfer said it was to be a one photo stop 😢
I found this video online which means I can visit as many times as I like now 😊
Sami hosts Monday Murals – why don’t you pop over and be astounded by all the street art others have found
Just as an aside….In the next month or two after that visit when ‘you know what’ became more noticeable and people were either laid off work or had to work from home because of lockdowns, the animal shelters had a run of adoption requests. It was as if everybody needed a new canine friend to share their ‘new’ life with. They wanted something to take their mind off the uncertainty – to add a little love to their lives – also a running mate to help with their new found obesity😊.
I’m sitting here with a very early cup of tea and wondering if everything turned out the way these new pet owners hoped. For their new ‘canine friends’ as well as themselves. Silly things like did the dogs settle into their new surroundings (hopefully well secured so they didn’t escape into strange territory) did they get fed up with being walked each day…..maybe even several times a day. Were they fed a healthy diet….not just table scraps as used to be the way.
But what I’m really wondering about is whether some of them….any of them….will be returned….handed back…..when restrictions are lifted…..businesses are reopened….people go back to work. Will the new owners still have the time……be willing and able…. to exercise the dogs. How will the dogs cope with being alone all day especially after being the centre of attention for weeks on end? I’ve been told lonely anxious dogs get up to all sorts of mischief.
I know it sounds daft for a cat lover to wonder about such things what are your thoughts?
‘What do you miss’ I asked her. ‘Oh I’m like Piglet, she said. It’s the hugs I miss’. The touching, being close, feeling someone’s breath on your face.
My widowed friend…the one afraid of becoming ‘one of them’ lives a fair way from me so we keep in touch by phone. We never did get that coffee and chat before the latest lockdown and as she’s a bit techno challenged the phone is the way.
‘Giggling’ I said. That’s what’s missing. Like when we’re having coffee with the others, finding something silly in what one of them says, saucy even.
I mentioned that even though I’ve always spent lots of time on my own I missed having regular things to do, there seemed to be no structure to the days anymore. Knowing the bins went out to the nature strip Sunday night so they could be emptied Monday morning was the only constant at the moment.
So after that whinge I said I’ve gone back to ‘ a drawer and a chore ‘ a day ‘ to make sure I do something productive each day besides sit on my backside doing whatever takes my fancy.
Right this moment my energy levels are not the best so if I concentrate on one drawer…..just tidy it up a little bit …..and one chore……just do one thing……something round the house, out in the garden, shopping, errands, I’ll feel better.
‘Yesterday’s chore was the bed’ I said. ‘And that gave me a real giggle….. ‘Come on, she said. Changing sheets and giggling don’t normally go together…… unless The Golfer was giving you a hand’. 😊😊
Have you ever tried to describe what happens when you shake open a sheet and instead of it floating gracefully forward and covering the bed it flies back and covers your face making you fall forward onto the bed in a fit of giggles? No Golfer needed for that….claphanded Catherine can manage it all by herself. Mind you I could of sworn the bed was giggling back at me as I tried to get back up.
I finished Voss the other day. At one stage he stops for a while at Brendan Boyle’s property (Jildra station) to gather further supplies before setting off into the unknown. The house is quite small and this is what Voss heard during the night. He being Mr Boyle.
“…had returned to the room which he was pleased to refer to as the bedchamber, beyond the chimney piece and which was the only other room of the house. He was blundering about a good deal, and making animal noises, and exploring the darkness for its distinctive grain. His bed, it seemed, was full of giggles.”
It’s been a hard and testing year for all and I know we are missing the big things in life but….. what are those special‘ little’ things you are missing mine’s giggling with the girls – I wonder what yours are
My mother and her sister were twins. Fraternal not identical. Two eggs producing two sisters who were so very different. One blonde – one dark. One out going, talkative, loving life to the full, an extrovert – the other quiet and retiring very much the introvert. One definitely liking the drink – the other very much the teetotaller.
Children of the 1920s when money was a bit hard to come by. I love these photos of the two of them in their homemade shifts, with my grandma standing to one side, smiling at them getting to know the parrot in the big cage. Mum (the dizzy blonde with the curly hair and her drawers hanging down) is trying to open the cage, Aunty Madge (the dark haired quiet one) is obviously not that interested.
That’s the way they were all their lives. Aunty Madge (below L) quietly and politely waiting her turn. Alice (my mum) ‘quick’ impatient, impulsive, outspoken, always wanting to lead, never wanting to be left behind. Sometimes known to bite her tongue when she saw things she didn’t like but decided that wasn’t the time to let people know. Not quite sure what it was the photographer was doing she didn’t like but her tongue was obviously being bitten lol
They grew up ‘motherless’……my grandma died when they were just 7 so an aunt helped raise them as well as their two brothers. All mum ever said was ‘it was was fun when her father was around, not so the aunt’. So come the time of WW2 what does a very high spirited young woman do when advised by her father (a career soldier mentioned in dispatches for bravery during WW1) that women do not go to war but take the overnight boat from Belfast to Heysham and enlist in the WAAFs. Yes she ran away from home to join the Air Force.
Aunty Madge bided her time and was ‘allowed’ to work in a munitions factory where she found a husband and lost the tip of a finger. Mum spent her time dodging bombs on an airforce camp, packing parachutes and dancing. She ‘reacquainted’ herself with Dad (who she had known in Belfast) and the rest is history.
Alice and James 1985
During this time of lockdowns and restrictions I’ve been trying to do something different for a change – I gave up on ‘teach yourself crochet’ because I just couldn’t get a grip on manipulating the wool in my left hand – so dug out some cross stitch that’s been on the go for a fair while. A little something for The Golfer, ( a sampler of historic buildings in Colchester which is where he was born and bred) supposed to have been a surprise birthday gift a couple of years ago it never got finished in time and has been loitering waiting patiently for me to rediscover it. Yes I know I should have rolled it……..I’ll have to wash it so hopefully the crease will come out when it’s ironed/blocked before framing.
I know my love of song and family was passed down from my father, the thrill of dance came from both parents, my delight in knitting was given to me by my mother who ‘was a whizz with the needles’ but I’ve often struggled wondering where did my interest in needlework come from. https://cranethie.com/2017/06/23/putting-it-all-together/
I certainly didn’t inherit the sewing machine gene – that delight was passed on to my next sister and I don’t ever recall mum with an embroidery needle in her hand.
But see this lovely embroidery hoop and floor stand – it was given to me years and years ago – by Aunty Madge! Unbeknown to me my quiet patient retiring aunt shared the same interest and thought I might like it. It’s great for large pieces, I can adjust the height and angle of the hoop or remove the hoop and use it on my lap. Perhaps as she had no children of her own she had silently (Invisibly) gifted me with her passion for threads of all sorts.
Cathy @ Still Waters 