another day.....

.............spent in the rain.  How can the media report that the hosepipe ban stands as we are having the wrong sort of rain?  Rain is rain is rain, wet, falls from the sky and is cold!!  We are not able to get into the gardens at all and there are daffodils to be deadheaded and tied down, roses to plant, hyacinths to be lifted etc. etc. One of our clients has actually brought a set of keys round with a note to say 'come when you can' - nice to be trusted but  ............
I have had some bad news today - my card swap group is not getting the usual support and therefore will be cutting down on the number of swaps. :-(
I shall have to find another swap group or else just send out cards as 'thoughts' - I was just thinking of you so I made this card. 

Back to memories

Coming back down the road from Patrick’s there was a nice family……..

A lady called Mrs Busby, whose daughter, Marion, was my sister’s age.  Mam had told her I embroidered and so I got into the habit of popping across to sit with her.  We used to chat and sew and watch tv together for a couple of hours.  Eventually Marion got engaged to Ray so I became part of the family, I suppose like a younger sister to her.  When she married, Ray moved in with them and slowly I grew up and stopped going ……………. but it was a good time. 

Next door to them lived a family that I had nothing to do with really as their boys were older teenagers, too old to play out but young enough to torment us younger ones.  Then there was another family, again older children, and next door lived Thelma.  Some other families down that side of the road had older children but, although Mam was friends with their mothers, we didn’t mix. 

Then there was the family on the corner!  Two boys lived there, one a couple of years older and one a year younger than me.  I became friends with Eric (the younger boy) and we mixed with the group but also spent time together.  The others used to rag us as ‘going out with each other, being in love with each other’ all the things that children do but it wasn’t like that.  He was younger and kept white mice and hamsters in a shed at the top of his garden.  The garden opened onto the gulley (gulley is not strictly true as it was an access for cars so it was quite wide and had garages each side as well as back gates).  So when no-one was out playing, I would walk my dog down to the gulley, he would see me and we would walk the dog together, or maybe if it was raining or cold (the sun stopped shining all the time when we moved to Hall Green) we would stay in the shed.  We talked about anything and played with the mice, which I had never had close contact with before.  Later on I found out that four houses away from me lived a family with a son called Derek, who didn’t really play out much with us, but I found out he had white mice and, when they bred, he gave me a little one so Eric & I had more in common to talk about. 

He used to advise me as to looking after the mouse (can’t remember its name) and we would discuss homework, gossip and he had a record player in there …… just like having our own jukebox as his older brother gave him his old records, and sometimes treated him by buying new ones. 

As I grew up the older boy became ‘my secret love’ (Kathy Kirby’s song came out around this time), oh! how I spent time in my bedroom peering through the curtains as he hung out with the boys next to Marion house.  The older boys tended to group outside this house as there was a lamppost there to lean against and a wall to sit on.  Proper Teddy boys they were!!

I told Ronny one day who enjoyed telling her cousin next door (who also hung out with him) and I was just so embarrassed then!  I just couldn’t meet with Eric after that and could never tell him why!!!

Happy days as my youngest would say!

Ronny married her childhood sweetheart, lived in Shirley and had several children.

Ray moved miles away with his work, married and had three children who were adored by their grandparents.

Thelma married Ozzy Osborne (Black Sabbath Rock Group) – there's another story - divorced and became a well respected Music Manager.  I don’t know what happened to anyone else although I did speak with Freda from over the road on Friends Reunited one year.

Moving up the road ......

Shhhh!  don't tell anyone .............. the rain has stopped!!
I nipped to the Post office to post off some stuff from my stash, thought I may as well get the parcels off before the postage goes up - again!!
DH is collecting frogspawn from next door's pond - isn't there something about little boys never grow up they just get older!!!!!
Somewhere I have a photo of the road we lived in but although I have searched I cannot find it - it will turn up one day and I will republish this post.

memories continued:

Next door to Ronny lived her Dad’s sister and their family, three boys and a girl.  They all went scrambling of a weekend and spent most of the week washing and messing with their bikes.  The Salmons lived next door to them and they only had one son – the war reduced some families if there was a serving parent.  Ray was ok with me and we often spoke although when I went to Grammar – he went to Moseley – he was horrified to see me coming up the road with Villa colours on and use to tease me dreadfully.  The other football team (I don't like swearing but for the sake of history ……… Birmingham City!) was the chosen one and not Aston Villa – I didn't know and didn't really care.  I have married a blues supporter and a Villa supporter so ended up going to both football grounds!!

Next door but one to him lived another family but Derek never came out very much, didn’t seem to be able to mix much but he did give me a white mouse (which had babies!!) and I loved that mouse so much – fact that I had a cat and a dog did not enter into it!!  Down towards

Skelcher Road

lived another family who were great friends of my Mam’s.  They had a boy and it wasn’t till years later I found out an older daughter.  John and I were friends, part of the ‘group’………….. he had a heart attack at 24 and died ………. Just like that ………….

By then we had all gone our own way. 

A few houses along from Thelma lived Patrick, much maligned as his dad was a ‘pigman’ – collected all the waste to feed to the farm animals – often parking his truck outside his house and, even if the truck was empty, it smelt!!!  Next door to them lived Freda who wasn’t allowed to play out very much but I liked her and her family.  They lived with her Nan – her father’s mother - and was the eldest, her father was tall & thin and her mother was very petite and feminine, stunningly pretty – or so I thought – she made me tongue tied, I had never met anyone so pretty and ladylike.  Further up the road lived Jill & Lesley; I only came to meet them when I started at Harrison Barrow Grammar School as they both went there.  My mother thought it fortunate as it meant she didn’t have to buy so much uniform for me, I had their cast offs – especially the summer dresses which were made from a very pretty flowered material and I loved very much.  Unfortunately, this was my downfall as, when I was in the third year and Lesley was in the fifth, she noticed a tear in my skirt and told me she had done that to hers and it all became clear as to where her old uniform went.  She sort of looked ‘down’ on me after that and I was pleased when she left, but my friends knew that I wore her cast-offs and it left a very unpleasant atmosphere for some time – till something new became the gossip.  Jill had the new uniform, it was then passed to Lesley and then passed to me, so you can see where Lesley was coming from.  I think that was about it except for some babies and toddlers further up the road ie numbers 10 -14. 

Salmon Fishing in theYemen - not me ..... the film!

Why oh! Why?  

When there are a variety of colours in a flower (as in Auricula) do I only get purple and khaki?

Ventured out into the pouring rain yesterday to go to the pictures …… now there's another thing ……… why, when it's pouring down with rain, does the bus come early,  be driven by a driver who will not stop to pick you up even though you are flagging him down, and he knows there's not another bus for half an hour!!! OOH! His name was mud!!!

We spent a good couple of hours watching 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen', after everyone had found their seats, caught up with the gossip, managed to avoid the adverts, disturbed those who just love adverts!!  The film was just as I expected; gentle, funny, sad, handsome lead men and bonus views of Scotland.  The contrast between the two countries was vivid and encouraged you to give full marks to the Sheikh's idea.  One to watch again, when it comes on the telly.

 Back to the memories:

We moved to Hall Green in January 1957, so that Mam and Dad could look after Grandad easier.  It was all strange to me, although I had visited Grandad often and knew his house, it was very strange to actually LIVE there, so quiet.  It was very difficult at first; as it was a quiet road and we were used to having the railway close by. 

There was no local park, our nearest ones being Shirley Park or Trittiford Mill; both of which were half an hour’s walk away.  The Road was a long straight road and most of the people that lived there had brought up a family and were now Grandparents.  Most of the children were the same age as Ena & Tony, but just by where we lived there were a half dozen families with school age children.  A few weeks later and I could sleep at night in the quietness, at least I slept with Ena so it wasn’t too bad.

We lived in the middle part of the road while the older people lived down the other end to the left – going up the numbers - and the younger families lived up the ‘posh’ end as I always thought of it.  It wasn’t posh ……. They were semi-detached houses same as us but had three bedrooms and a garage.

Next door to us  - going up the numbers - lived a big family – Father was a painter/decorator and they had six children.  The eldest two were the same ages as Ena and Tony, then a boy, and then a girl my age, actually one year younger and then a younger sister and brother.  Veronica was the same age as me and very pretty, or so I thought – she had long curling hair and was quite slim, even at that young age I was more solidly built.  Ronny and I became friends, as after a while I did with the children in the road.  

As Mam & Dad had lived there during and after the war, the eldest two – one of whom was called Charlie (or Wagger – why? I don’t know and it left me confused as to what to call him!) were Ena & Tony's friends.  I was a baby when we left to live in Stechford so we were known and accepted, although everyone called me 'Ena' as I was 11, the same age as Ena when she left and both of us being dark etc. etc. 

The eldest girl was married to an airman and lived out at Coughton, they had a daughter Sandra and, after we moved, she had twin girls followed by a boy much later on.  I have to tell you about Sandra because she will figure in a later story. 

Veronica and I became firm friends but she could be very spiteful and liked things her way, I think that because she was so pretty she had her own way in lots of things, especially as she had two older siblings, one still at home.  Anyway we were friends, and she was friends with Thelma across the way, so I became friends with her as well.  Ronny and me could go into one another’s houses but we weren’t allowed in Thelma’s – don’t know why – and we often spent time in the garden or looking after her niece Sandra. 

One day when I went round to Ronny's, she was looking after Sandra and suggested we fed her some milk with lemon juice in; so we mixed it up and then she made Sandra drink this.  That poor child’s face and every time she chucked the bottle away Ronny made her have some more – ugh!  Just the thought of that sour, curdled milk!

We had a washing competition one summer – I had made some clothes for our dolls, a blue and white spotted dress in particular.  My Mam used Oxydol and her Mam used Persil so we washed our dresses in our Mam’s powders and hung them out to dry.  Needless to say ….. her Mam’s powder washed whiter!!!

Dad gave us a bit of garden at the bottom down by his shed - right down the bottom there ....... oh dear!  you can't see it ............ but it is there! -  and we planted seeds there, cress and lettuce.  When they came through we had a picnic with our dolls – some of the lettuce, nasturtium leaves, some of the windfall apples from the Mr Wilkes garden who owned the corner shop on

Skelcher/Sandyhill Road

and some of the meat offcuts from the Deli.  This shop was a grocer’s up at the Baldwin (local shopping centre) but had a cooked meats counter, and when the meat was sliced for customers there was always bits falling into a tray.  These were bagged up periodically and either given to the local children or put to one side for cats.  So they became part of the picnic, didn’t matter whether it was corned beef, ham, tongue or whatever – we used it!

Mam didn’t use this shop much as she always had an order from Wrensons just like she had in Stechford.  I took the book up and paid the bill and then waited while they made up the order which I carried back home.  I was SOOOO pleased when Dad bought Mam a basket on wheels for one of their wedding anniversaries!!



Warning ............ very sad...........

Something else occurs to me …….

When Mam & Dad stopped going up North in the summer time they started going to Guisborough for the New Year and they always had a lovely time.

One of Iris & John’s neighbour’s sister read the tea leaves and Mam often had hers read.  Such a laugh!

Then one time they came back and Mam said that the tea leaves said she would have a granddaughter for Christmas.  Ena was as adamant as me that it wouldn’t be us, she had enough children and I had nowhere to put one, I still lived at home as we saved for our own place.  By April of that year (1967) we knew the tealeaves had not lied and that I would be the proud mother!! 

Another time when Mam and Dad came home, Mam was very quiet and a bit vague about the tealeaves but ……… when the chance came I asked her to tell me about them.  She eventually told me that after much cajoling - the neighbour’s sister said she couldn’t see anything but her face told a different story – she had admitted that it was bad news and she never passed that on.  Mam insisted that she wanted to know so she was reluctantly told ……. She would be a widow by the next Christmas.       

I laughed and said that she should always take those things with a pinch of salt but we both knew that the leaves had been right before – I had a six year old daughter as proof. 

By the February Dad was complaining of a pain in his shoulder, he wasn't a moaner so we knew it must be bad.  We persuaded him to see a doctor and in July he went to the Doctor’s who eventually sent him to a specialist who whipped him into hospital for tests.  He was very poorly, I went with Mam to visit every day, three buses and me pregnant!  Mam needed to see him, every day she sat with him while I amused N who was only about two and wasn't always allowed in to the ward. These tests proved that he had lung cancer which may have spread to his shoulders and elsewhere.  More tests needed to be done to find out where it all was.  Sometimes when we went in to the ward he looked like he had gone ten rounds with Cassius Clay having had more examinations of his lungs.  During the course of one of these tests, he had to have a pre-med which in those days was an injection, his heart could not take it and he died there and then. 

So on September 10^th 1974 my mother was widowed.  She never went North again.

........a few photos - Wedding, at a sports day in Malaya,  Singapore with friends and Ena, a card Dad sent when abroad.  Relaxing on holiday after N was born, a party for 50 years married...............

3rd Memory of Holidays up North

After we had stayed with Auntie Caroline and Uncle Mike we moved on to Peterlee and Auntie Maggie’s house.  I don’t know where in the chain of brothers and sisters Auntie Maggie appeared - you would have to look at the family tree (updated:  Maggie was my father’s eldest sister) - but she lived in Horden in a beautiful old house.  It always seemed beautiful to me I think because there was an amazing fire come oven, ornate and black leaded.  She used to swing the kettle over the fire to boil the water and open a little door in the side to cook.  I slept in a little bed that was kept in a cupboard – if you have read any Catherine Cookson books then you know what I mean.  This house was magical to me, although I am sure any of her children would think different!!!! 

We could access the beach from Auntie’s house but even that was different – it was grey, coal mixed with sand!!!  Back up the beach was the wheel and the rest of the mine but down on the beach we could gather coal and take it home.  I loved going down there with my second cousins, again as my cousins were all grown up. 

Not a very good photo but gives an indication of the view from the beach.

Tilly (one of Maggie's daughters) has remained in contact with me, I think it was her girls that I played with, again younger than me but nearer in age than my cousins. 

Apparently, when I was born Tilly and Bill fell in love with my name and named their eldest daughter Christine, I think the next one was Gail but I am not sure.  Bill was a truck driver for Smith’s Crisps company and, when we lived in Blythsford Road, he used to come and stay overnight with us and leave us a couple of boxes of crisps!!! 

There were lots of cousins in this area, Auntie Maggie having had lots of children, so there was always someone to play with or collect coal with.  Cousins who came by on their way home, some washing in Auntie's parlour - suppose there was too many in their own house so they saw their Mam and had a wash at the same time!!

Not my family but this is an indication of what went on.

Auntie Maggie used to make Rag Rugs and I was always allowed to cut up the material, and several times had a go at actually making one.  Old clothes were cut up into pieces of material, which were then cut into strips one inch by about four inches, the material was hooked by the peg and pulled through the rug and then the ends were pulled through the loop.  Quite a simple operation but very tiring on the hands but Auntie Maggie had many of these rugs around the house, which made it appear to be very cosy.

Auntie Maggie making the rug -
see the stove behind?
That's 'mine'!!!

I was sometimes allowed to clean and black lead the oven, how I loved to make this shine!!  It was a messy job as it had to be washed first, scrubbed clean, then the ‘black Lead’ polish was applied and then it was buffed to a shine.  All the ashes had to be taken out before any of this could be done and the fire was re-laid as the fire was needed for cooking.

After we had stayed for a few days, off back to Newcastle we went and then either home from there or back to Darlington and home from there.

The summer holidays were all over and I always came back with a Geordie twang, taking about three weeks to get back into Brummie. 

I truly loved it up north and missed going to see everyone, the only time we ever seemed to meet up after that was at funerals.

2nd Memory of Holidays up North .....

We usually stayed with Auntie May for about four or five days and then packed our cases and left for Newcastle itself.  Auntie Caroline lived in Newcastle and she was my favouritest Auntie on Dad’s side. 

Uncle Mike and Auntie Caroline lived upstairs in a big house, were kind and caring and nothing was ever too much trouble for them.  We had to come down some rickety wooden steps to get into the back yard - Well, it wasn't really a street (no pavements just back gates off) and in any case, no one round there had cars.  All the local children played out there so you can imagine that when I appeared, it attracted a crowd but most of the time Agnes’ daughter (Irene) was staying during the daytime so we used to play out back together with the other children.  Agnes and Marie, her daughters, also lived in Newcastle.  Agnes was out at work during the week, I think she was a nurse.  The women hung their washing lines across this ……… entry, I suppose you would call it ……. And we would play hide and seek among it!  Irene and I are very alike, not just in looks but also in nature and I really liked her, I don't know about Agnes – she was quite strict.  Marie lived some way away in Denton Burn, in a three bedroom house on a nice estate.  She had two daughters (Kathleen and Carol) who were slightly younger than me, I don’t’ recall there ever being a father to any of these girls.  Agnes and Marie were not good friends, both were ‘hard’ looking women, so typical I thought of the North and, as I found out later, Marie could be a vindictive person. 

Dad, Irene, Agnes, Auntie Vie and Irene's two boys

 Irene and I became quite close in those years, and when we meet up on the odd occasion (she now lives in Telford) the years fall away again and it is like we were never apart. 

When Uncle Mike retired, they moved to ‘the country’, to a 'proper' house which backed onto some woods and from her back bedroom could be seen a prisonlike building, all high fences and wires along the top, a young offenders institution.  I went walking in those woods one time and met a boy there, we often used to meet and walk and talk together, such sweet innocence.  I never knew if he lived local or came from 'there', I guess I didn't want to know.

When I was fourteen I was allowed to go on my own by coach and stay with Auntie Caroline, such an adventure!  I stayed there for a few days and then was sent to stay with Marie as she had the girls and it was thought to be much better for me.  Now I was 14 years of age, had been smoking since I was about 12 and came from the 'big city' so of course I had to 'big it up'!!! 
You always reap what you sow.  Oh! Yes! My friends.  This was a BIG learning curve for me. 
So there I am ……… "oooh! yes of course I smoke, oooh! yes of course I've got a boyfriend, oooh! yes of course I go out to the local clubs" (one shed called a youth club but  …….) there was I bigging it up bigtime.

So for a few days, I did the ‘big I am’ in front of these girls, smoking and telling them about going out with boys – well blagged I can assure you. 
BUT ….
as with all lies, they came back to haunt me.
Uncle Jim's daughter was also staying there at the time and then came two boys – one of whom was named Edwin, they were the sons of Laurie, Auntie May’s other son who I never met.

One day while I am staying with Auntie Marie (as we were taught to call all Adults), still blagging with these young kids, the ‘big’ girl was too old to play outside with us, when I am called into the house.  This big girl had had some money stolen from her purse and they had worked out it was me!!!  I knew it was not but as I was the unknown equation in all this – I was guilty. 
Marie said it must be me because how else could I afford to smoke – oh! Yes! She knew about it - Kathleen had told her.  The accusations kept coming - I also had more money than I had come up with!???  I had spent it all on fags and makeup! 
So I was caught in a trap of my own making but it didn’t matter how much I told them that it was all lies ……….. and I didn’t really smoke that many ………. and I didn’t really buy makeup …………. and I hadn’t really had that much money … it was all lies …………. They didn’t believe me. 
My bags were packed and I was sent back to Auntie Caroline's to catch the next bus home.  Not only that – Marie was going by train to see my Dad and tell him all about what had happened and what a thief his daughter was!!

      I was in bits. 

Dad with Caroline, Marie and Kathleen

 Auntie Caroline duly put me on the coach next day but although she has passed no comment (she couldn’t really as she didn’t know the circumstances) as I climbed onto the bus she pushed a half a crown (12½p) into my hand, I hugged her and felt vindicated by this small show of support.  All the way back to Birmingham on the coach I prayed and prayed, I just knew that no-one would believe me, I was a child and Marie was an adult.  Mam met me at Digbeth and we caught the 29A home, I was resolved not to say anything until I got home to Dad and Auntie Marie.  I managed to get as far as Camp Hill, Mam and I both standing holding onto the straps above our head and started to cry.  Mam wanted to know what had happened and as soon as we found seats I whispered to her all the events that had happened over the weekend.

I thought she was going to explode – “just wait till your Father hears this!” she almost shouted, “I’ll give that woman a piece of my mind” as she mentally rolled up her sleeves for the fight.  So at least my Mam was on my side but I still had to face Dad ……. 

When we got home I was sent upstairs ‘to unpack’ while Mam related what I had managed to whisper to her on the bus and then I was called downstairs …………… 

 “What’s this then?” asked Dad and I burst into tears, Mam told me to tell him honestly everything that had happened so I did (not a word was said about me smoking – being a parent myself I now know that they had already suspected this). 

My Dad was very quiet, asked a few questions and then found some money and went off to the phone box to ring Marie who had not arrived before me.

When Dad came back he told me to ignore anything that Marie had said and then described her in no uncertain terms to which my mother said “oh! Harry!!” 

That was the end of it all, they believed me against Marie.    Ooh! The relief! 

Years later when I discussed it with Mam she said that Dad had a blazing row with Marie but they knew how she was, she had taken Agnes husband away from her and then dumped him, she was not a nice piece of work, she was tarred with ‘the Holland trait’ and he never spoke to her again.

Again I later found out that they thought Edwin was more than likely to be the culprit but I cannot remember why they thought that. 

I don’t remember going up north on holiday again, Mam & Dad started going to Guisborough to stay with Iris & John (Auntie Veronica's daughter).

1st Memory of Holidays up North

Dad was the second youngest in a family of 13 children. 

I know nothing of his parents, except hearsay from Ena (who denied it in later years) but she told me that Auntie Vi’s youngest son, Peter, was so fed up of being asked if he was foreign that he researched the family tree.  He traced it back to the Spanish armada.  Apparently, one of our great grandads was a Spaniard shipwrecked on the Irish coast who married a local gypsy girl and the rest, as they say, is history.  As I now know it is all stories although Dad's people did come from Ireland.  Once again I have to say that being a late child most of my cousins were grown up and so it was on my Father’s side of the family.

Every year we went ‘home’ for our main holiday, throughout my childhood until I was 16.  Every year, come July, we would pack a case and catch the train to Darlington. 

Auntie May lived at

60 Borough Road

with her son Neville, a man in his 40s and a ‘lodger’ who I called Uncle Lionel.  These two men caused the visit to be quite stressful for me but it was not until later years, after Dad died that I was able to talk to Mam about it. 

Uncle Lionel used to enjoy teasing me, like telling me to go get something and when I couldn’t find it (cos it wasn’t there!) he found it hugely amusing.  I didn’t and eventually I never believed anything he said and tried not to have anything to do with him. 

Auntie May was quite strict and I had to be very careful what I touched, sat on etc. but she was always on my side. 

Once she paid for me, Mam and her to go to the theatre, I can remember it vividly as it was such a treat for us and I had never been to the theatre.  Another thing that makes it a vivid recall is that when the clowns came on, as they performed their act, their car exploded with smoke and a loud bang, so loud I ran away – up out of my seat and out to the front of the theatre!! 

Mam and Auntie May came and found me; I was crying and too frightened to go back in.  Auntie May was a bit peeved and Mam said she would take me home but another lady said I could sit with her.  For some reason I was persuaded to go back in and sat with the lady in her box!  It was on the right hand side of the theatre and I could see Mam and Auntie May sitting down in the stalls and could see all the theatre.  This lady allowed me to have an ice cream – where that came from I have no idea – and I watched the rest of the show from ‘up high’. 

Most of the time the grown ups went to the local Men’s Working Club and I was allowed in there until it was time for bed and then Mam would bring me home.  At Auntie May’s I slept downstairs in the front room and I can remember waking one night and seeing shadows on the curtains walking past.  I had this vision of giants or people on stilts and I was terrified, I screamed out and Mam came running in, after I had told her about my dream she explained that I was on the ground floor and these were people going home or going to work – just ordinary people.  Uncle Lionel had a field day with this and teased me for a long time and called me scaredy cat. 

 Me at twelve - never was petite!  The white dog was mine - Gypsy.  The scruffy one was Robin, belonged to the lady next door in this house - both daft as brushes but very dear to me.

Cousin Neville had a boxer dog one year and if I moved too fast he used to run after me and grab me with his front paws, I liked him but I don’t think he liked me. Once or twice Neville and I took him for a walk on the local fields and he was ok with me then.  Neville, as I have said before, was a single man in his forties, he used to be in the navy but didn’t seem to do any work now.  One time we went there, I must have been about ten or eleven, and every time I sat on his lap he would run his hands up and down my sides and across …… I hated it …. so after that I avoided this situation and became ‘too big to sit on laps’.  In later life when Neville was mentioned to Auntie Vie  she just glossed over him as though she didn’t want to talk about him so maybe it wasn’t just me.

Mam, Auntie May and me often used to walk down to the local park; it was quite posh compared to Dad’s park, laid out flowerbeds, play area with swings & slides, river with ducks on.  I loved going there and enjoyed the walk as well, the houses were so different, back to backs so we would cut through the back ‘streets’ from road to road and all the while people talking in that funny way. 

Sometimes we would visit Redcar or South Shields, Mam and Dad sitting on the prom and me on the beach, Dad pelting me with winkle shells – gently of course!! 

I have since found out that Auntie May had at least one other son, maybe two, but I never met them at all – although I did have a meeting with one of their sons but that’s for another day.

Lost Earring

See this earring? I lost its twin on Tuesday, somewhere between the train garden and my home.  I am upset because these earrings belonged to my mother and they are so small I thought they would be safe to wear.  I hope that I lost the earring at home and it will turn up one day like the proverbial bad penny!!

Ireland is not giving up its secrets so I will have to wait until I can speak with my cousin. 

I have found distant cousins now on my Nanna's side of the family.  There is a family for her eldest brother and also for her third eldest brother, one tree even has my parent's names - that is peculiar .... to see my parents on someone else's tree!!!

Now that I have Nanna's sisters names and her Auntie's names I am hoping to trace back and have some success with history!!

I have sent a letter on DH's behalf to EMN requesting confirmation that there is a family connection ..... I hope the letter did not cause too much turmoil in their household yesterday (Friday).  We wait and see what happens now.

I am full of cold - sneezing, general ague and now I have resorted to Beechams!  I don't seem to be able to shake this off, each day starts off good and then about 16.00hrs I start to go downhill .......... if I find out who gave these germs to me I shall give them back!!!

I have a greenhouse full of seedlings and small plants waiting to be planted on but with the weather being so pernickety they will have to wait a while.

I went for a McD's with N to celebrate TK's birthday and was told that 'The Phantom of the Opera' is coming to town later in the year ........ I am really trying to talk myself into being brave (see March 22nd posting).

Titanic 3D ...

Went to see this film on Sunday - loved every minute of it!  I know that I have seen it before  ... several times but this one was different, the 3D effect gave it depth and  - as always - it brought my thoughts to my Mother's Aunt (or Great Aunt), I have  to find out what happened.
I shall be moving over to my father's family for the moment, I am travelling from here:

Wynberg as in the 1990s


to



here:

Somewhere there is the place where my grandfather was born!  Not many places to search!  I have to find his birth certificate as his Army discharge papers just say 'Place of Birth: Ireland'   Joseph - I'm coming to find you!

Back to the memories ............

Maintaining this blog gets very difficult if I miss a few days .......... I lose the thread as it were.............
Visiting Scotland has reminded me of Maureen and John - see February 15 posting.
We haven't managed to get any more family research since we came back but I have been thinking about my Grandad French.  I have managed to trace his father, who was a servant at sixteen and a stonemason later in life, although I haven't managed to trace either his death or my grandfather's life.  I know so much about grandad but am unable to confirm it yet. 
With the Titanic hitting the news so much, it is so frustrating as I cannot confirm as yet whether it was my mother's aunt or great aunt who sailed, it would seem I am stuck with only being able to think about them all.

I cannot see me getting any time for research until at least Wednesday but no doubt I shall forget and go wandering off into something else.  Like cards .............  I have made all my swaps for this month featuring St George's day - April 23rd for non-English peeps!! lol

This one is possibly my favourite - the flag and the red rose - we should be waving one and wearing the other but my roses are still in bud!!!

Spring in the air

Spring is definitely in the air!!!
We spent most of yesterday morning tidying the garden and mowing the lawn for S.  I know we were supposed to go Wednesday afternoon but we had an invite to a Motor show (extremeeventseurope.com) on the evening so had to postpone until Friday and then we were in demand by another client - it's all go!

I cannot believe that we have been back home for a week, such a wonderful time and the views ...........

We had an early start to our trip, but kind Mr K drove us to the Coach Station, which saved some hassle, we do like to be early.  There were about 12 of us being picked up and we did not all get there at the same time, but still managed to leave 15mins early for which our driver thanked us.

There were several pick ups on the way and there was a comfort stop at Prestonish services.

you would not believe how excited I was to see the BIG SIGN saying ‘Welcome to Scotland’  ……… there wasn’t one ……..

We had lunch at Gretna Green ………..

Gretna was cold, miserable, windy, expensive, and no-one enjoyed it.  There was a wedding and the bride came into the Restaurant while we were drinking our £3 cup of coffee, she looked frozen, poor thing.

It started to snow as we turned off the motorway proper and became quite Christmassy –

Glen Ogle as we passed, quite a bit of history but you’ll have to look it up as with all names dropped here!!!

We carried on to our Hotel and about ten miles away from it our driver burst into speech and I could understand him!  (This was wonderful ……….. one of my worries was not understanding him as I find it difficult to understand some accents, broad Scottish being one).  He explained a few things about the Hotel and us having to use a handwash everywhere, that there would be no telephone signal etc. etc.  When we arrived we did as we were told, waited for the Manager to come on the coach and welcome us, then duly trooped off and into the Hotel and up to our rooms.  We went down for tea at 19.00hrs which was very late for us but  … heigh ho! we’re on a tour!

Meals were always regulated, set times and set tables and two single ladies joined us so everything was good.  We sat at this table, swapping seats and laughing for all our meals and it was good.

On day two we were off to Edinburgh, with our nice driver, Tom or Tam, he’s not bothered.  He had explained some of the day when we drove into Dalmally last night - This is a one horse town.  No, village.  No, Hamlet – it has a shop and a Church and our Hotel.

It takes some time to arrive at the hotel from the motorway and just as long to get back into civilisation – all the phones come back on as we reach it!!!!  We were off to Edinburgh via Stirling and the Forth Road Bridge. 

We stopped to see Hamish the local celebrity:

and then on along the road and through the Glens – I noticed that Glen Ogle was no longer covered in snow. 

Edinburgh is full of road works at the moment while they install a tramway so traffic held us up for quite a while although we did manage to find the station for our Steam Train adventure later in the year, but ran out of time to find our hotel!  All good fun ……… we were soon back on the coach and going back to the Dalmally Hotel. 

We found some information about local sights ie Stirling Castle and, more importantly for me, Wallace Memorial ………. Must come back to see that. 

Apparently it is a copy of Edinburgh castle.

Day three

Off to Oban in the morning and a concert in the afternoon – not if we can help it!!!  We managed to miss the concert!!!!

Day four

Fort William with a relief driver Paul, who chatted and joked and told stories all the way there – brilliant! 

first we drove through Glen Coe……

…….. I have no words to describe it adequately. 

It was all shades of green although this picture shows it in Autumn ....................You would have to see for yourselves.  We travelled slowly through and stopped to take photos but that was still too fast.  I loved it all, such a wilderness and history. 

Paul told it like this – Soldiers attacked, 38 killed.  Not really! - Then he told us the story but with some humour and sentiment. 

Told us to take our camera ready as we reached the end of the loch as he wanted to show us a very special island ………… we drove round it twice as he described the grass, bushes etc.  (Just letting the traffic get past us!!!) Oooo! smack his legs!!!

A few miles from Fort William he said he would need to phone ahead for those who wanted to travel up Ben Nevis.  He needed to know the numbers so, to help us decide, he would switch on the window wipers and then slowed them down so it didn’t look so bad!!!!  Needless to say DH and I opted for just Fort William.

We marched walked down the main street (that’s all there is) and called in at a bookshop, and then for a coffee!!!! …………. Amazing sponge cake, thick and creamy…………. Then walked, strolled along the front, taking photos till we reached the golden arches where we stopped for a free cup of coffee and wi-fi.  A pleasant hour or so spent there watching the natives go about their business – it doesn’t seem to matter where they are…….. children still get shouted at! 

Across the road from McD’s was a 16^th Century fort, or the remains of it.  Volunteers are trying to modernise it enough to make it an attractive place to sit and view the estuary, I think they have realised that one main street and McD’s does not make a good tourist spot!!! 

Paul quietened down a bit on the journey home but just had to give us the times for tomorrow – cases outside door by 06.00hrs!!!!   yeah!  Night before most like! 
Breakfast at 07.00hrs  - OMG!! 
Coach departure 07.45hrs ….. long day here we come!

Sure enough – cases outside, breakfast eaten, coach boarded and leaving 08.00hrs.

It was all over!

That was it!

We are leaving these beautiful mountains, gorgeous glens, wild places, snow and we are going home …………….. to our own bed with no getting up in the morning till we want to …. Yeah!!!!

Seriously it was quite sad, I took some video footage of views out of the window and then we were on the motorway.  We stopped at a very good services – fresh cream sponge and humongous cup of coffee.  Landscaped area outside with rock seats, grass and a pond, which in the sunshine made it very nice and restful.

Home for 17.30 and Mr K waiting at the chip shop while DH got some milk, tv paper and the fish & chips.

All done till the next time!
PS I cannot remove the italics for most of this post ......... sorry!