My maternal grandmother was a troubled woman, but she clearly had a sense of humour. I have many photos to prove it. Here are a few...
Here she is on a beach somewhere in England, sometime in the 1930s. Perhaps this explains my attraction to yoga! My great aunt, (gandmother's sister) lived in Bognor Regis so it's possible that's where this photo was taken, as they often visited her there.
And here she is (right), testing out a tricycle. I don't know who the woman on the left is; it could be her sister Gwen, or a friend. This would also have been taken sometime in the 1930s.
Here she is, dressed up in her husband's uniform. I'm not sure when this was taken; probably the early 1940s. My maternal grandfather served (for England) in both WWI and WWII. In fact, he was in the cavalry during the WWI. I will have to dig out the photo I have of him on his horse and scan it.
Here my grandmother watches over my very young mother, circa 1934.
This is a detail from the last photo taken of my grandmother in August 1949. The next month, she died on the operating table during back surgery. My 16-year-old mother stands next to her in this photo. They had a complex and difficult relationship, and things were never really properly sorted out between them, but when this photo was taken things were better between them.
I wish I'd had the chance to get to know my maternal grandmother. I think she was a very interesting woman, with many faults, who ended up stuck in a rather loveless marriage. But I like her sense of humour!
Nice post Natalie. Lord knows, we all have our faults but it shouldn't stop us from caring. I never really knew my grand-parents either. Always lived away from them growing up and if I saw them once a year I was lucky. It's actually sad that our family history is so incomplete.
ReplyDeleteYou and all your blogging friends are invited over to Amen Corners this weekend to take part in my first ever blog link-up event Picture Perfect Weekends. Great opportunity to hook up with lots of interesting new people. Hope you decide to join in.
http://amencorners.blogspot.com/2010/03/picture-perfect-weekends.html
Loved the photos, Natalie. Your grandma looks like a fun gal! It's a real shame she died at a relatively young age and so unexpectedly. Teenagers have so many "issues" with their parents that eventually get resolved as they get older and understand that their parents are only human. It must have been very difficult for your mother to deal with such a loss.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that you have those photos which reflect such an endearing sense of humour. Somehow, I think you have inherited the best part of your grandmother. I see it in the twinkle of your eyes, your often amusing observations and the photos you capture of your darling animal world.
ReplyDeleteShe looks and sounds like such a lovely woman...! I'm so glad you have those photos! :)
ReplyDeleteYou look a lot like her.
ReplyDeleteI love those old photos. The girls on the tricycles could have inspired the Monty Python gang and would make a great greeting card.
ReplyDeletePaula, I know quite a bit about my family, but not enough!!! I made a note to myself to visit your blog this weekend.
ReplyDeleteTTPT, I really wish I knew more about my grandmother. I do remember my own Mum telling me her mother was double-jointed! :)
Claudia, that's so nice. Thank you!! My grandmother was an animal lover herself.
Monika, my mother used to tell me I had her mother's hair. :)
Angel, I am lucky to have so many old photos from both sides of my family. Gordon's parents lost most of their photos because they stored them in their basement, which FLOODED a couple of decades ago!
Fran, that's a great idea about the greeting card. I will have to do that.
That's so weird. Of all the places in England you could have mentioned you come up with Bognor Regis, a place I stayed in when I was in prep school, with some family friends.
ReplyDeleteNext you'll be talking about Shoreham -by-Sea.
Why I had my first kiss at Shoreham-by-sea... KIDDING! It was in Scarborough. But Bognor Regis I have been to!
ReplyDelete