Tuesday 15 October 2024

Big Sister's Big Birthday

Today is Bigsister’s 80th birthday, and we are all just as surprised as her that she has now reached the age our Grampa was when I first remember him.
I remember telling Dad, on a visit to the care home, that she’d turned 60: “Well, how did she get that far that quick?”

Fifteen years ago I posted this blog on the Newcastle Journal website.

It seems appropriate to share it here now.

SISTERS

One of the perks of being involved in a Parents Teachers Association is that you get your pick of stuff left over after the summer fayre or Christmas bazaar.  This summer I picked up a copy of TheAccidental Time Traveller (by Sharon Griffiths) at Woodlawn Summer Fayre and enjoyed it so much I passed it on to my Big Sister. 

This autumn Bigsister and her husband were invited to a wedding in India and decided to make a holiday of it.  Just before flying she rang me to ask if I wanted the book back as she wanted something to read that she could leave there when it was finished so save weight coming home.  I said fine, no doubt someone in India might pick it up and enjoy it too. 

When she got back last weekend she rang to tell me all about the trip. 

Having exhausted India and how lavish the wedding had been and how upsetting she had found the poverty, babies begging, dirt etc. she said
"That Accidental Time Traveller book was really good, I've brought it home and I'm going to make it my book club book in January." 

She lives in East Finchley, they do things like that there. 

Big Sister (just turned 65) was particularly impressed at how evocative of life in the 1950s the book was.

I agreed saying "I don't really remember the 50s, but it sort of lived on in Cwmifor" 
"Yes" she said "especially in our house - Mum kept the 50s going until well into the 80s"

 We discussed how it was the little details that made all the difference.  Like putting the kettle directly onto the coals on the fire; a kettle singing on the grate was the background music to my childhood.  Or using the fire to make toast using the long toasting fork; toast under the grill or from a toaster just doesn’t taste the same.

 "And there were things I’d forgotten all about” she said “like the Gibbs toothpaste in the little pink box you had to rub the brush on."

"Oh yes" I said "You had that - I thought it was so glamorous"
"Pardon?!"
"I thought it was glamorous.  Mind you I thought everything you did was glamorous.  You were glamorous"
"You thought I was glamorous!!"
"Yes."
"I never knew that.  What did you think was glamorous about me?"
"Everything.  The clothes you wore. The make-up.  The mascara in the little blue box with the tiny toothbrush - that was really glamorous"
"That I had to spit on - I must have got that from Mum - fancy you thinking I was glamorous"
"Well I didn't have many role models - you were all I'd got really - and I wasn't the only one.  Mum told me Great Uncle Tom thought you dressed really smartly too, and he should have know because he was a tailor."
"I wish she'd told me that, I'd have felt a lot better about myself - I never thought I was glamorous"

Bigsister turned 12 about three weeks after I was born and she was just the right age to be besotted and make a huge fuss over a new baby sister.

Middlesister was coming up to 7, too old to be babied, too young to mind a baby, and just right to feel put out at losing her position as the cute baby.   
Bigbrother was nearly 14 and into manly things like fishing, shooting and aeroplanes (although I do remember being pushed in a pram by him but that’s another story).

I remember Bigsister singing to me in my cot; my favourites being The Ugly Duckling (she made a great squawk noise) and What do you want if you don't want money? (Adam Faith).  She also read The Wind in the Willows and Black Beauty to me well before I was five and could read for myself (I cried at both and still do). 

Bigbrother, 'The Baby', Bigsister, Middlesister 1957 RAF Netheravon
 
  
But it took fifty years and talking about The Accidental Time Traveller for her to realise how much her baby sister had adored her.

 

Monday 14 October 2024

Concertina Time

During the pandemic LD:NorthEast organised a weekly zoom meeting of all their service users to keep people in touch.   

Ferretfingers would log in, shout ‘hello’ to one of his friends, then abandon it after five minutes.  I would then feel guilty, put on the headphones and join in. 
The Big Wednesday Conversation had a number of benefits.   
One was that some of the service users got used to my face and voice a lot better than they would have in normal times, when we only bump into each other occasionally whenever we happen to be in the office at the same time.  
This means one person who suffers from Situational Mutism became comfortable enough to talk easily when I’m around.   
Another young lady has told me things about being autistic than have helped me hugely in understanding my boys.  She’s even recommended ear defenders and plugs and useful books.
I also ended up making a knee blanket for one of the service user’s aged uncle.
 
From Facebook Archives
14 October 2020
In the LDNE zoom meeting this afternoon the talk got around to musical instruments so I got out Granma's concertina to show them, and left the box out.   
Come bedtime I thought "I wonder if I might be able to pick out some Christmas tunes on it." 
Ferretfingers had his computer turned off and was up the stairs in record time ...
Worked even better than singing Bread ofHeaven at him.

Saturday 12 October 2024

Retail Therapy

From Facebook archives
12 October 2023 at 12:46
10.48 today Ferretfingers had his flu jab.
As he wasn't going out with Emil his father said he would take him out afterwards.
But would Daddy actually take him in for the jab?
Would he heckaslike!
So we all went up; I took Ferretfingers in.  
 Fester presumably went and got the paper.   
We came out to find him sitting on the wall.
Off they went so off I treated myself to a trip to St Oswald’s Hospice Shop for retail therapy.…
Came home with: an emerald green shift dress for next summer (pockets!); a small Xmas gift; 3 greetings cards; the 3rd Thursday Murder Club book by Richard Osman and Ardal O'Hanlon's debut novel.
The washing is out and I shall be soon, attacking the garden.
Mrs Poet  Love this! And the pockets and colour of the dress
Mrs Lasagne  What are they like ! Good for you Ben xxxxx
Cousin Daisy  Great books. I’ve read 3. Couldn’t put them down. xx
Ms Mininglibrary  Ooh pockets!