Old Photos Surprise

Scrolling through Facebook the other day I was stopped in my tracks by a photo Ms Marx put up of her and my late/first husband Phil playing tunes at the Samsun International Folk Festival in Turkey in 1987.   

It was such a sad and pleasant surprise to see him in his prime again.

Ms Marx commented that she couldn’t remember if I had been there:  which set me off to find a photo of me in Red Star Rapper kit in Turkey.

In seeking out that image I found a box file full of old photo processor envelopes.   

Those were the days, children, when you took your film into Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy, Superprint or sent them off to Truprint, and, in the fullness of time, received an envelope full of prints and strips of negatives.

Thunderthighs couldn’t help but come and look at the treasures as I uncovered them.

“Who’s that with Grandad and Grandma in Blodfa?”

That’s my Great Aunt Thelma, she was a lovely lady, lived in Vancouver.   

She was married to your Grandad’s Uncle Jack Canada, who he was named after, she was a lot younger than Uncle Jack though.  Do you know, I can’t remember owning that dress I’m wearing.

“Who’s that with Grandad?”

That’s his brother, my Uncle Charlie, your Great-Uncle.  Oh and there’s Auntie Kitty and the Mumbles cousins, you met them at Grandad’s funeral.

Who do you think that is?

“Cousin with you and Big Auntie and Middle Auntie in London.  How old is she in that photo?”

Nine.  That was her ninth birthday party.  Gosh look at the legs on me!

(Niece is now 36.  The photo was taken sixth months after Phil died.)

“Where was this one taken?”

Here, it’s some family get together.

(Thunderthighs peered at the photograph, then around the living room, and raised a very quizzical Roger Moore style eyebrow.)

Well it was a long time ago: we had a lot less furniture then.

Phil’s Phinal Phling: the party he told us to hold in his will. 

His birthday coincided with Halloween, so we held it five weeks after he died in 1992;  one of the best yet saddest evenings I’ve ever known.

Those photos were quickly put away before emotion took hold and my lip could start quivering.

There were far far too many photos of the 1993 Tall Ships Race, and various morris dancing teams.

Then we got to envelopes of photos taken by Phil that hadn’t made it into his albums.

Down by the River Towy one frosty Christmas.

A misty morning on a villa holiday in Los Gigantes, Tenerife.

Snaps from a gite holiday in Normandy with The Paganess and Shipskitchen.

Our pre-wedding trip to Paris in 1990.

Including one looking down from the Eiffel Tower, which caused a sharp intake of breath because Thunderthighs doesn’t like heights.

Each of us made up (Phil wearing lipstick, blusher and garish eyeshadow) and dressed up to go and see the Rocky Horror Picture Show:  Thunderthighs sniffed disapprovingly.

Then our honeymoon - nothing really saucy but …

I have no recollection of being photographed lying face down and naked on the four poster bed.

Poor unfortunate child to have such a mother ...