Family day!

.. No, not quite what you might be thinking, no bouncy castles or tombolas, but certainly family played a part in my day today.

For starters our grand-daughter was 2 years old today..how time flies!

And I heard also from our dear friends in Baltimore that they too have welcomed a grandson in the last 24 hours...welcome to Nolan, a compact little guy at 4lbs 5oz, but they say he's doing good.. Happy Grandparents Day Will & Michele, love to you both and Karen, Ryan and that baby boy!


Also in the States, Uncle Bill called with details of cousin Mikey's wedding in November next year.. such a great opportunity for Uncle Bill to bring the two sides of his family together.

I spent quite a lot of the day sorting out boxes of stuff which has been packed away since my Auntie left her home about 8 years ago.  At the time we moved her stuff we cussed and bused about the sheer amount of stuff,  junk, rubbish... whatever you call it I have decided is a reflection of how you feel about the past, your past... and today I feel humbled that she was in fact a fantastic hoarder.  If she had been orderly and channeled in the right way she would have made a fantastic archivist and her memory was sharp til the last time I saw her.

I have mentioned before her father's diary from WW1, but today I found a letter he'd received from his wife (my Gran), telling him that her brother had been reported killed in action on Easter Sunday that year.  The words in the letter didn't sound like the same lady I had only known as a sad and slightly grumpy 70-something when I was a kid. These were the words of a young woman, desperate to ease the pain of her mother and to get her own husband home and safe. 

Later I found the obituary from the local paper for my grandfather who died suddenly at the age of 46, he was the local teacher and it seems the whole village mourned his passing as he was so much part of St Buryan at that time... I guess at 46 he was full-on in the village and it said he left many offices open when he died. I really did know this already, from what Mum had told me, and from stories of him being 'the best teacher ever' but to read it as an official obituary was quite touching.

Maybe too that accounts a little for my Gran's demeanour as an elderly lady, sad after being widowed for 35 years or more.

My favourite find was a super photo of me, aged about 2 years, with my Mum & Dad, I think at some summer event, they were sitting on hay bales, but looking pretty spruced up!

Oh and I found the letters I wrote my Mum when she was in hospital after my Dad had died..I reported to her that the lunar module had lifted off from the moon and it was 'exciting'...Colin laughed, he said maybe I lost my excitment for it when I found sociology!

(It would seem that I have found myself plenty to work with for the next Just Scrapbooking session.. working on journalling!) Oh, and Linda, if you're reading this I found some nice old books to share with you.. and some very old (but quite ugly)buttons... oh and wooden scrabble letters!