Sunday, February 28, 2010

28 FEBRUARY AND
LOOKING BACK OVER THE YEARS...

Forgive me for this rather indulgent post, but its my birthday today and I’ve been looking back over the years.... please join me as I pull out a few pictures that reflect the changing times as the years have rolled by bringing me to where I am today.
I was told that it snowed the day I was born.


This is the first picture I have of me... unfortunately it is undated.... a bonny baby of a few months old.... I remember Mother referring to these pictures as Polly photographs.... can anyone else remember them? I'm pleased that the pictures were never split up into individual ones.... I now have them framed. My parents often talked of the days in that Spring when I would be wrapped up warm, put in my pram and pushed out to the orchard of apples trees they had..... I enjoyed hearing of how the apple blossom petals would fall on and around my pram.... always thought what a lovely scene this embraced. Babies aren't put out in their prams to enjoy fresh air these days are they!

You can click on any of the following pictures if you care to enlarge them for more detail.


My Mother made this little pink coat for me.... these were the war years when everything was rationed and very scarce... I guess it was made from some little piece of fabric available her.

After my Mother died.... my brother and I were going through her belongings.... we came across this little coat..... she had kept it neatly folded and wrapped in tissue paper all of those years.... we also discovered a small pair of corduroy pants she had made for my brother.... it was such an emotional time..... when we discovered them we both sat on the floor of her bedroom and cried. We had no idea she had kept these two precious little items of clothes.

Here I am in the early 1940’s.... obviously having fun playing in the garden by the look of my dirty leg sitting next to me our dog whose name was Prince ......and wearing my Daddy's straw hat.

Me, my Daddy and Prince.

A few months older maybe with my cousin Barbara...

We are still in the 1940s and here I am feeding the chickens in our garden

I'm ten years old now and a bridesmaid at my cousins wedding. I don't look very happy do I?.... I remember being very cold..... but I'm pleased they didn't make me wear the headdress the other bridesmaid has.... I did love my silver shoes though.

My early teens in the '50s

I'm 18 years old here with my brother Roger who is three years younger.... For a very short time we were the same height,
he was soon to overtake me though.

We skip now to the 70s.... in my car wearing a flowery blouse and mini skirt, I remember it well.

Into the 80s.... I'm now working in the travel business and I had my share of courier duties to do on tours.

1987 - at my desk, which had had a quick tidy up especially for the picture. I was Tours Manager for a travel company in Cheltenham, Glos. A great job which I loved for 18 years.... I did the hotel contracting for the company and wrote the holiday brochure... best part tho' was travelling around, checking out the hotels and visiting the many holiday destinations both in UK and Europe where we based our holidays.

5th December 1981 - The day John and I married...... It was a wonderful warm sunny day. Here I am with my good friend Angela and brother Roger.... you can see how tall he grew!
The winter forsythia was flowering well against a warm Cotswold stone wall.

1997 - By now we are well settled into the old Police Station here in Wales... Major renovations were taking place in the house and we had terraced off the considerable gradient of our garden.

2006 - Enjoying one of our favourite walks... to the secret walled garden.

July 2009 - How delighted we were to be at the Dome in Brighton to see our darling Grand Girl Laura graduate.


December 2009 and here we are..... Christmas in Switzerland having lunch in a restaurant alongside the river Rhine.

How quickly these years have flown by... how important it is to stop and smell the roses along the way.
Have a blessed Sunday everyone.

14 comments:

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Hello and Happy Birthday to you, Marion. Thank you for sharing a bit of your life with us in photos and words today! I love it when bloggers let us into their personal worlds like this...

I hope your day has been especially wonderful as you celebrate your life.

Sara

Willow said...

A Very Happy Birthday to you, Marion! I too enjoyed this little glimpse in to your life. You are getting lovelier each year!

Beth said...

Happy Birthday! What a lovely trip down memory lane for you, and a glimpse into your life for us. Many great photographs. You are a lovely person and it sounds like you have had a happy life! God bless, Beth

Oliva Ohlson said...

Happy Birthday...loved all of your pictures! I'm so glad you're okay and blogging again. I enjoy reading about you and your life.

Brian said...

Happy belated Birthday Wishes Marion, loved reading you blog, a lovely way to tell us about your life story...

Thank you for you kind words on my blog, I often come to Wales and have friends in both the South and North and last year posted photos of our last visit.

Brian

Sigrun said...

Hi Marion, in the Moment I found your comment, after I posted about Roman Bath!
You looks very well on the photographs.

Mr. W. an I - we have a cold in them moment and are looking forward for better weather.

Sigrun

Betty said...

Dear Sweet Friend Marion,
I am so happy that you had a blessed, wonderful day yesterday...

I enjoyed each photograph...what a charming little girl you were...teenager and into a beautiful lady inside as well as outside.

I'm glad the package pleased you...you are most welcome.

Love and good wishes...Betty

Betsy said...

Happy Belated Birthday Wishes Marion. I so enjoyed reading about your reflection back. The picture of you in your daddys straw hat is so cute, so sweet.

Mountain Mama said...

A happy belated Birthday to you and many-many more! Your post is just delightful. I enjoyed every photo as well as your descriptions.
Time goes by so fast. I remember mother telling me this when I was a child. Now I know what she meant.

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

What a nice trip through your life. What a cute little chubby baby you were and have grown up quite well. I can only imagine that your job was fun...why won't it be? 18 years at it too!!
Thanks for posting these pictures. I think it is a fun idea. Now we are both past our birthdays for this year anyway!! Smile.
Sandy

Kerri said...

What a wonderful treat to travel with you through the years, dear Marion! I loved every photo, especially the collage of baby photos which captures those little baby facial expressions so well :)
Such a cute little girl you were, and a lovely teenager. Oh yes, I remember those mini skirts well!
What an interesting and fun job you had.
I love that last photo of you! Your smile is so beautiful :) Wishing you a belated very happy birthday dear friend.

Barbara said...

Marion, so sad I missed your birthday. Many belated Best Wishes and blessings.

Thank you for posting your life in pictures like this. I did enjoy it.
It brought back memories too of different ages in my life and the fashions of the time etc..

So true, when do we see parents put their babies out in the garden in their prams these days. Was a daily event for us.

I like the picture of yu sitting at yur desk.

Barbara said...

Happy Easter Marion.

We got our wish - it was Daniel!

Alice said...

I'm so sorry I missed your birthday, Marion. After reading this post, I felt like I had received a gift on your birthday....a little photographic trip through your life. You were are bonny baby and are still a dear, sweet lady.

I hope you have many more very Happy Birthdays.

PS: Check your emails.