Unfortunately Aunty Marge is no longer with us. These photos were taken about 2 years ago and just a year before she died at the age of 99. She seemed bright and full of energy and conversation the last time I saw her and was still living by herself in her cottage in the woods. Going back for the first time in 20 years brought back childhood memories and we talked about one thing I remember about her well, her love of snooker of which there is a recording below.
On the same day we payed a visit to Sid, I don't think I'd been to the house since before my Gran died but everything was just how I remembered it. The same furniture was all in the same place, the same ornaments and photos and it even smelt the same just how I remember it as a child, it was as if the house had been suspended in stasis which felt strange but also reassuringly welcoming a bit like when you first get back home from holiday.
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| Sid and me |
2 comments:
If someone is fortunate there is a person or persons that emerge in their life that become pillars and platforms which help to develop positively both the type of child and adult that they become. Aunty Marge is one such person that became engrained in my experience of life. For me, she was always there - through the darker days as well as the happier ones. Together with my mum she taught me to understand and appreciate the beauty that lies in nature, particularly through so many exciting explorations around Grinshill, Acton Reynald, Clive ... the hills, the beautiful woods and other parts of the Shropshire countryside. These places became a part of me - memories and influences which are a vital part of my spirit and my outlook and which will never leave me. You would never think that those two sisters had endured many years of drudgery and oppression whilst having no option but to work 'in service' from the age of 14. They were 'owned' by the local Lord of the Manor and would recall to us kids their many (sometimes awkward experiences ... and yet their recollections were always humorous and gripping and never tinged with regret, bitterness or anger. Now, much later, I can see what a blessing it is not to be engulfed or eaten up by such negative things from the past. O, Aunty Marge could complain alright, don't you worry - at least she often did later in life. But somehow I never left her company feeling down or depressed. If anyone ever wanted or needed a model aunt then I would not hesitate to recommend one just like Aunty Marge for she is fully woven into the tapestry of my past just like a continuous line of golden thread. Thanks for the reminder JB. GB.
This sounds like an excerpt from your (soon to be written?) autobiography.....
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