School
The Brother in his first school uniform - Abington Vale Lower School....
More childhood cuteness
Me at the age of about 12 months18 months old. Cute aren't I?Me and The BrotherThis is us riding on the miniature train that used to be on some land just next to Delapre Abbey in Northampton.I'm behind, with Mother, while The Brother is in front with her mother.Postscript: Good grief, they're still there - Northampton Society of Model Engineers Ltd....
A few more of The Brother
Just a handful more pictures of The Brother before his world gets turned upside down by my arrival - the first photos of me are on the scanner as I write this. And there's a corker already!I distinctly remember that blanket, and it must have subconsciously influenced my decision on what I bought for our office Secret Santa a couple of weeks ago - the enforced theme was "scarves", and the lady I bought for got something that looked remarkably like it.I'm sure he'll love me to bits for pointing out that he's still got that dog soft toy.Things haven't improved much...And finally, a follow on from the Social Services post I put up recently. Christmas 1966....
Has anyone got the number for Social Services?
I don't know, it's just shocking.The Brother in 1966 with father's beer glass. Personally, I didn't acquire a taste for ale until I was in my 20's, but it looks like he started much earlier.And I'll finish off this batch with this one of The Brother, from 1968. He looks happy enough here, but little does he know what joys would lie in wait later in that same year, when I arrive!...
Drunk and disorderly
Back in this post, I mentioned someone getting drunk at their sister's wedding - Mother at her sister's wedding in October 1966.
The bride.
A proper working class party - a keg of beer, and a bottle of Dubonnet for the ladies.
The is Mother at the wrong end of presumably a few Dubonnets - her getting very drunk at her younger sister's wedding is a well-told story in the family.
What's particularly ironic about her inability to stand up is this picture of The Brother, taken earlier in the day.
This is actually him standing up on his own for the first time.
I happened to mention at lunch today that I was sorting out photos of this wedding (my aunt is coming to lunch tomorrow), and Mother asked if there was a shot of The Brother standing up, mentioning the significance of it - which I hadn't realised. The Brother commented on the irony of him standing up and her not being able to......
Some things never change…
September 1966. What is it about small children and ice creams that means more of it ends up on their face, clothes and anything else around, rather than in their mouth?...
Not what I thought
I saw this one and thought it must have been from a Halloween party, and that Mother just needed the broomstick before heading out for the night. Unfortunately it turns out that it's Hospital Ball from early 1965 - she worked there before The Brother arrived.
On the subject of Halloween, SWMBO
a) Persuaded her grandfather to make a proper broomstick for Mother.
and
b) rang Mother on the 31st October hoping to catch her before she went out for the night. Amazingly, Mother still talks to her!...
Random portraits
Some random portraits of my parents (presumably taken by each other) from early 1965...
Christmas 1964
Photos from the two sides of the family at Christmas 1964:My father's father unwrapping presents on Christmas morning.Mother's family - Mother and her sister (more of whom shortly)This is Mother's father - there aren't many photos of her family, so it's good to find the ones that my dad took of them. He never met SWMBO, missing her by only a couple of years, but the general view is that he would have liked her.And this is her mother (on the left) - there will be even fewer of her, as she died in the early 1970's - I only have a vague recollection of her....