January Ninth

Today is a special date in my calendar, it started 100 years ago today when my father was born, the youngest of seven children, of whom five made it to adult hood. His eldest sibling was 17 years older than him, he was far closer to that brother's son who was just 7 years younger. The generations are so mixed up in a widely spread family.

My father was delighted when Martha was baptised on his 70th birthday, which was on a Sunday that year, she was the only grand daughter so he felt he could spoil her, sadly he died when she was just four years old. Her baptism was special that she wore the gown in which my mother, uncle, my sister and I were baptised. It was made from a bridesmaid's dress worn at my grandparents' marriage on  25th April 1914. the dress looks like white cotton broderie anglais.

A slightly sadder aspect of today is that it's the 18th anniversary of my mother's death, consoling that she died on this day, she was frail, suffered from Parkinsons with all its attendant problems. Her pride in 'the girls' as she thought of her daughters meant she never stopped worrying about us but there was a pride in her concerns too. She was modern in her thinking, insisting that my sister and I were qualified in something so we could earn our own living.

A happier memory is that 15 years ago we moved into our present home from just about 100 yards around the corner on a very warm 9th January. It was a good move, we had never felt settled in the previous house, during the 12 years we lived there we were looking at other properties.

Sorry about no pictures, will need to look out pre digital ones and scan them in.  Went off to Richmond to pick up Ian from the station, he returned from his OU tutorial by Underground from central London. Trains in and out of Waterloo delayed, it took me one and a half hours to get back from Richmond earlier this evening, problem is that buses are on a long diversion because of repairs to sewers have resulted in a short stretch of road closure. Hence I travel to and from Richmond by train, it's a six minute journey usually. Daytime traffic is bad, the closed road appeared on local traffic reports during Breakfast TV this morning.