Monday, August 1, 2011

History and gardens

I last posted about my lovely wooden box - I hadn't really been through all the little treasures since I have had it, after losing Mum it was a bit too raw, but it felt right to do so now. Amazing little pieces of information in one of the diaries 1947 when Mum would have been 15, she obviously enjoyed going to the pictures, going at least once a week and writes of films such as Blue Skies Bing Crosby and Fred Astarie, The Green years, Cary Grant, Great Expectations John Mills and Valerie Hobson, Hungry Hill Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price, First of the few, David Niven and Leslie Howard and Margie, Jeanne Crain........ there are many more and I have had a bit of fun googling them to find out more -

In April 1947 she says they heard from Australia House with the papers to enable them to emigrate - although when the time came my uncle wouldn't transfer to the Australian navy and grandparents wouldn't go without him, how life could have been different!? In one entry she was very excited because she had been given a pay rise and was now earning 1 pounds 15 shillings a week........

Years ago I asked my grandma to write down some of her 'stories' she used to tell I never found out if she had done so until going through Mum's things and found them - these are really facinating as grandma recalls the Titanic sinking and bombing in the First world war, collecting a jug of milk from the milk cart on its rounds, the trams in London and much more. An insight to a bygone age from a personal perspective that you don't get in history books. I'm sure many many people have these memories to look back on and wonder what future generations will think of 'our time'.

It's lovely to hear quilters making their own labels to date their work and keeping records of heirloom projects - my family sampler dates from 1831 when the stitcher was 8 years old, but unfortunately there are no other details, such a shame.

I don't know that this will be considered an heirloom lol but I have now finished the second half of the miniature garden for the original house

Here the garden is still on the frame taken in natural light

Insitu



The delphiniums are made of tissue circles using the office hole punch, very effective, a mix of fibre flowers and dried ones give interest and texture.

The original house on the left and the still under construction, Edwardian shop and cafe

The spanish street is coming on too - DH flits from one to the other depending on heat of the day, materials and umph, and we thought we had UFO's lol
Enjoy your day
xcx

2 comments:

  1. So interesting to have your mum's journal to read... and to think we might have been neighbours?? I love your garden and spanish street.... those are definitely heirlooms so do you journal/label?
    Hugz

    ReplyDelete
  2. The journals certainly were fascinating reading for you. So pleased you could read of the little happenings of the time when your Mum was young.
    Love your garden. Very effective in its home.

    ReplyDelete