Windy Weather and Hands on Head - Sepia Saturday

Relax with a Convivial Drink - Sepia Saturday

Raise your glasses with a convivial drink  is this week's popular theme from Sepia Saturday's prompt photograph.   Some fresh images from me alongside  favourites from past blogs.  

 

 With work colleagues after a hard day at a training conference. 

 

 I took this photograph in a cafe bar in Munich Square, in Bavaria, Germany. The two men looked so genial sitting there with their huge beer tankards. Combined with the sign, this seemed such a good photograph to take to typify the Bavarian scene. Meanwhile we were indulging in a drink and "kuche" - (cakes). 

Here raise your German  Beer Stein!  This ornate one, with a pewter lid  is decorated in the  Bavarian colours of blue and white.   And yes - it was bought as a holiday souvenir.   

 

 

 

We enjoyed the good life  in Bavaria and Austria and loved to eat outdoors (not a regular occurrence in Scotland!) , visiting beer gardens  and Konditorei  - the  equivalent of a French patisserie with absolutely delicious cakes and pastries.  

 

 

 

The Cafe/Konditorei Zauner, founded in 1832 in the spa town of Bad Ischl, Austria.  It more than met my expectations of an elegant, old fashioned  Viennese style cafe. 

 

 

Enjoying a refreshing drink against the background of the  

the Stubai Glacier in the Austrian Tyrol

 

Below  - another  invitation to indulge  with a cream cake, coffee or hot chocolate.   

 

 

  

 

 

Celebrate the grape  - with this wall mural on an inn in Austria.  

 

 

 

 

 Or have a drink with this fellow in a restaurant in France. 

 

 

Or follow the signs for the Beacon Hill pub in Boston  

that inspired the TV programme  launched in 1982.  

 

 

Much nearer to home  - visit the old Black Bull Inn in my home village of Earlston in the Scottish Borders. 

 

 

Or be attracted by the wonderful flower displays in my nearby town of Melrose.  

 

 

  

 

           

  

Enjoy a dram!  A sign painted by my father-in-law,   who was a painter & sign-writer in Edinburgh . 

 

I have only one truly vintage photograph that relates to this week's topic -  and one that has featured before on my blog. 

 

This is the only photograph I have of my great grandfather James Danson (1852-1906), the bearded figure on the left,  sitting merrily in the ancient stocks at Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire.  By all accounts of his family, he was a bit of a ne'er do well, but clearly having fun in what could well be a staged photograph. 

 

And finally - James great great great granddaughter enjoying her mug of milk.   

 

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Sepia Saturday give bloggers an opportunity 

to share their family history

 

 

 

 

Click HERE  to see how other bloggers are enjoying a drink.  

My Life as a "Speccy Four Eyes" - Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt image shows a desk strewn about with papers, a typewriter  - and  a pair of spectacles.  

My focus is on the spectacles,  for I was a "Speccy Four Eyes"  -  the popular call at my primary school in the 1950s for  those of us unfortunate enough to have to wear glasses.   I was a quiet,  shy child, but funnily enough I cannot recall being upset by the taunt - it was just part and parcel of playground culture. 

My mother was emphatic that I was not going to wear the hideous national health service glasses  with wired pale pink frames and was prepared to pay for a slightly more flattering pair.  I always made sure, though, in those early days,  that I took off my glasses for photographs.   

 

Around the age of 15,  Mum suggested I get my long hair cut professionally   - great - except we were both clueless afterwards how to style it at home.  Here I am being brave in highlighting publicly  this dreadful passport photograph, (left ) taken when I was to go on a school trip to Germany. This was the 1960's era of the Cold War and  I look  like the archetypal Russian spy.   

After five years, you could get a passport photograph updated,  and I could not wait to do this.  I took  great care on my hair and what I was wearing  -  only to be further mortified when, instead of replacing the photograph,  the new one was just stuck beneath it.  This  brought forth more family hilarity and more quizzical looks from passport control! 

 

If you were into fashion,  you could buy spectacles that came with different coloured clip ons to match your outfits - very trendy - but  I never went down that line. 

 

Graduation photographs of my bespectacled brother and myself. 

 

I became a librarian, so had to work hard at counteracting the traditional dowdy image of the profession, and wearing glasses did not help.    So here (below)  is the young professional look for my first job - worn with an (all the rage)  mini length sweater dress  and long necklace  - this was 1967.  

 

 But vanity crept in, especially when I was taking part in my   local Gilbert & Sullivan operetta productions and needed to see my way across the stage. 

 

So I turned to contact lens. They proved to be a great source of stories with friends,  as we recalled  tales of losing them.  I remember one occasion where I was scrambling around on the floor of a pew at church, (not praying) but  trying to find this miniscule lens. 

 I was pleased to be without my glasses for my wedding though!

 Pregnancy and being an "at home" Mum meant I lost the incentive to bother with inserting, cleaning, and removing contact lens - I had trouble getting used to them again and I reckoned I had better things to do with my time, so it was back to spectacles.  

                                   With my daughter, 1973 

We were now at the time on TV of Dallas, Dynasty and Charlie's Angels, with big hair, big shoulder pads and big glasses - hence this rare look for me taken for a work Annual Report. Less glamorously, I was also likened to Deidre Barlow of "Coronation Street" soap opera fame, known for her huge specs! 

 This look was too much hard work  - I gave up on perms but not on my glasses.

 And Finally:

                      A Happy Double "Speccy Four Eyes" !

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity  

to share their family history through photographs

 

 

 

Click HERE to find out what other bloggers have

spotted in this week's prompt photograph.

 

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Musical Moments & Memories : Sepia Saturday

 This week's prompt photograph  from Sepia Saturday features what looks llike a a pop group boy band, one with a guitar  - well the pop music scene largely passed me by  and I wrote recently about "pals together" .  So instead I turned to look back at my own musical moments and memories. 

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"I am in an  all singing/dancing chorus, swirling my skirts,  in a  London West End show  - such as Carousel, Oklahoma, West Side Story or 42nd Street ......."

But It Was All One of My Wildest Dreams!  

Back to reality! Playing the triangle in my infant school percussion group  is my earliest musical memory.  I was not too pleased at being given  this instrument.  Like everyone else, I wanted the favourite choice  - the sleigh bells.  

 

My first stage performance  was at a Brownie's concert when, clutching our teddies,  we sang "The Teddy Bear's Picnic". 

 

I began learning the piano at the age of eight, largely because it was a sore point with my mother that her older sister and much younger sister learnt, but she was the middle sister and missed out.   

 

In my school days, there was no opportunity to learn other instruments, as there is now.   I did have a go at teaching myself the recorder, but the dog hated it and whined throughout my attempts, so I never got very far!   I would have loved to go to dancing classes, but that was not to be. 

My parents and aunt were the people I have to thank for making music so much a  part of my life from an early age, introducing me to musicals, operetta and ballet (my most  favourite art form).  I was lucky to grow up in Blackpool, Lancashire which  had regular touring companies to the Opera House and Grand Theatre.  

 

                               

   

My mother, my aunt and my father. 

I was taken to a performance of Johann Strauss's  "The Gypsy Baron" and wanted  a gypsy costume and  headdress with long coloured ribbons  - the nearest I got was full skirt  trimmed with coloured rows of  ric rac.  

 

My first ballet was Coppelia - an ideal choice for a little girl with the feisty heroine in a lovely pale blue tutu,  the handsome hero - and more gypsy dances.  

 

 

 

In my early teens, my mother took me to see  the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" and I was mesmerised by the magic of it - from the orchestral overture,  the transforming scenery, the costumes and of course the dancing.  "La Boheme" was the first grand opera I saw and my hanky was well and truly soaked as I wept at the death of Mimi.  Ditto seeing Carmen and La Traviata. 

We weren't a particularly musical family, but my mother sang in a local choir  and my father sang in the church choir from the age of seven - so hymns were high on his agenda.    He loved military bands and we always watched on TV the annual Trooping of the Colour parade of marching bands  to mark Queen Elizabeth's official birthday. Radio & TV  programmes such as "Melodies for You, 100 Best Tunes, Friday Night is Music Night  and Songs of Praise  - were regulars we listened  to or watched.   

Singing in a choir (school, church, community)  has been a key activity throughout my life from primary school days onwards, whether it was folk songs from round the world, spirituals, carols, sacred music, oratorios  opera and operetta choruses,   or songs from the shows - musical tastes that still mean a lot to me today. I was very happy to be a chorus girl, with no pretensions to be a soloist - I knew my limitations! 

High school introduced me to Gilbert & Sullivan  and I was hooked, singing in most of the operas over the years.  At University, I joined the  Savoy Opera Group and the annual G & S performances were the highlight of my years there - I loved taking part in them - the dressing up (the girls made their own costumes), the singing and some dancing. 

     

In "Yeoman of the Guard"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In "HMS Pinafore"

    

       

     In "Pirates of Penzance" 

 

 My other musical highlight was some years ago when I  was  one of over a 1000 singers, plus orchestra and organ  in a "Come and Sing" performance of "The Messiah"  in the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London - an exhilarating. moving  and unforgettable experience in front of a packed 4000 audience.  I was on a high,  walking back to our hotel.   

 

 Researching my family history revealed more singers among my ancestors. 

I always knew from my father that his maternal grandfather John Matthews (above)  was a prominent member of the local Methodist Church.  Then  I  heard, through my blog,  from a distant family connection who wished to pass onto a direct descendant  of John Matthews some memorabilia.  Among  the collection was this  silver crested baton presented to John in recognition of his service to the church. in particular in his role as conductor of the choir. 

 

 The tiny inscription reads:   

Presented to John Matthews

By the Choir and Congregation of Wesleyan Chapel, Ladymoor

28.11.04

 

To hold the baton used by my great grandfather was a delight to me, as the love of choral music  continued down through the family. 

 

My great uncle George Danson (1893-1916) was killed on the Somme. at the age of 22.   I traced an obituary in the local press and it included the statement " He was a member of the Poulton Parish Church choir" - I never knew that but it pleased me to find this other side to his life. 

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 I decided some time ago it was time   to "retire" my voice, but music still plays an important part in my life.  Joining a choir is a marvellous form of music making, whatever your age, a great creator of the "feel good factor",  and there is nothing to beat singing with the full blooded accompaniment of an orchestra or organ.   I recommend it!  

 

 

The Roxburgh Singers in  the Scottish Borders .  

I  was a member of the choir  for over 30 years. 

The  musical moments and memories live on!  

 

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Sepia Saturday gives an opportunity for genealogy bloggers  to share their family history through photographs.

 

 

Click HERE

             to read more from other Sepia Saturday bloggers

 

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On the fence - Sepia Saturday

A lad perched against a high fence is  this week's prompt image from Sepia Saturday Cue for me to hunt out photographs of fences.   

 

My paternal grandmother on the far right with her eldest son and his wife (my aunt and uncle)  and perched on the fence my mother.  My father was probably the photographer.  1938.

 

My mother again with her younger sister my Aunt Peggy - taken at South Shore Open Air Swimming Pool, Blackpool, Lancashire c.1930s.    It opened  to  visitors in 1923 and a the time was  the the largest in the world. and its statistics are staggering.  It cost £75,000 - equivalent to £2,248,000 in today's money.  Built in a classical style with pillars and colonnades, (you can just make these out in the photographs).    There were areas for little ones, fountains and slides,  bars and cafes - so  something for everyone.  By the end of the 1930s, visitors to South Shore Baths had totalled over nine million people.

 

In that 1950's and 60's, the Open Air Pool became  popular venue for international and national beauty contests and the location for celebrity photographs. 

But, you needed to be hardy in all but the best of weathers, as the water was notoriously cold.  From the 1950's   holidaymakers were heading abroad and becoming used to the waters of warmer climes.  Use dropped and the Baths  became a big white elephant  , demolished in 1983. 

On four decades  - my husband and I taking a  break on a country walk - against  a convenient gate.  

 

With daughter, 1985 in the  beautiful Wilton Lodge Park, near our home in Hawick, Scottish Borders. At 100 acres it offered riverside  and woodland walks, recreational activities,  and an awarded winning walled garden. 

 

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Holiday Memories  

Wooden steps  and fence up to a covered bridge in Kaprun, Austria. 

 

A typical Cape Cod cottage, with a picket fence  
on the Island of Nantucket, in New England, USA.

 

A wooden jetty and boat house on the island of Martha's Vineyard, New England, USA

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Not my idea of fun - but here is our adventurous granddaughter on the high tree trek walk at Centre Parks in Whinfell Forest in the English Lake District.

 

 

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Sepia Saturday gives an opportunity for genealogy bloggers         to share their family history through photographs.

 

 

 

Click  HERE

             to read more from other Sepia Saturday bloggers

 

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