The Motherland

I went back to The Motherland yesterday, back to where it all began and I first hatched out of the Stork's addled egg. I spent the day with my Auntie Margaret, just the two of us which is a rare treat these days.  She lives in Harold Wood which is where I was born almost 36 years ago, unfortunately there will be no blue plaque on the hospital to mark this momentous event since I think the hospital was knocked down a few years ago. Charming. (Unfortunately, this is not me in this photo with Margaret, it is my ginormously rotund older brother who now, unfortunately looks nothing like this, which is a crying shame as I think purple and yellow really bring out the colour in his eyes).

Auntie Margaret is my Dad's younger sister and it is no secret that she has been the closest thing to a mother that my older brother and I ever had. Despite having 2 children of her own she has always found the time to support us in so many ways throughout our lives and is the inspiration for the kind of Auntie I want to be to my two nieces. I have so many memories of being taken on day trips by her as a child and definitely think this has influenced my interest in sightseeing, museums and prawn vol au vents ( she does a delicious prawn vol au vent). She paid for both my older and brother and I to learn to drive and supported us both when we moved up to London to find jobs. She also  pretty much single handedly organised the practicalities and funeral after my Dad passed away, something I know for a fact we could never have done without her. My friends and The Wig think she is a bit of a legend and I happen to agree. I think I have something in my eye, is someone chopping onions ? . . . .

Anyway, I had a lovely day catching up, showing her the dreaded wedding scrapbook, there was a lovely sunset and I collected even more family tree documents. I didn't think there could possibly be any more information on our family history but I came home yesterday with among other things, some juicy photographs from when my Grandfather travelled around the world in 1927 by boat and his call up letter to go to War. It's really got me excited again about sorting it all out and putting it in some sort of order and I'm glad my family have been such hoarders over the years, but there is so much of the stuff I don't really know where to start. This project has now gone to the top of the 'To Do' list and if I have a couple of days off from work this week I promise I will make a start on it. Even if Judge Judy tries to tempt me away.