DOWN MEMORY LANE

This post is for me today.

Just remembering my Dad.  He died 1/8/2000.

I've never put his photo on my blog before!

I went through old photos last night to find a few of him.

ABOVE: My Mum and Dad before they married.  Gosh they were young!

ABOVE:  They got married in 1956.

Behind them is my Mum's Paternal Grandmother, who I was named after. (Christina)  My Mum's first name was Christina too.... but she was always called Maud, her second name.

The best man was my Dad's best mate, Basil Fox.  My Uncle Baz.  And the bridesmaid was my Mum's Sister Jean. 

ABOVE:  My dad was very much a 'hunting, fishing' man.  The other man is my Dad's Father.  I'm the kid on the far right, my sister Lorraine is on the far left, and my brother Peter is the boy with his hands on his hips in the middle.  I've no idea who the other two boys are.

My younger brother, Vern, is sitting on the bottom of the steps, you can just see him if you look through the deer's antlers.

ABOVE:  Above my Grandad are my bedroom windows in our Tokoroa house.  My sister and I used to climb out of them and jump onto the front door 'patio', for lack of another word for that area.  (better photo of that area above this one).  My parents never did put railings on that area or the steps.  Lucky none of us kids fell off or down!

ABOVE:  My dad asleep in his favourite chair.  I now have that chair.  My Dad bought it at an auction in Rotorua back in the 80's!  So it's about 50 years old now.

ABOVE: This is one of my favourite photos of my Dad.  

ABOVE:  I took this photo of Dad in January, 2000.  We were up in Auckland visiting my Mum, who was in Auckland hospital after having bowel cancer surgery.

 We were shopping on Karangahape Road in Auckland.  He found a large concrete fish letterbox of all things!  When he got it back to Whitianga, he put a speaker inside of it's mouth, and then he heckled people when they walked past!

He had a naughty sense of humour.

He died 7 months after this photo was taken when he fell off the Whitianga wharf late at night, in the middle of winter.

He could swim like a bloody fish, but freezing cold water + winter clothes and a fast flowing estuary were a bit too much for him.  23 years... My god so much has happened since then.

Well that was fun!  For me anyway.  Nice to look back sometimes and remember stuff that is long past.

You never forget.  Good times.  Bad times.  Life.

Now, back to the present.

ABOVE:  At the WW meeting last night.  So few people attend and actually stay now.  I think there were about 10 who stayed for the meeting last night.

I couldn't help but notice everyone wore black or dark, dreary clothes.  Except the Leader, and me.

ABOVE:  I was in blue of course.  I love this top, I bought it in Palmerston North last time I was down there.  

And well... I really should stop blithering on, and start the day.

I am going to make a few more bowl cosy's today.

At some point I will sort through all the photos Stew got down from the roof space for me... but not today.  

That is gunna be for another day.  It will be a big job, and I'm not looking forward to that.

Just so ya know.... family.

I will be distributing some of the photos I have and the rest will be destroyed as they mean nothing to anyone else.

I will put as many on my blog as practical as a lasting memory of some special family/ people/memories.

This blog is one day going to be all you have left of me and Dad.   I want you to enjoy scrolling through it in decades to come, until it fades into the past as well.

I just wish I'd not destroyed the years and years of Written Diaries I did from the age of about 18....   1976 to 2006.  OMG that would have been so handy, to PROVE/DISPOVE things that happened over those years.  But I did.  

It's now 10.41 am, I've been doing housework, tidying up the sewing room, fluffing around sorting out a few things.

And now, I'm finally ready to start sewing.

ABOVE:  Finally, something productive done.

Two down, two more to go for the day.

Maybe after lunch...

ABOVE:  4.20 pm.  Lunch done.  Two more bowl cosy's done.

Might do another one before Stew gets home from work.

Freaky weather overnight and this afternoon.

Thunder and lightening, TORRENTIAL RAIN and HAIL.

Lots of hail.  Hence, it's freezing outside.

Nice and warm in me sewing room though, so no bitching from me.

ABOVE:  4.45 pm, and there we have the last one for today.

I'll probably make a couple more tomorrow and then move on to something else.

ABOVE:  Our late afternoon sky.  Looks thunderous.  I went out to take the photo and OMG, it is soooooo cold out there.  It's gotta be snowing in the colder areas of NZ for sure.

I'm slinking off to the family room now.  Time to relax.

9 pm:  I can't believe how bloody cold it is.  I've got a blanket on, me hot pod and I'm still cold!

Stupid winter, I'm over it.

We better have a bloody warm summer or I'm gunna be mega pissed off.

Time to sign off for the day.