A Trip Down Memory Lane

I love old photographs, I could literally spent hours flicking through an old album, and the older the better. I also love finding out about my family history, and luckily for me, my mum had traced both sides of the family back a very long way.

I was pleased therefore, when Mia's half-term homework project was to compile her "family tree". The children were allowed to make it as thorough or as simple as they wished, and could present it whichever way those chose.

My mum was also in her element, and delighted in teaching Mia all about her ancestors, and browsing through the old albums, and I enjoyed this too.

We really went to town, and are thrilled with the result;

I hope this little project has made Mia more aware of her family, and appreciate that although many of them, perhaps just people in photographs to her, if they had not existed, then neither would she or I. I hate the thought of these late family members being forgotten, their idetities not passed on down through the generations, and lost forever. I have really enjoyed getting to "know" our relatives, and plan to display many of these beautiful photographs, so they will become part of our home.

This is my Great-Grandmother Bertha, taken in the mid to late 1890's;

Her wedding to my Great Grandfather William in 1902, I love the beautiful dresses, and even the family dog attended!;

Her sister's wedding in 1904; her mother, my Great-Great Grandmother Julia is the lady standing on the right (as we look at the photo) in the nice hat behind the sitting bridesmaids;

And this is her mother, (Mia's Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother) Elizabeth; taken before both weddings, as she passed away before 1900. This photo was taken in the early to mid 1890's. Just think she was born almost 200 years ago! Mia found that facinating! Also a little hard to imagine I think;

This is Bertha's younger sister Martha, taken in the mid/late 1890's, isn't she pretty, I love to study the beautiful outfits and how they wore their hair;

My Great Grandparents on my Nanna's side, with my Nanna as a little girl, this would be around 1916;

Nanna with her own little baby (my mum!) in 1939/1940. My mum was born just before War broke out, and her most earliest memory as a little girl, was hiding in the Anderson Shelter in the back garden while the bombs were being dropped on Birmingham; (very close by!!)

My Nanna as a young woman, before she was married, in the mid 1930's

With my Grandpa; this was probably just after they were married, It always strikes me how "young" they look, and makes me a little nostalgic and sad - as of course I only knew them in their 80's and 90's.

And a family hoilday in the late 1940's; with my mum and her younger sister Sue, my mum loved the donkeys, (as of course do I!)

An older Nanna & Grandpa, some time during the 1960's;

Bertha as an old lady, just before she died in 1962;

And finally...ME as a 5 year old bridesmaid in 1986 with my Nan, outside their family home. They lived there for the rest of their lives from the day they were married (it was a wedding present from Bertha and William, my Grandpa's mum & dad), until my Nan passed away in 2007, age 96. It was very sad to have to clear the house and see it sold, but were were happy that it went to a young family, with two little boys..hopefully they will spend a long, happy life there too, just as Nanna & Grandpa did!

They may be all gone now, but at least we still have these lovely memories and some beautiful photographs to cherish. Now I must find a nice way of displaying them!

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me; Marina x

To The Fairy Garden and Back

Well it looks like the weather is about to take a turn for the worse here, i've just come in from tucking up the rabbit & guineas for the night and my flip-flopped feet are chilly to say the least! Still, it was lovely while it lasted! I thought i'd share some photos from our morning with Nan and Grandpa last Sunday. We went my favourite walk along the lane, where I took the "snowy" photos in one of my first blog posts - how different it looks at this time of the year! Beautiful in a different way;

As you can see i've been playing around with the collage effect on Picmonkey, the foxgloves, cow-parsley and bluebells were out in abundance;

Spot the Red Kite in the centre;

We missed Mia, who is still on holiday with her dad, but Baby Boy really enjoyed himself, taking it all in;

This really is one of my most favourite places. I grew up here, and have walked along this lane countless times. My mum used to push me along in my pram, just like we do with Baby Boy, and Mia before him. I have some very happy childhood memories playing in the woods and lanes, collecting foliage for wreaths at Christmas time and finding birds' egg shells and wild flowers in the Spring and Summer. Mia calls it a "magical place"..and it is! When my late Gran were alive she would take me walks along this lane when I was very little and tell me there were fairies. We once made a little "fairy garden", a clearing amongst the rocks. We decorated it with pretty stones and flowers - to this day my mum will still refer to it as "the fairy garden"; "we'll just walk to the fairy garden and back".

It really is the sort of place you might have found one of these, a hundred years ago;

After a lovely walk, we went back to Nanny & Grandpa's, where I took some more snaps before lunch;

The now not-so-little lambs were enjoying the sunshine;

As were the ducks and geese;

I hope you have all enjoyed the sunshine...while it lasted!

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous post regarding Mia being away, they mean a lot. I must admit i'm not feeling myself these last few days, and it's definitely because she's not around. I won't see her until Sunday evening, but they actually fly home on Friday, so I will feel much better when I know that she's back in the UK at least! I'm already planning lots of fun things to do with her next week, i've taken the Wednesday off work, so no more office for me until Monday 11th June! :)

Marina xx

Two Awards and A Beautiful Vintage Lifestyle Magazine!

Hello and thank you all for the lovely comments on my previous post, and a big hello to my new followers!

Well it's been a busy week! Mia has gone on holiday with her Dad for the next 7 days to Tenerife, they left on Friday and I am missing her already. I'm used to her being away, but somehow it feels so much worse when she is abroad. I've been trying to keep myself busy, so this will be the first of a few posts over the next couple of days!

First I want to say a big thank you to Gem at Treasures from the Cherry Tree for awarding me the Sunshine Award!! I love Gem's blog, I highly recommend a visit! And if that wasn't enough to make me smile, I was also chuffed to receive the Leibster Blog Award from the lovely Suzy at Rustic Vintage Country! Two Awards in one week..I am really touched, and they certainly helped to cheer me up after waving goodbye to Mia! Thank you so much ladies..I hope you don't mind but I won't pass them on just yet, as I've only very recently done this, but I'm still grateful to recieve them and will proudly post them on my blog!

Now...I really must share with you all a absolutely fabulous magazine which I've subscribed to, and which has just launched...."Pretty Nostalgic"!

Some of you may have already heard of the this wonderful mag, or perhaps even bought or subscribed to the first issue (May/June 2012), however, if not, I would highly recommend it! Last weekeend I visited the Smallholder & Garden Festival at the Royal Welsh Showground Builth Wells, where Nicole and Sarah, the founders and publishers of this great magazine, had a stand. Straight away I could see that this was definitely "my" sort of thing..as to be honest I've become a little disillusioned by my usual stash of monthly magazines of late, and I was insprired by Nicole and Sarah's effort to "have a go" and turn their publishing dreams in to a reality. Just twelve months ago, these inspiring ladies were the proprietors of a vintage shop in South Wales. Disheartened by other magazines, they decided to take the bull by the horns and have a go themselves! And the result; Pretty Nostalgic, “a fiercely independent bi-monthly home and lifestyle magazine that focuses on vintage living and nostalgic values”

I have already read my copy from cover to cover, and I cannot wait for the next issue to arrive! I saved 25% by subscribing, and if that wasn’t enough, this beautiful book, written by Nicole and Sarah was absolutely free! It is packed with inspiring quotes and wonderful pictures, which not only encourages us to re-use and recycle, but to really look at the way we view our homes.

I have been really inspired by these lovely ladies and their “have a go” attitude, which has certainly paid off! It just goes to show that if you really put your mind to something, anything is possible, even in these uncertain economic times!

They will be out and about this Summer, and you can catch them next at the Royal Bath & West Show, Shepton Mallet Showground 31st May – 2nd June, and the Vintage Nation, Brighton, Saturday 9th June. You can also check out their wonderful website here! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!

Marina xx

A Day at the Caves

We had a lovely time last Saturday when we visited the Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves in Wales as a day out to celebrate Mia’s birthday (this has become somewhat of a birthday tradition!)

We had been a little worried that the day wouldn’t be all that suitable for Baby Boy, or his pram in particular, but there was in fact plenty to occupy him, including the dinosaurs, and we even took him in to the large Cathedral Cave! Being such a laid-back baby, it didn’t phase him one bit, despite the spray from the waterfall and that it was dark in places;

There was plenty to do and see, Hubby & Mia went to the first cave as it wasn’t suitable for very young children, while I took Baby Boy to the restaurant for a feed, and then we went to see the Dinosaurs and Iron Age Village;

We were so lucky with the weather, the dinosaurs looked fantastic and the views were spectacular from the foot of the “Bone Cave”;

After visiting the gift shop (Mia couldn’t wait!!) and emerging with a selection of fossils and precious stones and a tiny, soft dinosaur for Baby Boy, we went to see the animals at the Victorian Farm and Museum;

The Museum Farm Shop was very interesting, and the talking-models very lifelike, Mia loved these!;

As usual, I headed straight for the Donkeys! This pair were here last year too, and I love that you can get right up close and make a fuss of them;

Mia was facinated by the Emu eggs;

On the way home we went to Pizza Hut for our tea, another birthday treat! Mia ate loads, but it was my greedy husband who over-indulged, and much to our amusement had to have the "sick-bowl" on standby the whole drive home - luckily it wasn't required!

Marina xx