#Christmas time,, #meanderings

Spot Frankie…..He’s in one of the photographs.

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Little Corners of Christmassy-ness whimsy. I was thinking of my Nan today. She always decorated the house completely. This started back in the 1960s. Probably earlier too. Absolutely covered her and Grancha’s house in decorations. Top to toe, back to front. It must have taken weeks on end to achieve. Then she would dress up as Santa Claus and go out to visit her neighbours with gifts. Sometimes on her sit up and beg bicycle. A staunch member of the Salvation Army, she would also visit patients in hospital. Play her harp (harmonica) and sing carols to them.

This time of year was, and still is, a special one over many historical and current contributions. My Nan and her love of the season, my Mum and Dad with their never letting us down, especially at this time of year, our two children and their wondrousness at it all and now the grandchildren with excitement building day by day……they all provide the memories, current exchanged feelings and all this whilst knowing there are awaiting yearly future memories too.

So I thought I’d do a few little corners of the house. Nothing much, but a little nod to my Nan’s past contributions. On a very much smaller scale. No professional status for my Nan when she decorated with a passion to her religious faith in this time of year. Just her heartfelt inclusions to please the family and friends in the local community. And others who needed a friendly smile and conversation.

Her house was full on baking aroma too. I do have a different aroma to it all. My Nan had home baked Apple Pie, Christmas Cake, Mince Pies, with spices like nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon and home made ginger wine as aroma infusions. Me? Basically, Christmas essential oils and scented candles. My baking skills leave a lot to be desired! So, in decoration content alone, I also continue in a pleasure ridden naive presentation too. On a very much smaller scale….

This small excursion to ‘The little Corners of Christmassy-ness’. It’s kind of like a little look up to the stars and saying ‘Yes Nan. You did leave a lot of happy memories for future Christmas’s to still feel wondrous’.

PLEASE TAP ON THE SMALLER PHOTOS TO ENLARGE.

THANK YOU.

20 thoughts on “Spot Frankie…..He’s in one of the photographs.”

    1. My Mum wasn’t well for a fair few months when I was small. So my brother lived with our Aunty Olive, and I lived with my Nan and Grancha. They bought me Hot Stuff and Casper the Ghost magazines. And her home made apple pie was superb. She was a water diviner and could grow any plant by simply pulling a piece off the original, sticking it into earth and, whoosh, off it went into growth. She was the one, even as a teenager, that her community went to for advice and health matters. Her father was a Salvation Army captain in Northern Ireland. And amidst the troubles too. So she held a lot of her emotions in concerning how difficult it was for her father back then. The only girl in a family of 7 brothers.

      As an adult my Nan said she loved it when I sang the Dave Clark Five’s song ‘Bits and Pieces’. Released in 1964, so would have been 8 years old. My brother 7 years old. So I must have wanted to be a singer back then. Cheers Sheila.

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      1. Oh, I love ALL of this, Gray. You honor your Nan and Grancha sooo much by sharing these stories! I totally understand about the divining (being called to that myself), but I don’t grow plants as well. Ha! Always continuing to learn and experiment with growing plants. So, yes, I bet your Nan’s Apple pie was delicious!
        How beautiful that they made it through The Troubles. What a hard time that was!
        I love that song too, Bits and Pieces. Cheers!

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      2. Cheers Sheila. My Nan spoke of her ‘Daddy’ hobbling to work and watched him walking alongside the railway track limping badly. I believe he had his ‘kneecaps’ brutally hit in the troubles. As a young teenager myself, she rarely spoke of hardships. Just positivity. My Grancha fought in Burma and had nightmares. Waking up screaming in the night. Had to deal with Malaria too. I believe, as we are now older too, our children should be blessed with us providing positivity more than dwelling on life’s negative impacts. My Nan, Grancha, Mum and Dad provided me with laughter, family values, comfort in their warmth and spirit and…. Lots of music! That is grand-parenting and parenting at its best. So I try to emulate the same values too. Cheers Sheila.

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      4. Thank you for the thumbs up Sheila. There are still things that grind you down out there. But I just keep on the side of good karma. We ordered £100 worth of logs about a week ago which haven’t arrived. Not local but a bit further north. And guess what…..they are no longer on Facebook. And no logs. Disappeared into scammers’ air. What do you do? That’s life and karma will get back at them. Trust in the universal laws. Cheers Sheila.

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      5. Right, Gray. Balancing in ALL ways. I do what I can without getting frustrated or wasting my energy. Like the time recently when I finally received $1,150 dollars back that had been due to me for 3 years from a dentist. Ugh.
        At least their karma is cleared on that now. And I could use it to get my new tooth!

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      6. It is great that you finally got the result Sheila. And now can smile confidently. Dentistry is difficult to access over here. We have a dental plan so see a dentist and hygienist twice and four times a year. I cracked my back tooth in half about three months ago on some muesli, and had to wait ten weeks for it to be sorted properly. Then, on getting home the repair broke down straight away. It was the bite down pressure aspect. So got it done again last Friday by an amazing locum dentist. All good now. Cheers Sheila.

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      8. Good to realise that long term mental stamina alongside physical patience can provide us with an understanding of our inner strengths. Events do happen from time to time to test our resolve. So glad yours worked out.

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  5. this post is the sweetest. your place looks magical, and I bet it’s not just at Christmas. it’s easy to tell your family’s made tons of happy memories that’ll keep the holiday spirit alive for years to come.

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    1. Thank you cookie. Your very own abuela sounds the perfect person to have in your life too. Her philosophical and spiritual thinking is very much akin to the book by Sogyal Rinpoche. A very beautiful way of thinking positively about life and moving onwards. You seem to have a wonderful family too. I am hoping you are currently penning new tunes and lyrics in your mind cookie. Great to listen to them all on your second album again last night. All the best.

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    1. Christmas has a certain comfort about it. Born from memories of routines that were part of life. New Year’s Eve at my Aunty and Uncles house which was packed with all the members of the family. The rest of the year, post that week of festivities, was more quiet re: family members’ numbers being present. Cheers Brenda.

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