Wednesday, May 14, 2014

TELLING IT ON TUESDAY (Part 19b) (1959-1962)

I threatened I'd show more photos of my children and here are some I'd like to share just for the sheer fun of it and because I can.  No photographic prowess involved but just great family pics.  Bear in mind that Karen was born in July, 1955 and Steven in September 1957.

1959-1960: Karen and Steven (1 and 2 at Fitzgerald Street and 3 and 4 at Walcott Street):

 1.  Proving to his big sister he really can walk on his own now:


2.  Playing in the sand heap at Grandma's (seems the buffalo grass is trying to take over that sand heap):


3.  Enjoying the winter sun:


4.  Looking very serious.  I wonder what had I just said to them?


Having fun down at the Swan River:



A basketful of trouble:                                                                                                                          


Sitting on the retaining wall at the front of the house in Walcott Street.  Did I tell you that the road had been built after the house and was so much higher than the house that a walkway (bridge) had been built by either the Council or Main Roads Department across to the upper storey of the house and this retaining wall built at the front of the bottom section. In the background you can see how much the ground rises up toward road level.


In 1961 missing her front teeth, Karen aged six and a half.


October, 1961...morning fun:





Finally, a picture I've always loved.  It is Mother's Day in 1962 and we had gone to visit Grandma Harring (Aub's maternal grandma and Karen and Steven's great-grandma) to take her a bunch of flowers.  This was taken in Gran's garden and at the time she was 82, exactly the same age I am now.
The dress and jacket I had made Karen was always one of her favourites and the little trousers Steven is wearing were made out of an old pair of dark green gabardine slacks I'd had for years.  Fabric back then seemed to last so much longer than modern fabrics.  I just love the braces don't you?  Karen at that time was 2 months away from turning 7 (she was in Standard 2 at school) and Steven was 4 years and 8 months.

P.S.   Remember when I was a teenager back in 1947-52 we had lived just across the street from Grandma and Grandpa Harring, long before I had ever met Aub.  Once again, a small world.


Gran was just 4'11" and Grandpa would not have been much over 5'3".  You can tell Gran was tiny as Aub was about 5'6".

16 comments:

  1. I'm sure I am wearing that dress in a photo of me in Grade 3, but will have to drag it out to check. I did love all the clothes you made me as I was growing up and always felt dressed with love xxx

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    1. Thanks for those comments. I loved to sew, especially making pretty things for you and I'm so pleased you have happy memories of them.
      I did make your dresses with good hems and would let them down when you grew taller and if you were in Grade 2 here then it is possible the dress still fitted you in Grade 3. After all you weren't at all plump so you got longer and not wider. I may have made it for the summer of 1962 so it would have lasted for at least 2 years. xxx
      P.S. Can you email me that school photo please?

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  2. Karen and Steven are such lovely children who I can tell b the looks on their faces had a wonderful childhood with a loving Mom. Oh I love braces too:) To have your Grandparents around is a wonderful thing I had mine around also and it made me the person I am today respecting my elders and feeling and living with a love like no other.
    Oh these are beautiful photos and Karen and Steven are very lucky to have such a great Mom. Hug B

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    1. Hi Buttons. I really do appreciate your comments. I was never perfect but I did try hard to be a good mother.
      Actually I didn't have grandparents but Aub's grandparents were always very good to me and I loved them, and that's his gran in that last photo.
      Thanks for taking time to pop in as I know how busy you are. xx

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  3. You had a talent with the needle making those lovely outfits for Karen and Steven. What adorable kids and great old photos. The more life goes on I realize how precious these old photos are. I treasure mine more than gold.

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    1. I just loved to sew and my fingers were nimble in those days. Now I can barely use pair of scissors which distresses me a lot.
      Since I've been telling this story I've relished going through all the old photos again and reliving it all, the good and the bad.

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  4. Hari OM
    As you know I am currently in the process of digging through and scanning in all my old photos... to see others' is equally fun! You are fortunate to have so many. Despite all being photographers in our family, the stock of B&Ws is especially disappointing.

    4'11" eh? Good things, small packages is the adage that comes to mind! YAM xx

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    1. It is when I hear of people losing all their photos, perhaps in a house fire, that I realise how important they are. Mum and dad lost everything when their house burned down before I was born so I had no photos of them in their youth nor anything else.
      Aub's gran was small but quite a feisty lady and I loved her. We got on very well together and it was great to finally have a grandma. xx

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  5. It is so nice to see siblings that love to be together and get along so well. Such lovely children - such wonderful photographs!

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    1. Thanks Susan. They were great together when they were young. Only home snaps but worth their weight in gold, just to have them to look back on.

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  6. So amazing to see the growth from photo to photo! And to have your grandparents in a photo--a gift.

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    1. It's enjoyable watching them 'grow up' for me too. I didn't know my grandparents as they were in England, but was lucky to be able to share Aub's and they were always very good to me.

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  7. You do have the most gorgeous children. I agree that last photo is really nice, the kids look lovely in the dressy clothes.
    I laughed at the basketful of trouble one.

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    1. Thanks River....I was always (and still am) very proud of them.
      I repeated the 'basket of trouble' photo with our two oldest granddaughters...just for the fun of it.

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  8. Mimsie, you are very fortunate to have these photos of your children through their growth years. Thanks for sharing them as it is wonderful to see vintage family photos as these

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    1. Thank you for visiting and for your kind comments. Although most of these early photos were only taken with a little Kodak box brownie, the photos have survived very well and I am so glad I still have them to look back on.

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