Saturday 2 April 2016

Back

Another great grandfather. And yes, he has a wooden leg
As you may have read, Brom and I spent a week in the Netherlands. We visited my parents and I spent most of the first few days lying on the couch nursing my head. In between feeling a bit sorry for myself, I got out the photo albums (again) and went through them (again), but this time I asked my mother for help. And lo and behold, several great aunts and uncles and great-grandparents made their way into my vision. Especially the great grandparents were good news. Unfortunately my mother only had her paternal grandparents and the day before I left, my mum and I made our way to her eldest sister who had photos of the maternal side. Plus stories and even a letter. 

Now, that is what I did mainly: research in my past and I loved it. The thing I didn't love was how warm my parents' house was. Since I live in a completely different type of house without central heating, having to deal with central heating all of a sudden was weird. I am usually somebody who complains of the cold, but this time I moaned about the heat. Normally I wear one or two shirts and nearly always a nice thick cardigan. I had to leave the cardigan and quite a bit of time was spent in a t-shirt only. 

My aunt, aged 3
Another thing I did quite miss was the quiet. Don't get me wrong, my parents live in a nice and quiet neighbourhood, but I could hear the road, and people and late at night the train. The worst was the crows though. I always sleep in the attic and the crows were making their nest not far from the window. You could hear them scrabble on the roof and of course that eternal and infernal crowing. 

Despite the not so nice things, I did enjoy myself. But I am glad to be home again. 

9 comments:

  1. Love the aunt photo.
    Nothing beats one's own home.

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  2. How wonderful that you found information on some ancestors. I have an interest in family history. We can learn so much from our ancestors. Well done.

    It is always great to be home to your own way of doing things, even after a visit to your loved ones.

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    1. I am becoming more and more interested. Especially after you talk to elder family members who remember things. Or even just find an advert or some such. Love it!

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    2. Me too, Mara. I love keeping the stories alive and making the information available to extended family.

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  3. Hari OM
    Oh I hear ya gal - am in Edinburgh this week and father has the place like a sauna!!! Very glad you are back safe and feel like you learned a lot - makes the trip even more worth while... YAM xx

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    1. Of course was freezing when I got home: the weather isn't as nice as it was back home and the heating was low!

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  4. There's no place like home! Looks like you made some good discoveries!

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  5. Glad you enjoyed yourself and how awesome to get some photo of your ancestors.

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  6. I just noticed your header. I love it!

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Any weighty (and not so weighty) comments are welcome!