Monday, March 15, 2021

Life is various

I've never understood people who get bored - well, unless they were forced to sit still doing something tedious. There are always lots of things that I want to do. I've been going through some of my father's archives and came across this - a newspaper list of his prizes in his final year, 1937-38 - at this famous Edinburgh boys' school, which he was able to attend only because he won a bursary to go to the senior school. As you see, he was dux (ie, top of his year) by being first or first equal in maths, physics, German, English Literature and Russian. And this was an academic school.

He was also very musical, playing the piano and organ well, and could make up stories and draw funny pictures. 

My brother and I grew up being told by everyone how clever he was. I've never discussed this with my brother, I don't think, but I anyway just assumed (correctly) that there was no point in comparing myself to Dad so it wasn't worth really thinking about. He was, by the way, very hard-working as well, which to my shame I never was, as a child. 


There's also a lot of war stuff, such as this notebook full of information about German bombs - he was in bomb disposal in Egypt - after one year at university. He went back to his studies when the war ended.


Here he is, the smaller chap on the right. 


And there are many photos of bridging the Rhine, which he also did. He notes that they were under heavy enemy fire all the time. 

I think possibly some of this ought to be in a museum. 


Some of us live littler lives (thank goodness). Littlest Granddaughter painted me some yellow flowers for Mother's Day yesterday. Her mother carved "Granny" in the card. Lovely.

And thus the archives grow... .


Yesterday we went for a Mother's Day walk by the river with the Edinburgh family and bought ice creams to celebrate Biggest Granddaughter's 8th birthday.


At home, I did some spring garden tidying and put grass seed down on the balder patches on the new bit of lawn. The pigeons were very appreciative. 


The amaryllises continue to flower. 

And I sewed together the extremely crazy patches I made from scraps at the end of 2019 (remember then?) and added a border. 


And then another one. It looks like it's going to be the world's ice-creamiest ever quilt. I have no idea what I'm doing, really, but it's fun. No fabric shops are open so I'm just playing around with the bits I have. 

All primary school children went back today so my home schooling duties are over for the moment. Thus the quilt.

Goodness me, there haven't been many comments recently, though according to Blogger there a quite a few silent readers. Hello. I wonder who you are. 



 

11 comments:

  1. You are so KIND to the pigeons! I am rarely bored although I am sometimes "at loose ends." I have much to do but my motivation is lacking at times. Getting started can be tough. Happy Birthday to Biggest Granddaughter! That quilt is lovely and springy with all the cheerful colors. (although I don't see any orange-lol)

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  2. Well I'm here always lurking in the background as I love to see what your grandchildren are doing. Can't believe oldest grandaughter is now 8. I must have a small boast about my oldest grandson who was Dux of his school one year. Also love the scenery when you go on your walks and your quilting always impresses me. Life is almost back to normal here and it is possible to sometimes forget the Virus. My age group is next to have the Jab.

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  3. I don't remember 2019 at all. There's just this time between the fences and under the wide sky. I think I've become agoraphobic actually.

    Your pigeons did make me laugh. And the quilt makes my eyes happy. I'm in awe of your father. What a wonderful man. But praise be for small lives between the fences too x

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  4. Hello! I'm always checking in to make sure you haven't done anything that you haven't told me about. Usually you have managed to restrain yourself. xxx

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  5. Always checking in but as you know sometimes finding it hard to get a comment through. Happy Birthday belatedly to biggest grand daughter and yes, I wonder if the Imperial Ware Museum would like to see your father’s archives. I once offered them a utility era home made christening robe, made from a net curtain and what looks like a rayon slip for the lining. They didn’t want it but sent a polite rejection!

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  6. What a talented man your father was! What a shame the War interrupted his studies. A bit like this damned Covid. Lives shortened, opportunities lost.

    I hope your two settle back into school. They’ve been very lucky to have such a skilled teacher, and of course they love being with you anyway, so they have had an easier time that so many others.

    Those Amaryllises are stunning. My husband asked about how to grow them - I said I thought they were in a pot. Am I correct? How many bulbs do you grow together in one pot? I’d love us to try for a display like that.

    Meanwhile, you can show off your quilting skills. Your latest scrap quilt has come together nicely.

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    1. Oh yes, they're in a pot - two pots, actually. They wouldn't survive the winter outside here. I originally had one bulb and then it grew a baby so I separated the bulbs into two pots. There are now 8 bulbs in two pots, seriously overcrowded!

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  7. Sorry, I’m one of your silent readers, and have been for years, since you were just retiring. I may have made the odd comment( I would need access to my memory to know that!] They will have been few and far between, which really is not kind of me, sorry. I’m a reader who lives in Dorset. I’m nearly sixty, a supply teacher , although I’ve only done two days since last March. I’m married to a physics teacher, have a son who’s 28 and is a dentist in Wales, and a daughter who is 25 and is living at home. She returned from France 18months ago intending to be here for a year at the most...she’s now thinking of fulfilling her destiny and becoming a languages teacher. I do love your blog. I have enjoyed seeing the progress of your family, and it has been especially good during lockdown knowing that we are all sharing life’s frustrations. Thank you for keeping up your blog, and sharing little bits of your life. PennyLxx

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    1. Oh, how lovely to hear from you, Penny. Our lives are not dissimilar, then: teaching, son in the medical area and daughter who presumably did French at university. Thank you for stepping out of the shadows for a moment. x

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  8. I'm afraid to admit that I just don't come onto Blogger very often... But when I do, it is usually to create a post on mine, and then I always read yours. So you might get comments on several of your posts in one day. I need to be more regular - for both of us!

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