Viola, my great-grandmother, sitting on the beach. Notice that she is dressed in her normal day to day clothes.. handbag and most probably stockings. Love the hat! Viola was born in Australia, in a little town called Morpeth in New South Wales. She is my link to Scotland about 5 generations back.while I was walking along the sea shore each day, I thought. alot. And I connected with the Mother Earth or was it the Goddess of the Sea? I felt calm and at peace and at one with all. The first morning I stood facing out to sea and I closed my eyes and I connected with my ancestors.. I felt Laura with me as well as Viola, my maternal great-grandma. I actually got quite emotional and tears rolled down my cheek.. it was so healing! I felt how much Laura was grateful that she had the opportunity to be in Australia and how the beach reminded her of Devon. It was as if Laura was conveying her feelings to me.. as if she was really reaching out to me...
I also felt very blessed and grateful that I live within 2 hours of the beach, 1 hour from the city of Sydney and that I live in the mountains, where the air is fresh and clean and that I can always find somewhere in the mountains to be by myself.
a perfect life.
how swimsuit fashions have changed! this photo is one of my dear Nana - Jean Ingall Franks and myself when I was about 4 or 5. It was taken in her lounge room.... she hardly ever went to the beach as she was blind but when I visited, we use to run under the sprinkler to keep cool. while I was at the beach, I had such fun collecting shells, just like I did when I was a little girl... fish and chips with lots of salt tastes so much better when you eat them on the beach... sea-weed is always mermaid hair and my all time favourite: an ice-cream cone... melting and dripping down your arm while you frantically try to lick it before it all melts away.... I was having fun with my inner child!
6 comments:
love your olden days photos! I'm busy doing my annual run thru my family history book which I am glad to say after many many years of writing is almost done!! just a few photos away from being complete...for now!!
I wonder what your great grandmother (Viola is a lovely name) thought of those 2 half naked men behind her. You are making me miss the beach sooo much! We usually try to get to the ocean once during the summer. It is a place of solace to me. Glad it was that for you, as well.
Robyn, please pop over to my blog to pick up your Daily Dose award. :)
I just loved your old photos. It tells us so much about a person. Not only for what is in the photos but that you chose those particular photos in the first place.
Hugs,
Julie
The old photos are a treasure. Wouldn't it be fun to have a conversation with Viola? Great that you can feel your ancestoral connections floating in the sea air. I totally understand that!!!
Hi Robyn - I could have sworn I left a comment here about your great-grandmother and my great-aunt sharing the same name...
the silly router must have gone out while I was trying to send it.
Still trying to find my way to faeryland...
xOx
Post a Comment