Welcome to my blog, where I take pleasure in words and pictures, be they my own or those of others. I'm a creative individual, and the crafty side I explore on my 'other blog', Picking Up The Threads, which I hope you'll visit too. I'm sure you understand that I have sole copyright of my original work and any of my contributions, so please ask if you want to use them. A polite request is rarely refused. So, as they used to say on the BBC's 'Listen With Mother' radio programme, many years ago: "Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin."

Thursday 26 June 2014

Dipping Our Toes In


The chuckling two year-old with knock-knees is me of course. My Mum and my big brother have a firm grip in case I should tumble. This was Seathorne on the Lincolnshire coast and the family were enjoying a much-needed holiday after what had been a tough time. My brother was recovering from a serious illness. His eyes had been affected and this may be why he was wearing sunglasses; not something you see often in 1950s beach photographs. His tee-shirt would have been a gift from my great aunt Millie, who lived in America. Despite the sun, you can bet the water was very cold. Seathorne was near Skegness, known to be ‘so bracing’.


And here we are  again, venturing a little deeper this time. Some of you will remember this outfit from my Beach Baby post last year, where it was sand, not water, in which I was immersed. I’m holding on tight to my big brother again. I was lucky to have him, though I didn’t know that then. No sunglasses this time, but his eyes are shaded by a baseball style cap. Again, I don't know if that was very usual in Britain at that time and it’s possible that it came from the same great aunt.


This week’s Sepia Saturday prompt is a photograph of people wading or paddling. I have many pictures to match this broad theme, but I decided to narrow it down by sticking to the ones where the subjects are wearing their normal clothes, rather than swimsuits.

I know I’ve posted this one before but it fits the theme so perfectly I had to show it again. It’s my mother, aged about seven, paddling in the sea at Mablethorpe, where she too had gone to recover from illness. My great aunt Maud had taken her there to recuperate. Having no swimsuit Mum tucked her dress into her knickers to keep it dry!


Last year, she came to visit us in Lanzarote, and this time she was able to paddle in the shallow lagoons at Caleton Blanco. The link will show a short movie (2 minutes) of the beach. It also shows you where Lanzarote is, and you will see it’s the Atlantic Ocean, not the Med. The difference between the two shots, apart from nearly ninety years, is that here it’s always warm!

 
Mum was content to roll up her trousers this time; tucking her dress into her knickers at nearly 93 would be deemed undignified.

23 comments:

  1. Great photos! Now I have to go find my family standing in water :)

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  2. That first photo makes me want to grab a sweater -- you all LOOK chilly with those balled-up fists. In fact, you look like you're ready to run, so hurry up, Dad, and snap that picture! I enjoyed seeing the video of your beach.

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  3. Goodness, she doesn't look anything like nearly 93. 65 perhaps. I hope you've inherited her good genes.
    We used to tuck our skirts into our knickers. I never liked the feeling of doing so.

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  4. Your mother hasn't changed a bit :-). The first photo is nice, you look very sweet & happy!

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  5. Lovely happy photographs of you, your mother and brother down the years, and it sounds like there was a lot to be happy about.

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  6. Great photos and lots of smiles.

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  7. You look so cute, especially in the photo with the hat.

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  8. That first photo positivily exudes the chill ! I smiled my way through the photos. They are lovely.

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  9. Love the photos of your Mom, she looks great for 93.

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  10. How wonderful to have those photos with your brother. The connection is evident.

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  11. Those bracing Limcolnshire beaches, we know them well. But the sea at 'Skegie' always seemed so far out! I hope I'm paddling at 93 with my trousers rolled up.

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  12. Great wading in regular clothes!

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  13. Love the picture of your mother as a little girl with her dress tucked into her bloomers! And the one of you in the sombrero with your brother is pretty cute! My mom just turned 96 & is doing well, still living on her own. Hope I'm lucky enough to live so long & so well!

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  14. Your mother is so beautiful. She has enviable legs, even for a twenty year old. Is your brother wearing a Hawaiian shirt in the second photo? You were a darling child.

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  15. A perfect set and a demonstration that sometimes fun needs fortitude too.

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  16. You were such a cutie! Your mom looks terrific at 93.

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  17. Good family pictures right on theme. Isn't it odd how wading in the water is a popular theme for snapshots?

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  18. I hope I'm still paddling in the sea at 93 - but only on a warm day. Your childhood photos are very clear. the third one doesn't load for me - Mum with dress tucked into her knickers.

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  20. What a lovely beach in the video, but what odd music. It sounded like a police car was approaching.

    Love your hat!

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  21. That was so nice that your mother was able to visit you. She looks so happy. Must have been a wonderful visit.
    Nancy
    Ladies of the Grove

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  22. What a great pair of photos at the end! Beautiful!

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  23. Sorry I'm so late commenting on this post - these are delightful!

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