For The Gallery prompt this week Tara chose – Portrait
According to Wikipedia, a portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even mood of the person.
The first portrait is one my mum sent home to her dad when she was in the army.
One day, early 1940s, she came home and told her parents she’d signed up to serve for her King and country. Her father was furious. He’d served in the Great War and rarely spoke of the horrors he’d witnessed. The thought of his second eldest daughter joining up must have filled him with dread.
I remember mum telling me how cross he was and saying to her: “You’ve made your bed my girl, now you lie in it.” However, his anger was short lived when she was quickly promoted to Corporal. When she next returned home on leave, he took her for a celebratory drink and insisted she keep her uniform on.
I can listen for hours while mum recalls tales of growing up in the North East of England, with her three sisters and younger brother. She tells me of the times when life was often tough and money was tight. She would go with her dad collecting coal off the sea front so that they had heat for the next few days. Shoes were mended and clothes darned and patched up. My granddad was a proud man and I’m told he inspected his family before they went out for the night to check their shoes were polished and they were respectfully dressed.
Mum was a member of the local cycling club and at weekends she loved to go for long bike rides through the North Yorkshire moors. One day she cycled to York and back, some 120 miles in total.
Mum’s energy constantly amazes me. The first summer we moved to Andover, mum, then in her 70s, came to stay for a week. We explored new places with her and one day drove down to Dorset. We parked the car at Lulworth Cove and climbed the steep hill over the top of the ridge to Durdle Door. Mum joked about how she wasn’t going to make it, but make it she did and without any complaints.
We went on bike rides together through the rolling Hampshire hills and she kept up with us. Even now she’s in her late 80s she still puts me to shame. She always goes to bed after me and is the first to get up. She’s the one who brings me a cup of tea in bed.
The second is a photo I took last year of my mum holding a family portrait.
For mum and dad’s 40th wedding anniversary my siblings and I decided to have a family portrait taken of the five of us. The photograph hung in the lounge, pride of place above the fireplace for over 24 years.
Over the years the lounge has been redecorated many times and the photo has been put back up but, last year mum decided it was time for a change, the brown frame and 80s dress and hair styles no longer went with her new modern room. We’ve now been replaced by a fancy metal wall plaque from Next!
I’m the one stood at the back in red. I’m 21, roughly the same age my mum was in the first photo.
Both photographs show mum’s personality and mood. The first she is happy and proud, and so she should be. In the second she is smiling as she holds her family in her hands the thing that makes her the happiest and what she should be most proud of.
Lovely post, your Mum is fab and great photos.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes she is fab and still going strong. I’m quite glad the pic of us has now come down. It’s a constant reminder of the fact that time has moved on – far too quickly!
Such a great photo of your mum holding the portrait and a really interesting post. My parents were children during World War 2 and it’s fascinating to hear them talk about everyday life as they grew up. I remember being horrified when I was first told that one of my mum’s chores was to cut out squares of newspaper to hang in the outside toilet, as there was no loo roll.
Thanks for reading and commenting on my blog. I’m new to this and have been touched by the nice comments. I look forward to seeing how everyone interprets Tara’s prompts each week.
oh oh I welled up a little bit when I saw the picture of her proudly holding the portrait!! Lovely story xx
We joke about the fact that we’ve been replaced by a metal plaque from Next, so I made her stand outside holding the picture. She is a wonderful mum. Glad you enjoyed reading about her.
They are lovely photos, and how brave was your Mum to sign up for WWII? They are amazing women!
I think she was a bit of a rebel in her youth. I know her dad was not a happy bunny at first. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Absolutely love this. Such a sweet story 🙂
Thank you, I enjoyed writing it.
What a lovely post and photos.
Thanks. I’m really enjoying this blogging malarkey. Everyone is so nice.
What a great story of history and lovely photos of your mum:-)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
This is beautiful. The pictures, the subject and the words.
Gee thanks, I’m touched by the lovely comments I’ve had for this post. I must tell my mum when I see her at the weekend.
What a great story behind the photographs. It’s what brings them to life. Love the fact the old frame has been replaced by the trendy one from Next!
Yes we’ve been replaced by Modern Art!!
I’m quite relieved though, even after 24 years it was still a shock seeing yourself up there on the wall. I’d just found out I was pregnant too, hence the reason I’m hiding at the back. Thank you for reading and commenting. I love your posts. x
Wow, what a fantastic story. Your mum sounds quite amazing and looks very young for her age.
Yes she is fantastic for her age, like I said in the post she puts me to shame. She’s slowed down the last few years but up to then she was still keeping up with everyone. Thanks for reading & commenting
love it – those army photos are somthing special xx
Fab blog about the fabitasticist old girl we all lourve
thank you for sharing xx
I think you’ve summed her up nicely. Don’t forget IOU a big hug xx
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Wonderful woman! I think that generation were something really special. I’m sure you’re just as proud of her as I am of my mum, who was also a pretty amazing character. Let’s hope our children feel something similar about us one day too.
Thank you for reading my favourite post about my mum. Just had a quick peek at your blog and I’ll certainly be popping back when I have more time.
X