Grandma P's Ramblings Through Life

Here are most of the things that I bought at Ford last Saturday.
Tomorrow I will show you what Bill bought.



Carn Pottery items. Carn Pottery was hand made in Cornwall in the 1970s and 1980s. It is popular.




I think these 2 Carn Pottery vases will catch the attention of the buyers.



I have a section of pretty things in the shop, like this cup and saucer.



This is really a bit too cute for me - but it was cheap to buy.
And having had sort of pet harvest mice at home when I was a child I do have a soft spot for them.



The ship is a vase probably for spills by the fire.
The little coal scuttle has the East Grinstead crest on it. I like to have a selection of local commemorative bits in the shop.



This is a big planter. It is Portmeirion china. The china is not made at Portmeirion in Wales, but the original designers came from there.



I am not sure if I like this vase. It is made the collected manufacturer, Sylvac.
It has a strong 1960s/70s style.



This booklet was issued by OXO.



The collecting of old tins is very popular.



This dish is made by Wade and shows Eliza Dolittle - My Fair Lady.



These bird dishes, made in Poole were going cheap..... which could lead me into a bad joke about birds going cheep!



This one is not for sale - at least not for a while. It is a commemorative coin issued for the Barcelona Olympics.



An old nursery item - a baby's bottle.



Some books with local interest. I always buy as many books as possible.



Playing cards. I hope the fact that the Wright's Coal Tar Soap cards haven't got a box will spoil their chances of an early sale.
The playing cards box is a seperate item.

This is a collection of photos showing family members who were at Uncle Bill's funeral.
If you want to see the photos that we took of the funeral and Uncle Bill's family then scroll down to Part 1.
I apologise that not everybody appears here.



Elizabeth (Liz) nee Brand. Daughter of Ned Brand.



Julie nee Monk. Daughter of George Monk.



Valerie and Betty. Daughters of Sophie nee Monk.




Terry Monk. Son of Bert Monk




Bill Monk, son of George Monk and Terry Monk.



Doreen, Alison and Sue nee Brand. Daughters of Sam Brand.



Chris Mullins - husband of Sue, nee Brand. Chris has been Mayor of Crawley.



Joyce Brand, wife of Ned Brand. Joyce is now 82.



Sheila nee Monk, daughter of George Monk and her husband Dave.



Ted, son of Sophie nee Monk.



Antony, son of Pam nee Monk, daughter of George Monk.



A view through the French windows showing Sue, wife of Richard Brand, son of Bill Brand and Lily nee Monk talking with Celia, daughter of Bill and Lil Brand.

In the foreground is Susan with her small son - grand daughter and great grand son of Uncle Ned Brand.

25th April. Family and friends came to the crematorium to share in the service to say farewell to Bill's Uncle Bill.





People waited in the car park, greeting cousins and other family members not seen by each other for too long a time.
For some it had been so long that they even had to be introduced to each other!




The funeral cortege arrives at the chapel.




The funeral undertakers check with Richard and Sue that all the arrangements are in place.




The mourners file into the chapel.



Uncle Bill's coffin is lifted from the hearse and carried by the funeral directors into the chapel.

The service was simple yet moving.
We sang 2 well known hymns that were Uncle Bill's favourites - The Lord is My Shepherd and I Vow to Thee My Country. His son Richard read a poem and his grandson, David also read a poem.
The pastor talked about Uncle Bill's life and related his death to the Christian message. There were readings from The Bible and some prayers.
Perhaps most moving of all was the message that Uncle Bill's daughter, Diane sent from Australia. It was straight from the heart and I think brought many close to tears.



There were many floral tributes laid out after the service.
As is very common these days many people felt that their money would be best spent on providing help for the living. Uncle Bill's chosen charity was St Catherine's Hospice which has supported several family members, including me.
Others have sent money in remembrance of Uncle Bill to their own favourite charities.
Both the flowers and the donations are special.

After the service we all drove the very short distance to The Heathy Farm - a pub and restaurant where food and drink were provided.
The time after a funeral is normally a very good occasion when family members enjoy an opportunity to share news.
The only regret of course is that Uncle Bill could not be there to see both The Brands (his family) and The Monks ( Aunty Lil's family) happy together. These 2 families have been entwined for 70 years and there maybe no other times when Brands and Monks are together ever again.



This is Richard, Uncle Bill's son - Bill's cousin.



This is Celia, Uncle Bill's daughter and her son, David.



Bill talks family history with Tracy, Uncle Bill's grand daughter. In the background are the photo boards that Bill created.



This is a group of Bill's brothers and sisters and spouses sitting talking and drinking and eating and feeling a thankfulness that despite growing older and deaths, family unity remains strong.



Bill's sister Jane happily greets cousins Ann and Ted. There were so many such conversations round the room.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Pronounced su-wan-na-poom.

This is the new airport for Bangkok - the second largest terminal in the world (Hong Kong is bigger).

I was not impressed when I arrived, exhausted, after my flight from London. There was a long, long walk to domestic departures and the building didn't seem built to impress, though I had heard otherwise.

But the departures areas proved to be much more interesting and I enjoyed the couple of hours I had there between the flight from Phuket and the flight to London.

22nd April.
This was an exciting day. John and Maree called in on their travels. John is my second cousin and lives in Australia.