Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Tidying and sorting and dumping the past.
We have worked very hard today - and it has led on to future workings.
When the loft was emptied recently all the stuff was brought downstairs - well, much of it.
Today we went through it all.
There were boxes of memories - cards, certificates, letters and most of all, my diaries.
My diaries have recorded my life through the good times and the bad times.
It is fun to recall the good times of course - I read out one whole holiday taken in France before we became parents.
It was before we opened our eyes to the world really.
We missed opportunities.
Thank goodness we took leave of our senses when "despite the cost, we went to the 2nd stage of the Eiffel Tower".
That experience stays with us - the money would have been gone anyway.
The bad times of illness and near mental collapse were more interesting to me.
I wrote well - and I know the writing was very therapeutic.
People said, way back them, that I should write a book; but it is so much in my past now. Anyway the writing was for me.
There was much writing of Jamie's too - course work for his master's degree. Loads and loads of it. It is no joke when science graduates say they have had to work harder than others.
We contacted him and said that no, he will never be needing it again.
Then there were some boxes containing things that have been with us (or my Dad) for over 50 years.
Dad was very interested in local affairs and was always busy with things.
I went with him on one mission. I was about 14. I really should have taken more notice of how fascinated I was and followed this mission up as a career.
It was a house clearance job.
He was asked to go to the home of an elderly spinster, Blanche Mitchell to see what was left in her house after her death that was of relevance to Crawley.
Her father and his father before him had been the Crawley Postmasters.
I could recall some of the stuff and felt sure it would be of interest to the now operational museum and museum society.
Now I see it I wonder, if they will want any of it.
Some of it has deteriorated after 50 years in lofts - and much of it is not of great interest really.
We dumped all Blanche's attempts at romantic fiction - I found a letter from Daisy Warren (old Crawley shopkeeper and character) advising my Dad that all this should be rejected as worthless. Well, Daisy - we have finally done it!
Maybe somebody in the museum society could scan things and store copies on disc.
There were also quite a few documents and such like with no reference to Crawley at all. I shall scan these and offer them on EBay and people from other towns and with other interests might like them.
That will be quite a task for me some time.
The work has taken all day.
I must have a shower - for I feel quite grubby with the dust of deacdes.
Tomorrow we will go to Ford.
We have to be back for an afternoon appointment for Bill with the rheumatologist.
When the loft was emptied recently all the stuff was brought downstairs - well, much of it.
Today we went through it all.
There were boxes of memories - cards, certificates, letters and most of all, my diaries.
My diaries have recorded my life through the good times and the bad times.
It is fun to recall the good times of course - I read out one whole holiday taken in France before we became parents.
It was before we opened our eyes to the world really.
We missed opportunities.
Thank goodness we took leave of our senses when "despite the cost, we went to the 2nd stage of the Eiffel Tower".
That experience stays with us - the money would have been gone anyway.
The bad times of illness and near mental collapse were more interesting to me.
I wrote well - and I know the writing was very therapeutic.
People said, way back them, that I should write a book; but it is so much in my past now. Anyway the writing was for me.
There was much writing of Jamie's too - course work for his master's degree. Loads and loads of it. It is no joke when science graduates say they have had to work harder than others.
We contacted him and said that no, he will never be needing it again.
Then there were some boxes containing things that have been with us (or my Dad) for over 50 years.
Dad was very interested in local affairs and was always busy with things.
I went with him on one mission. I was about 14. I really should have taken more notice of how fascinated I was and followed this mission up as a career.
It was a house clearance job.
He was asked to go to the home of an elderly spinster, Blanche Mitchell to see what was left in her house after her death that was of relevance to Crawley.
Her father and his father before him had been the Crawley Postmasters.
I could recall some of the stuff and felt sure it would be of interest to the now operational museum and museum society.
Now I see it I wonder, if they will want any of it.
Some of it has deteriorated after 50 years in lofts - and much of it is not of great interest really.
We dumped all Blanche's attempts at romantic fiction - I found a letter from Daisy Warren (old Crawley shopkeeper and character) advising my Dad that all this should be rejected as worthless. Well, Daisy - we have finally done it!
Maybe somebody in the museum society could scan things and store copies on disc.
There were also quite a few documents and such like with no reference to Crawley at all. I shall scan these and offer them on EBay and people from other towns and with other interests might like them.
That will be quite a task for me some time.
The work has taken all day.
I must have a shower - for I feel quite grubby with the dust of deacdes.
Tomorrow we will go to Ford.
We have to be back for an afternoon appointment for Bill with the rheumatologist.
