My Dad

Well here I am again, trying to post this but keep crashing.  I thought I'd let you all see a picture of my Daddy and his family.  We were sent this by my cousin, Lila, just before we made our journey and were thrilled to get it as we had never seen it before.  My granny (babcia) is on the left.  Then Jadja (Jadwiga) is next to her with baby, Halina, on her lap.  Then there is little Arcadeuz and then my Daddy!  Auntie Lila had not yet been born.

Jadwiga was a full sister to my Dad.  She died whilst my Dad was still alive, I know he was very sad that he had never seen her again after he left Poland with the Polish Air Force.  I was both amazed and touched when I visited my Cousin Lila, her daughter, that she had letters that my father had written her and that she still treasured them.

Its sad really but I don't remember my Dad telling us much about the family in Poland.  He died when I was 17, which was very shocking.

He used to love to play chess.  He even played chess against others on the telephone.  We'd lie in bed upstairs and it would be all quiet and then you'd hear a voice saying "Rook to Pawn 2" or something like that.  He even played chess on the day he died.  He was up London, playing at the Polish YMCA in a league when he collapsed with a heart attack.  He was taken to St Mary's in Paddington but before we got there, he had gone.  It was such a terrible shock to us all and we were devasted.  I remember the night so well.  Paul wasn't well and I had just started going out with him, so I had gone to his parents house and we were watching the Eurovision Song Contest.  The phone went and it was my ex brother in law telling us that Daddy had taken ill.  We lived in Edmonton at the time, so I dashed home and then caught a cab up to London with my ex brother in law.  As soon as I walked through the doors of the hospital I saw my brother, Peter.  He was only 13 and he walked towards me and I knew.  We came home by cab and my sister, Barb and I climbed into bed with mummy.  Mummy wouldn't call our sisters, Andrea and Christine.  She said we'll wait until the morning, let them have a good night's sleep.

Its been 34 years but I still miss my Daddy.

Hugs.  Terry

 

 

Poland

Ohhh I did lots of explanations about this... and just lost it.  Hopefully, this time I'll get it posted.

Last year, for the first time, my sister Christine, Rosie and my brother Peter all visited Poland for the very first time.  As you know, I have Polish parents who are both dead.  My dad, Joseph, otherwise known as Zuik, died in 1972, aged 61.  Daddy met Mummy during the war and never went back to Poland.  His mother came over in 1957 but didn't get on with my Mum, so never came again.

There are a few little strange things about daddy, like his real name, which he never told us about.  I don't know the reason.  It was very strange being given his old Scout certificates with this name that we had never really known him by.  We can't understand the reason for the secrecy.  My mum only told me about it a few years before she died.  This was another thing she didn't share with my sisters or brother.  I told them after she had died.  Why all these secrets??  Even after our visit to Poland we couldn't seem to get to the bottom of it.

It was absolutely wonderful meeting our Polish relatives.  His sister lives in Bialystok, very near to the train station, and she was the main one we were going to visit as she had always written to us, despite hardly ever getting a reply from me.  My Polish is very bad although Christine can speak quite a bit,  I suppose when she was younger it was spoken in the home but as we came along, mainly English was used.  Words can't really describe the feelings we had as we finally made this trip to Poland.  Why hadn't we been before?  I think mainly due to lack of money. 

I will write more about this.  In the meantime though, now I have got the hang of this posting pictures malarky,  I am posting on a picture of my Auntie Lila and her wonderful picture that hangs in her hallway.  Let me know what you think of this painting.  I found it absolutely fascinating.

One more thing.  When we visited the cemetary to see my grandmother's grave, Auntie Lila took us to see her husband's grave.  We were shocked to see her name already enscribed on it.  She explained that all that needed doing was putting on the date of her death ..... eeeeeeek!  We tried to explain about Scrooge and him seeing his gravestone ... it was all a bit lost in translation.

 

Now to get on a bit and stop messing about on here!!

Catch you later.

Terry x

 

Putting pictures on

Oh gawd!  I know I only did this a couple of weeks ago and in the end managed to do it with photobucket but I have completely forgotten how to do it and can't do it .... argh.

So, please can someone give me the idiot's guide on how to make pictures appear!  Its got to be simple, I seem to have a mental block on this.

Rosie has discovered my old keyboard this morning.  I got it years ago and taught myself to play a few tunes and learned a few cords.  I only got as far as book 1 before I lost interest.  I never seemed to get my rhythmn right!  She is now making a god awful noise and is driving her older brother, Martin, mad.  Paul has disappeared off to work, he got fed up too.

She got ok at the hospital yesterday.  The tooth they were concerned about is laying across the bottom of her gum and not in a position to come out of it!  They think her baby tooth is strong enough and so we will leave best alone because if they do operate to try to get it out, it is near the nerve that could cause paralysis of her lip.  Now, we will have to start the brace procedure off for her twisted front tooth.  As you know, the NHS stopped funding for any braces except for very extreme cases, so we will have to find a lot of money for this.  It will be worth it though.  I think we can pay monthly for it.

Matthew went off to camp last night.  It was pouring with rain all day and he is camping!  I have sent him off with lots of clothes to change into and loads of waterproofs.  The good thing is that the sun is shining here today, so hopefully the kit won't come back too muddy (hmm, I bet it does anyway).  He has gone to a place called Phasels Wood.  Here is the link.  http://www.phaselswood.org.uk/  I bet he'll be having a wonderful time and come home exhausted tomorrow.

Martin has been offered a job in Leeds.  Oh, we are going to miss him if he goes.  I am trying not to be selfish and not think of good reasons to be negative about it.  He went travelling 3 years ago and came home after 4 months as he missed us all so much, so I hope he decides not to take it and look for a better job round here.  His work are considering whether to make him a better offer, so watch this space.

Anyway, off to do a few jobs. 

Take care everyone.

Terry x

 

Mummy's Memoirs

I have made a decision.  Sounds like x factor!  I am going to create a new journal to put the rest of Mum's memoirs in.  She deserves her own space in journal land.  I'll be doing this soon and will let you know the link.  This week my sister, Chris, found some more of mum's writings which I will have to type up too, ooh nothing like keeping busy.

Off to the hospital now for Rosie's teeth!

Catch you later.

Terry

Schooldays

Tonight we made our way with trepidation to Rosie's school for her first open evening.

We had a heck of a job getting Rosie into the school of her dreams.  Much was made in the October of going round all the secondary schools in our area on their open evenings and listening to their virtues etc.  We let Rosie choose the school she would like to go to on the premise that if she did get the school she wanted to go to, she would work hard there.

It was terrible in March this year when we heard that Rosie had not got the school of her choice and we had to tell her.  It was even worse when she went to school the next day and found she was the only one in her class of 30 pupils that didn't get her first choice.  In fact, she was allocated her third choice which was a school outside our area which we only put down because we didn't think she would ever get placed at it.  Poor Rosie was so upset, she came out in a rash all over her body, she really felt the odd one out at school because everyone else was so happy they had got the school place they had wanted.  It was a very difficult time.

It took a couple of months, preparing appeal submissions and going on a waiting list before we found out that she had managed to achieve her place.  Hooray.  Her older brother and I hid up the new school with a poster saying Congratulations and Paul drove her up and we jumped out and surprised her.  That was a lovely evening after the disappointment and tears a few months earlier,

I am pleased to say that she is doing great in everything except French, where she seems to have une major bloc!!!  The French teacher told me that she thinks perhaps Rosie may not be linguistic ... hmm I disagree big time and told her about the couple of trips we have made to Poland where Rosie has picked up a lot of the language very quickly.  Maybe I will take Rosie to Paris and that may awaken her interest in learing to speak the language of love.  The French teacher was very nice, she seemed concerned that Rosie may not like her.  Rosie just doesn't like French!

I don't consider myself as a pushy parent but really would like Rosie to do well.  She came out of primary school with 5s in maths and science and a 4 in English.  The maths and science results were a surprise to us and to her, so she has got ability there which I hope she will use.  Paul thinks I am pushy but I really do try not to be.

Rosie was at home really worrying ... we arrived home with Chinese and donuts to celebrate her efforts. 

Matthew is getting ready for another scout weekend, leaving tomorrow for an adventure centre.  I have unpicked and sewn all the blimming badges (15 of them) onto his new shirt this week.  I have gone out today and got yet more gloves (apparently his old ones were thrown on the fire by "Sam" last week).  Tomorrow I will go and get a few chocolate goodies for him to take, he loves chocolate fingers!  We have the kit all over the room but will pack it up tomorrow when he gets back from school.

One of his front teeth is still longer than the other, guess who got the appointment wrong!  He will be having it done next week.  He came home today with a photo taken last week at school still a la braces (still speaking French here after my meeting with the French teacher tonight), it will be nice to see next year to compare the smile and the teeth looking perfect!

Off now.  Take care.

Terry

Nice weekend/Dentists

Matthew had his brace off on Friday!!!  After 3 years it is nice to see his teeth again.  A couple of years ago, he chipped his front tooth and the repair held until about a week or so, when it broke off.  The repair had to wait until the brace was off, so Paul took him to the dentist to get the repair done after the brace was off, first thing on Friday.  I was shocked to see that the repair has been done but the tooth looks shorter than his other tooth - can you believe it!  I went crazy.  I just can't believe the dentist could be so lazy.  Anyway, he is going back on Wednesday and he will have matching front teeth if it kills me!

Rosie is going to the hospital on Friday because she has a tooth growing at an angle through her bottom gum.  I hope they can do something for her without an op.  It is not causing her any probs at the moment.  I only found out about it when we took her about her brace for her twisted front tooth (which they refused her for under their new guidelines and which will cost us £1300 to have done).  Its ridiculous that she would have to walk around with this twisted tooth for the rest of her life due to their cut backs and new guidelines.  Apparently, they only see kids once a year now for dental check ups instead of every 6 months.

We have had a nice relaxing weekend.  Matthew went off to scouts yesterday and they had a day in London, visiting the London Dungeons and HM Belfast.  They camped out last night and we have to pick him up soon after the Remembrance service. 

Rosie and I met up with an old friend of mine, Laura and her son Brad, who is about the same age as Rosie.

I met Laura years ago in Greece down a long road in the middle of nowhere, looking for a hotel where we had our welcome meeting.  She was only young then, about 19 and was with her friend Jackie.  We were in our 30s.  Anyway, we got chatting and I remembered seeing her and her friend on the plane.  We arranged to meet up for an evening and it was the start of a long friendship with Laura.  She was telling us the first time we met her that she wasn't interested in a holiday romance but by the end of the holiday she had met a chap from oop North and could hardly bear it when he left a couple of days before her.  It was quite exciting and romantic.  He met her at Gatwick and off they went for more loving at a hotel near her home.  By the time the following week came she upped sticks and left to go back up North with him.  He was a bit older than her but really seemed a nice man.  Ahh, it would be lovely if they were still together wouldn't it but it all went wrong after about a year and he decided he didn't want to go on with it.  She came home broken hearted and then met Steve, who is great and has settled down with him and had Brad.  Shes a great girl, a great laugh and if you heard her laugh you'd be on the floor, its really infectious.

Anyway, we went off shopping to Welwyn, Laura drove, she is a better parker than I am in tight spaces!  I got Matthew a new scout shirt from John Lewis, poor Matthew is still wearing his old one from when he was 10 and it is getting very short on the arms now.  I now have to sew all the blimming badges on this new one from the old one - ooooh.  Rosie had a couple of pairs of earring studs from Argos because she is always losing them and because she got a fairly good report from her new school she had some money to spend.  She decided to buy the latest Jacqueline Wilson book.  She loves her books.  We saw Jacqueline Wilson at an evening at our local theatre.  She had so many big silver rings on all of her fingers and so many bracelets it was a wonder she could lift her arms up when she spoke.  A very eccentric looking lady.

So, we got home at about 5ish and settled down for a lovely evening in front of the telly.  Xfactor is our favourite but we have to fight Paul for control of the telly, so we can watch it.  We always hope he'll drop off to sleep and if he does then we creep across grab the tv plodder and make merry with it! 

We have all been lazy this morning.  I got up at about 7 and dropped off again on the sofa, bliss!  We have all just had our toastie things, me and Rosie had spag hoops with toast and Paul was a more sedate cheese on toast.  I love Sundays!!!  Better get dressed now though and get on with getting things ready for the week.

Catch you later.

Terry x

Part 9 - Mummy's Memoirs

Part 9 - two chapters today!  Hope you enjoy.  Mother wrote the little titles ...

 

One day I went out into the yard, it was a beautiful day.

I looked across the yard and saw the woman who lived in the house opposite putting big plates of pies on the window. They were open pies with lovely purple coloured berries in them. I went over and asked her what they were. Through the open window she told me they were mulberries. I rushed back home. Mother had to make a mulberry pie. They looked and smelled wonderful. Mother would not make mulberry pies, she did not believe in it. In Poland no-one ever ate mulberries, terrible idea.

So I went back to the open window with the pies cooling on the ledge. I got talking to the lady. Told her how lovely they looked. What a wonderful cook she was. My mother was too ill to make any I told her. If I had a pie like that I would lick the plate so clean it would not even need washing.

So she gave me a small one on a saucer. I thought she was rather mean, she had so many big ones on dinner plates.

But something was better than nothing.

The first taste tasted a little sour with a bitter taste to it. That was because I was not used to it. It would soon taste as good as it looked. But it didn’t! It tasted worse. But I could not let the lady down. I told her I’d never tasted anything so good.

After eating half of it I thought I’d be sick. When she turned her back, I put the saucer with the half eaten pie back on the window and ran.

I avoided her like the plague after that. I thought she’d do something dreadful to me for not eating it and she had to was the plate after all!

The Great Seduction

One day Mother sent me to that house to tell a woman upstairs she wanted to see her about something.

The woman said would I stay with her little boy who was about 4 years old while she went across. I readily agreed. The boy had lots of toys all over the floor and I was eager to play with them.

S soon as the woman was out of the house, the boy said we must play mothers and fathers. I said ok, he’d be father and I’d be mother. H e said we must undress like mothers and fathers do and get into bed naked. I had on a maroon coloured woollen dress. It pricked me all over. I would have gladly taken it off but I was scared. I remembered the other boy and I could not bear it. He started to take off his clothes. I went to the door but it would not open! We had been locked in!

I tried to stop him taking off his clothes - I didn’t want to play mothers and fathers. But he took no notice of me. He took off every stitch.

I covered my face with my hands not to see him.

I took a look and he was showing me his horrible thing. Then the door opened and his mother came in! She took one look - and went mad - he said I had asked him to take off his clothes. I ran out.

I went for a long walk trying to forget the horror of it all.

When I came back home, Mother pounced! What had I been up to? Hold could I? I cried and cried and for once she somehow believed me. It took a long time for me to get over it and I would not go to that side of the block for anything.

Have a nice Saturday.

Terry x