DISTANT VISION

DAY 5
Looking back.
Vision from the past.
The mists of time have parted revealing long lost pictures of long gone loved ones.
Good job I had some new Spectacles to help me see clearly all the way back to July 1963.



A summer holiday staying with number one Son and Daughter in Law at Lake on the Isle of Wight.
My Grandparents Mary and Ted aged not much older than I am now relaxing in the sun at a time when my parents had not met, had not even left their teens.
I have found my self so drawn to this picture.



I was very close to Grandma, but Granddad died suddenly when I was 18 months old.
I have no memory of him.
My own Dad had a troubled relationship with his father, he was young and rebellious, Ted was old, battling demons and childhood traumas.
We had no pictures of him.



Mary by the time I was old enough to form memories of her was ravaged by arthritis and in constant pain.



Oh how much fun she was, how sharp, the master of a back handed compliment, lover of the limelight and spinner of yarns, she loved us all fiercely and unconditionally, apart from her daughters and sons in laws those she liked to hold a healthy level of disdain for.
My Mother claims she was never truly accepted until after my parents split up and Grandma realised she was never going to stand between a Grandma and her Grandchildren.
A complex woman with many conflicting sides.
There can be no greater compliment to a persons legacy than that all 11 grandchildren still constantly reference her, think of and are influenced by her 17 years after she died.
Without her would most of her Granddaughters sit of an evening with a ball of yarn in their laps and hook or needles in their hands?
Would every one of us know how to perfectly iron a shirt?
Or the differences between ironing a shirt for a man and a blouse for a woman?
Oh yes trust me there is a difference.
So my eyes are drawn back again and again to these happy carefree faces, the picture has been studied endlessly. Mary has always been more that 1/4 of me,apparently there are a lot of similarities, but Ted? I didn't know him, how could he have influenced me?
And yet I see Ed, the cousin closest to my heart and his brother staring back at me from this picture. His face, his hands, I see my brother's posture and way too many people's smile. I've always wondered about this man who is part of who I am and what kind of relationship we would have had if he had lived longer. 
I would also like to mention that this work was directly influenced by the work of Sam Kennedy one of the Fine Art students at Northbrook College where I work. She has been experimenting with sunglasses in her work, it spoke to me quite loudly as I was mulling over this  long lost picture.
We none of us ever have truly original ideas, we are always influenced by someone else's work. I just think its important to recognise this.
Love Nora xxxx

Comments

  1. What a sweet remembrance. I can picture those specs sitting on a stack of books on a shelf somewhere, like someone had just set them down for a moment

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    Replies
    1. So true Patty, nice Vision. (just to labour the pun even further!) xx

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  2. Lovely post and photograph. My domestic education is obviously somewhat lacking - what's the difference between the way you iron a shirt and blouse? Have a good weekend. x

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  3. For me, it is interesting that a true original idea doesn't exist - it makes one look closer at a work, trying to identify where possible influences came from, and thus, understanding a bit more about the artist.
    So far for the "smart part" of my comment ;-)
    I foresee a massive amount of reactions about the difference in ironing.
    You'll know what to write about in your next post ;-)

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  4. Lovely idea,, they are fun.
    Oh boy do I know there is a difference between ironing a man's shirt and a lady's blouse something my mother instilled in me!
    Julie xxxxxxx

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  5. What a lovely piece of work. Errrrr, can I second the request for the answer as to the different methods for ironing a shirt and a blouse? Despite 5 years of "domestic science" lessons from two indomitable women ( who in retrospect , my sister and I now realise were a closeted lesbian couple ) this must have passed me by.

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  6. I so get this challenge, is it helping you to be organised? I find the same thing the messier the house gets the more disorganised i am running out of time etc, my excuse is that is is a very busy time of year at work and i bring work home too it doesnt help that i keep starting new crochet projects either!
    loving day 5's post too.....
    best d xxxxx

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  7. A lovely piece of work and a lovely memory
    Twiggy

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  8. How beautiful and poignant.
    And thank you so much for the many miles you have travelled, it was amazing to meet you.
    And Christmas parcel tape......I can't got there just yet, I'm still cracking up!!!, x

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