"Cheese!"


I have always liked this wartime village photograph.
It depicts Trelawnyd's Civil defence volunteers in the 1940s, and I find it amazing that at least one member is still alive and living in the village today in 2012
Pat over at http://weaverofgrass.blogspot.co.uk/ talked recently about the Jubilee celebrations in her village which included a photograph being taken of the entire village population.
and that initiative coupled with my interest in the above photo has sparked a bit of an idea in me .

Next Year, I would like to organise a village "Group" photo.
The how's and why's all need ironing out but as a social document I think that it would be lovely to record forever the young and the old of Trelawnyd.
Auntie Glad, the Friendship group members, The Church Congregation, The Flower Show, the farmers, the people from the new estate, The Pub regulars,The School kids,  the villager elders, Uncle Tom Cobley and all would be invited to attend and the event could be an opportunity to raise some money for Charity or a village based initiative especially if it was part of our Open day which will be running again next year.


After a chance discussion with Pippa who lives in the Rectory, I now have a potential venue for the Photograph if the weather is good. She suggested that the ideal situation for any photograph would be on the lawns in front of her house with the Village Church in the background.
The photo could be taken from the first floor window.

Documenting history of places like Trelawnyd is becoming a bit of a passion for me.
The Characters I have interviewed for http://trelawnydhistory.blogspot.co.uk/ will be gone very soon, as will the next generation of characters which is snapping at their heels so to speak.
Things need documenting,
They need to be remembered
And perhaps, and more importantly to me,
I have a need to do it.

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This morning , while I was picking the slugs out of the recycling bag ( don't ask) I heard a call from a neighbour singing out "Bunty's back!"
And there she was strutting around with the hens, helping herself to corn from the feeders, the phone has just gone from a woman in Holywell who has a small goat that needs re homing and I have a old dead hen to dispose of. The one that Leo and I worked so hard on when Chris' brother was visiting recently.
Lots to do.... and it looks,for a change, like it's going to be a nice day

Leo administering antibiotics 

22 comments:

  1. We had a census in France last year, and the girl who came round to each house in the village was supposed to take photographs of every resident, as she collected the forms. She didn't; too lazy. Pity.

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  2. John - I think the village photo idea is lovely. Recently, I was in the beautiful Derbyshire village of Winster and in the little market house museum I noticed a recent photograph of the entire community - young and old, babies and wheelchaired OAPs - all looking up at the camera lens. Clearly the picture had been taken from the market house's first floor window. And I thought to myself - now that IS a community!

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  3. Your week seems to have got off onto as positive a start as mine has, John. You have a great project to look forward to, and - coincidentally - so do I. Maybe the weather will get better too?!

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  4. Our eldest daughter was in Halifax, Nova Scotia this past weekend and visited Pier 21, where her dad landed in Canada in 1951 at the age of 3. She was able to photograph the ledger where his name was entered and look at pictures of the boat he sailed here from a post-war displaced persons camp in Austria on, the Anna Salen.
    She was so excited to have been able to do this.
    So yes, John, chronicle and photograph, generations to come will be thrilled to have this connection with their past.

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  5. What a brilliant idea...a village photo would be fantastic for everyone

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  6. Anonymous12:37 pm

    What a wonderful project. The village is lucky to have someone willing to organize it.

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  7. A great idea and I was going to suggest taking the photo from above. You're going to need someone to marshal the troops, plus a wide-angle lens!

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  8. That makes me wish I had a village.

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  9. Terrific idea John! And this will be appreciated well into the future.

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  10. It would seem that the older we get, the more we want to preserve our memories. I love your idea!

    A goat? Did I read that right?

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  11. How cool is that? I love that there is such a sense of history over there. It's not really like that here in the states. Like someone else said, makes me wish we have a village!!!

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  12. sounds like a great little project and I wish you lots of luck in getting everyone together..... very worthwhile and rewarding..... osrt of thing that hopefully inspires others to do the same in years to come... bravo!

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  13. I love this idea of a village photo to be kept alive for years to come.
    Leo is so cute, and also serious, in his role a vacinnator.

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  14. So glad about the photos John - I think you are just the man to do it - you seem to have the knack of getting everybody to do your bidding.
    Disposing of dead hens is always hard - the farmer favours burial whereas I like to put them out for the fox to take for her cubs.
    Don't be too long taking those photos - some of your village residents sound to be knocking on a bit and you do want those old characters in the records.

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  15. Shooting Parrots said " You're going to need someone to marshal the troops, plus a wide-angle lens!" Regarding point(a) surely Boris the turkey can sort that out and re point (b) the insinuation that Trelawnyd is an obese community is surely damned offensive.

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  16. What a great idea. The devil will be in the details, but you can handle him.

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  17. Leo looks quite the young gentleman with his hat on.

    I think documenting your history with a village picture is a wonderful idea, John.

    Have a wonderful evening!

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  18. What a great idea!

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  19. A village photo? Fabulous idea but I imagine it'll be quite a headache to organise - getting everybody in the same place at the same time and making sure they don't go down with the lurgey on the crucial day.

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  20. This is a wonderful idea John & I'm sure with a little help like the lady offering the venue you can do it.
    I recently attended a superb talk by a young artist discussing her piece of work based on the first world war. She made a very poignent point about when living history turns into just history - no one of that time still living to tell the stories.

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  21. I love the idea of a village photo.

    A goat? didn't you try this once before and found he climbed too much for what you had?

    Was the hen one of the crackhouse whores?


    As for picking slugs out of the recycling bag, i'm guessing they'd be wonderful titbits for the hens. Wish i had some biddies near me to nosh on the slugs.

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  22. Forgot to add what i was going to say about Bunty. I'm guessing she likes the idea of a nice retirement home, and now that she's found one, she's staying!

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