No publicity!!!

My Family and Other animals ( Postscript)

Janet and I had a debate the other day about privacy and blogging. She hated the thought of the general public "knowing" all about you, and was clear she didn't want to be exposed on my blog! in any shape or form. Well I have been a bit naughty and put her and my other siblings on here but craftily displayed them in disguise!!!!...

Ann

My elder sister (above) took over as family matriarch when Gran died, and as hostess, family glue, and supporter she has allways done a good job of it!
(see previous blog entries)


Janet and Ned

My twin sister Janet has the same taste in antiques and style as I , which often means we compete and complement each other for house style!. She is a keen gardener.

Ned is a pragmatic Welsh/Scott, who always comes to our aid when DIY things need to be done





Jayne & Andrew

My Brother and his wife live about fifteen miles away in a Welsh Farmhouse near Henllan.
Andrew is a talented storyteller when the mood takes him

Staying at theur house one weekend gave us the idea of actually movin back to Wales from Sheffield.

They have a strapping son called Jon who is 18

Tim

Ann's Husband Tim (centre), never changes, always youngat heart, he cultivates a trendy Mick Jagger image around Prestatyn. and had done a great deal to develop the town and community.

check out his classic car web site

http://www.prestatyn.org.uk/classic.car

Gran & Dame May Whitty.

The Dame

I said in my blog "My Family and other Animals (3)" that the Actress Dame May Whitty reminds me of my gran.

After reading about her, I found out that Whitty was born in Liverpool ( where Gran was born) only a few years before!
One of my favourite most moving movie scenes centres around Whitty when she plays the crabby Lady Beldon in Mrs Miniver. Lady Beldon always wins the village flower show with the "Beldon Rose", a fact she is always proud of, even though she is one of the Judges!!! The gracefull Mrs Miniver (Greer Garson) makes Whitty face the fact that the rose of the Station master, shy Mr Ballard , is a better one than hers, and in front of all the local villagers, Lady Beldon states that the winner of the Beldon Rose is indeed the station master Mr Ballard. She then somewhat reluctantly states that second prize goes to her! The crowd cheer for the popular Mr Ballard, then stand to cheer Lady Beldon for making the decision, and the scene where we see her in tears at their support is wonderfully moving!!

Mrs Miniver is also one of Chris's fav films

MY FAMILY & OTHER ANIMALS part 3

My mother Joan Mary Gray (nee Fry)

A rarity indeed, a photograph of my mother smiling, albeit rather shyly. This photograph must have been taken shortly after the family moved to wales, and is one of my favoutites, as she looks happy in what I always termed her "Ava Gardener" phase.

She was a complicated remote woman, who never really dealt with a lack of confidence to deal with life's stresses. I also think that she suffered from a post natal illness after My Brother Andrew's birth as well as the birth of my twin sister and myself, and this was never truely resolved until her death.

Bitter at times, angry certainly, later on in life she used alcohol I am sure to self medicate unresolved demons, but could be a talented and waspish storyteller when the mood took her.

She died in 2002




My father "Ron Gray" cut a rather dashing RAF navigator in the 1940's And this picture I feel summed up his sociable personality.

The eldest of three brothers , he became a popular local buisnessman and leading council figure around Prestatyn.
As a second generation child, I always felt rather removed from him, but was lucky enough to understand him a little better before his untimely death in 1990.




He looks very much like my Sister's eldest son Peter








Miss Marple or what?

My Grandparents photographed at Prestatyn's Parish Church with My Mother (Centre), my sister Ann and Uncle Jim with his wife Irene.

My mother as you can see hated her photograph taken, I wonder if she was pregnant with Andrew?

Gran looks like Dame May Whitty in Mrs Miniver

MY FAMILY & OTHER ANIMALS PART 2

My grandparents James and Mary Fry (Prictured here at their 50th Wedding Anniversary), were a massive force for good in our (me and my siblings) upbringing.

My Grandfather a Liverpudlian of welsh/Bristol ancestry, and Gran (of Irish/ Lancastrian roots) came to Prestatyn in 1941 after heavy bombing of the docks and Everton.

To her grandchildren she was a matriarchial glue that kept the family together, affable,big hearted,strong, slightly neurotic and a natural storyteller, she filled our childhoods with laughter and security.

Grandad, a quieter force, remained firmly and happily in her shadow.

They died in the early 1980s and are buried at Coed Bell Cemetry which overlooks the Wirral and Liverpool beyond.

Meg's bald

Before.....................and after..........

nuff said

Pottering

I have always pottered, and my definition of pottering is to :- flit from one job around the house and garden to another, until all is completed.

Living in Wales has certainly homed my pottering skills, for example I am on night shift tonight and since waking at 8.20 I have, cleaned and tidied the house,cleaned the chicken coop out , moved it and cleaned the grass, weeded the garden, made two cakes as practice for the Prestatyn flower show (the chocolate cake is a pure winner), walked the dogs, cleaned the patio and watered all the plants, had a small sleep,made 16 cups of tea for the workmen,chatted with Mandy the neighbour and took her granddaughter to feed Robina and Sarah, replied to two letters,had a bath,watered the lawn, made lunch, and wrote this blog.

I actually begrudge work in the hospital! as all all my days off are like this.
and you know what? Pottering is lovely!!!

by the way Prestatyn Flowershow is run by my sister and the link is

http://www.prestatynflowershow.co.uk/frames.htm

http://www.prestatyn.org.uk/flower.show/

Trelawnyd....best kept village

Just saw on the village notice board, That Trelawnyd has won the best kept village in Flintshire..........

nice..................

The lady with the staring eyes!!!!

This blog entry is typical of life in a little village. A while ago I was walking the dogs on a grassed area in front of a set of bungalows. I was actually trying to get Meg house trained, so the toileting was four hourly!. A woman drives past in a red micra. Middle- aged and ordinary she gave me and the dogs such an evil stare, it was quite disconcerting.

I knew what she was thinking "Look at that guy letting his dogs foul on the land in front of our houses". I thought it was a little unfair as I am fastidious at picking up after them, but thats the one sidedness of folk. Anyhow one evening around ten I was on the verge again, as Miss Stary eyes drove past. This time the stare lasted from the T junction all the way to her house a hundred yards away!! It was the olympic games of stares!!
I wasn't having it, dragging the dogs behind me like three embarrassed toddlers, I marched towards her yelling "Whats your problem!!!!?"....I must admit it was all a bit common.
Stary eyes made a bolt for her door then reappeared pushing her husband before her somewhat reluctantly. I yelled again "whats your problem?" and bless him, he turned and tottered back into the bungalow!. She stood her ground and rather more quietly called out "There's alot of dog mess on that land!"

I turned into something off Jeremy Kyle, triumphantly waving a plastic bag full of dog poo I yelled "well get your facts right before you abuse someone by staring at them like a mad woman...I pick up after my pets!". The dogs looked at me with a mixture of shock and shame I was sure, but I was angry.....and suitably chastised, the woman and her staring eyes stormed off.