As I mentioned earlier, my sister Ann popped round to Rancho Collapso last night and paid me a surprise visit, We had been chatting via email about various items she had found while packing her house contents up for a move and I had said I wanted them. There were a couple of old toys of mine and a number of documents and photos relating to our Mum and Dad. I wanted the photos and documents as Sarah never met my parents and it would be a way of her connecting to them.
First out of the bag was this-
I cannot tell you how big my grin was on seeing this again! It has a wingspan of over a foot, is made of tin and still makes a very satisfying "Rrrrrr" sound when you rev it up along the carpet and the propellers spin around just like they used to!
Next was an item from an even earlier Xmas,
Which makes very loud clanking noises and flashes then pops open and spins round on its base-
With flashing tv screens and whatnot. Great stuff.
Then we looked through the pictures - My Dad in the navy during the war. Not much war going on but they do appear to be sailing away from something which could be how they survived it all.
My mum and dad, the couple on the left...
This next one is from a party in the 50's My dad is the one in the white t-shirt with his arms folded and my mum is resting her head on his shoulder. I suspect a number of drinks had been consumed. Looks a bit like a blog meet...
The photo on the left below shows various shipmates and my dad somewhere in there, the photo on the right is my dad.
Now amongst other interesting documents from the time, like my dads gunnery drill test results and my mums school reports there was this, which I think is my favorite so far...
It is a Western Union Cablegram sent from New York by my dad, Telling my Mum when he would be home and the name of the ship he would be on. He ends with "Keep smiling, love Bill"
And then these, the cross on the left was the first item of jewelry my Dad got Mum when he joined the Navy, and the other is a brooch which is apparently made from the cockpit canopy perspex of a Spitfire and it has a little regimental crest set in it. It obviously is not my dads regiment as he was in the navy, I think he just got it for Mum as a memento.
There are a lot more documents and things to go through, and for some reason it makes me feel like my Mum and Dad are with me when I look at them.
