Sentimental Sundays With An Anzac Day Twist

Last November when visiting my hubby's Aunty (one of my 'sisters') I was overwhelmed when she offered me this ring. It belonged to her mother, hubby's Nanna, who we both adored. That in itself left me speechless and almost in tears. Then she told me the story behind the ring.

Her father had bought the stone home from the Middle East during WWII (she thinks it was in a brooch) when he returned from his tour of duty before heading off to New Guinea. Later they had it made into a ring. I don't know what the stone is, possibly a topaz or citrine and one day I will have it assessed so that I know. But even if it is just glass, it still will always have a special place in my heart.

I never got to meet my hubby's grandfather. He committed suicide when J was nearly 9 and my hubby was 4. They were together when they found him in the back shed. A bond that no two children should have to share.

I asked my father-in-law who was 18 years older then J, and knew more about what had happened post-war, about his Dad when I found out about how he died when doing some family research. It seems he never got over the war and what he saw and possibly did. He was a hairdresser who enlisted to help his country. He served in the Middle East and New Guinea - I can't imagine the horrors he must have seen, which obviously stayed with him. I believe he loved his wife and 3 children very much, but one day it all became too much for him to bear and so he chose to leave.

My ex-father-in-law, was also a WWII veteran, and I remember being told how all those years later when I first met him, he was still occasionally having nightmares about it all.

I don't know if it is any easier for men and women who choose to serve in the armed forces and train to do so, but it certainly does not seem that it was easy for those that were either conscripted or volunteered to help their country.

So when I look and wear this beautiful ring, my heart will be touched by sadness and by love.

Ted, Beryl and baby Eddie (my f-i-l) in 1932

Sentimental Sundays - Our Sign

My f-i-l was know as Grumpy to all his grandchildren, my hubby is known as Grumpy to his as well. Many years ago my f-i-l bought a sign at a garage sale that he proudly hung by his front door. Even after he died my m-i-l left it there. When she moved into the nursing home it disappeared and thought it was gone. So imagine my surprise when it was among the thing she had kept and it was given to us.




Unfortunately I am not prepared to hang it by the front door, they lived in the country and there it was safe, we live in the city and I am not so sure that someone would not help themselves to the sign if they liked it.

I am hoping to get my hubby to put it up in our backyard as it will be safer there. It is a strange little heirloom, but it reminds my so much of my f-i-l's wit, and when I read it I can't help but remember his sparkling blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines. Miss you Eddie.

Sentimental Sundays - Remembering

Is there something special that you remember from childhood visits to your grandparents home? Was there something they owned that you loved - maybe even coveted?

My Grandma Win had a beautiful vase, well to me anyway. It always looked like it belonged in a fancy house - well in the imagination of this child it did.

I can always remember Grandma having it on show and I loved it from when I was very little right through my teens and into adulthood.

When my Grandma died, my Mum inherited the vase and it sat on her bookcase for a number of years. Mum knew that I had always loved this vase and so one day she offered it to me.

All these years later, I still adore the vase and it has pride of place in my house. It is probably not worth much in a monetary sense, but it is priceless to me, something that takes my back to my childhood and my love for my Grandma Win.

So here are some photos, I hope you love it as much as me. (photos start with the face that I love best and then work around the vase)

Sentimental Sundays - Happy Birthday

On this day, 37 years ago, I gave birth to my first child.
Happy Birthday Christie, you have been a blessing from the moment you were born.

Moments in Time - My First Born

an earlier post for those new to my blog.

Sentimental Sundays - A Grandfather Never Known

Aubrey John - 17.2.1896-17.11.1940

This is the only photo I have of my paternal Grandfather, taken with my aunt on his shoulders in about 1924-25.

My Grandma's second husband was my Grandpa and it was not until I was a teenager that I even knew that Grandfather Aubrey even existed.

So I know little about this Grandfather of mine. My Grandmother did not speak of him at all to me and I believe through bits and pieces that he did not treat her that well. My father was only 8 when he died and does not have a lot of memories of him either and so he is in a sense my Grandfather Never Known.

The bare facts I do know are that he was a champion amateur cyclist and a qualified electrician and he died of a melanoma that was on his back and not diagnosed until it was well and truly in his blood system.

When I started the genealogy journey through our families I visited our cemetery to find his grave in a state of disrepair with his name spelled incorrectly ... part of me feels I would love to know more about this man with the black hair and strong face, but there are some stories that are never told.

Sentimental Sundays - My First Love

There is nothing that matches your first love, the first time you feel the stirring of something unexpected and wonderful, the first time you tentatively kiss, the first time you fight and make-up, the tentative fumblings doing things you know your Mum would just die if she knew about, the first time you have a friendship ring, the first time you gossip with your girlfriends about him, the first date, meeting his parents, thinking that this is the love that will last forever.

My first love - lets call him N was 3 years older than me, I was 14 he was 17 and I thought he was the most gorgeous guy I had ever met. We were set up by a friend of my Mum's as N needed a date to take to his leaving formal at school. He went to an all boys school and was shy and didn't have a girl friend, I was all eager to move to the ranks of 'having a boyfriend' so off we went to his formal having only met once before. It was the most awkward night of my life, not knowing his friends and not really knowing him - but he was wonderful and attentive and made me feel like a princess.

Over the summer holidays we got to know each other better and spent wonderful hours driving around in his Dad's Monaro (rev head me just loved this bit), going to the drive in with my little brother as chaperon (LOL), going to the movies and beach, just hanging at his house with his friends. We dated all through 1970.




He was fun but he started to get very serious and talked about getting married - I was only turning 15 that year and wanted to run away with my girlfriend Anna and see Australia. He gave me a friendship ring for my 15th birthday and suddenly there was this commitment that I was not ready for, I was so young and so was he.

We continued to date into 1971 and I really did have very deep feelings for him but I wanted more than being married, I wanted to dance with the wind in my hair on the top of some remote mountain, I wanted to drive fast cars and become a hippy and sing and dance and be free but all he wanted was me.


He was my first love, but he got very possessive and wanted to know everything I did and everywhere I went. He wanted me to himself and tried to keep me from spending time with my friends. I started to feel smothered and overwhelmed that someone could love me this much. The more I tried to break free, the tighter he seemed to hold on - until one day it was all to much and I told him I couldn't go down this path. He was devastated, he stalked me for months, he rang me and wrote to me and followed me around even when I first started dating my first husband he would be there following us in his car.

This is one of the last photos taken of us together and when I look at it I can see the tension in my face and the intensity in his. Goodness we were so young.

I often wonder where he is and how he is doing, I know that I broke his heart and for that I am truly sorry. I hope he found another love and that he is as happy as I am. I don't think you every forget your first love.

Oh and somewhere in the hundreds of photos I have in boxes there is one of me dressed to go on our first date - when I find it I will scan and share.

I recently asked the question whether to have a Sentimental Sunday or a Memories on Monday series of posts where I scanned old photos/slides and wrote about them.

The vote was 50/50 and so I am having the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month as Sentimental Sundays and the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month as Memories on Monday. I aim to please.

I would love you to join in, if and when you feel like sharing some of your memories, I will post your link on my blog (with your permission of course) so that others may also read along.

So first cab of the rank this month will be Memories on Mondays on Monday 11th Jan. Hope to see you back here then.