Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether summer clothe the general earth
With greeness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.



Monday, October 29, 2007

A Backward Glance in Black and White



A week or two ago my cousin Sheila and her husband came up from Norfolk to see us and brought along their wedding photographs which I had never seen. They left some for us to make copies of and this has resulted in my DH spending the last week scanning every photo he can find of both our families so that the family history entries on the computer have photos with them wherever possible. I don't think I've posted any old photos of myself before so I decided to indulge myself by putting up some that go from babyhood to my early 20s. In the one at the top I'm around 6 months old.


Aged 2 and having fun at the seaside.


With my mum aged 6


Looking rather coy and again aged 5 or 6. My mum made the dress I'm wearing, it was white with tiny pale green spots all over it and laced with pale green ribbon - it was always one of my favourites. My mum made me some lovely clothes when I was small, she could do smocking so I had several dresses with smocked bodices.


My school photo when I was 10 - looking rather serious about life here.


On a school exchange visit to France aged 14 - dancing the Twist with Arlette's mum and aunt in their kitchen and looking a whole lot more cheerful:)


A rather soulful looking 18 year old.......


....And the photo that started it all - bridesmaid to my cousin Sheila when I was 23.

21 comments:

PAT said...

Rowan, seeing you through the years has been fun! I knew you were dancing the twist as soon as I saw that photo!

Pat

Tea said...

Loved seeing your old pictures Rowan. My favorite is the one in the bridesmaid dress. A beauty!

tea
xo

Strawberry Lane said...

What wonderful photos filled with many memories. Enjoyed each one.

Janet said...

I love seeing these photos of you. The one where you're doing the twist is so cute....you have a great smile.

rel said...

Rowan,
Oolala, now that was a pleasnt visit through time! You've been attractive from day one.
rel

Mary said...

Love these photos of you Rowan - my Mum made all my pretty dresses when I was a child too!

Yes, I'm back after a great visit to Devon with a side trip to Dorset (Lyme Regis). The weather was kind and the scenery spectacular as always along the Channel coast.

Catching up slowly and will be posting pics - took over 600!!!

Loved yours of the Nubble Pt., the Breakers etc., and LL. Bean "boot" shot is great - all places I'm familiar with having lived in New England 12 yrs.

Marilyn in NM said...

What beautiful pictures. I've always been attached to old black & white photos. They seem to tell a story that color photos give away. I like the mystery behind the colorless...

Linda G. said...

Great post, Rowan! Was the dress with the little green dots out of the material called dotted swiss? That was a favorite in those days. I still have a little dress my Grandmother made for my daughter out of red dotted swiss..
You were a darling child and lovely young woman:)

Sheila said...

What a lovely baby you were, and I can see that it's you even now.
It was fun to see you 'grow up' Rowan, what fun photos..!
xx

Ragged Roses said...

A life in pictures, such great memories. I love the sound of your mum's dresses, especially the one with pale green spots. France looked like fun!
Kim x

Anonymous said...

It's such a good idea to catalogue all of these things for future generations, my grandmother who was the keeper of most of the old photos could remember the names and faces, but she didn't document it and when she died it all went with her. We're still trying to piece the information together.

I loved all of the photos, especially the ones of Little You, with the coy smile! Thanks for sharing a snippet of the past with us :)

kate said...

Your mum's love shines through in those adorable dresses. I imagine the smocked frocks were beautiful too.

It was great to see the changes from baby to adulthood. I loved the picture of you doing the twist. There's a lot of joy in that picture!

Anonymous said...

That is so much fun, such lovely pictures !!!
It's so nice to see someone change from baby into a grown woman. I love old pictures !!! I haven't got many myself, there all at my parents. They have old picture books of me.
Have a great day !!

Rosemary UK said...

The bridesmaid picture is a proof with the photographer's name on the corner.Dick Frosdick took my wedding photos in 1968 and I still have the original box of proofs,over 100 that he took,wonderful pictures they are too,he had a great talent !! Sadly he is dead now,but I remember him working at the Norwich Union offices in Norwich when I also worked there and he was only taking photos in his spare time.

Rosie said...

Lovely photos, I have a similar one of myself when I was bridesmaid to my sister - my dress was turquoise blue and I had my hair up with white daisies in it :)

I think black and white photos are wonderful to look at. I have a huge box full of really old ones c. 1890s-1940s and I often open it up and look at my ancestors and their friends and neighbours and wonder how different their lives were to mine.

Julie said...

Dear Rowan,

I forgot to comment on this post. I love these photos. I can see the "you" that you are now right from the beginning with the baby picture, and all the way through the photos of you as a lovely young woman. Fun!

Julie

meggie said...

Loved seeing all these photos. What a pretty girl, & lovely to have the recorded beauty!

Miss Robyn said...

wonderful photos.. you remind me of my friend Marion..

oh & you will never believe this: a third cousin who lives in Uk has contacted me .. she is related through my great grandma, Laura... well, she has a photo of my great-great grandparents and has sent me copy!

Anonymous said...

I loved seeing the photos of you growing up, Rowan! My mom used to make my dresses too ~ there were a few smocked ones as well!

Thank you so much for your comments and good wishes.

~ hugs, Lynda ♥

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

What a lovely project, scanning all the photos. I need to finish that same project - it is sometimes overwhelming.

I really enjoyed the trip through your childhood in the photos - charming, every one of them.

Unknown said...

Hi Rowan,

I clicked through to this one from today's post and what a story these also tell! Amazing that you posted these over two year's ago!