A New Little "Crooner"

In the spirit of if you can't beat them join them, I decided to subscribe to the thread started by (I think) Peopletwitcher. Thank you for sharing that.

Initially this idea kind of suited me as I needed a quick Instablip to avoid distraction and get some serious work done at the office today. I really couldn't entertain being distracted and wandering off somewhere again.

But where to quickly find an old photo - Any photo? I knew that ironically I had literally scores of old photos of my paternal grandfather Jim taken from WWI to the 30s; printed photos of the first 10-15 years of own daughter Jadine's life; and millions of digital snaps of 'Jay' and step-grandson Kai - but not much else (hopeless or what?). Anyway, a few years back my mum had given me a binbag full of old tin biscuit tins crammed full of photos, slides, birthday card and letters and the odd pocket watch and war medal. I quickly rooted this out again.

Occasionially I get this assortment out on rainy Sundays and the family sifts through it, but am never sure quite what to do with it all: Some of it should undoubtedly be in a museum (I recently donated my maternal grandfather's WWII flight logbook to the Imperial War Museum Archive in London and they greedily snapped that up); and some should be binned; but what about all the other 'stuff'?

Anyway, plans for a quick lazyman's blip (as ever) got waylaid as I inevitably got drawn again into this fascinating collection of ephemera. Only problem was that every tin and bag drew a blank with no shots of me at any age, let alone a baby - until finally, bingo! The very last bag slowly revealled this anotated posed shot of me age 3 months, taken around Christmas 1960, and posing like a girly in a dress with painted lips (thanks mum, and thanks portrait photographer John Kendeles) sitting with my older brother David (aged 21 months).

Just to verify that I do indeed exist, also with this photo were a selection of New Arrival and First Birthday cards. Proof, if proof were needed, one confirms that I was born at 9:35pm on 6th September weighing in at 5lb 15 Oz (I've caught bigger fish). One card from a long forgotten 'Coll, Irene and Jill' said:

A New Little "Crooner" 'pon my soul!
Now you'll really Rock 'N Roll

I know seeing this posed photo often made my mum a little sad, as unlike Giacomo with his moving story of brother Tommy, me and David have never been that close since - we sort of slowly drifted apart from about the time he was about 9 and I was 7. He was always just a bit of a loner.

David lives in London now, and whilst we have certainly never-ever fallen out, he still likes to keep himself and his life to himself. I last saw him at my Dad's funeral in November last year. He does see my mum occasionally and was over last weekend to take her to see Carousel at Leeds Grand.