Mum's story

[Bri w]

Been clearing through some boxes from mum's, and came across 4 exercise books with her life story. Wow! I've laughed and laughed till my sides hurt, and shed the odd tear.

Just a few brief snippets.

Born in 1932, to good Irish stock, in the poorest part of Middlesbrough (South Bank). The youngest of 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls. The early years saw very little work for her father, and at a time when benefits didn't exist. Between 1938 & 1940 all 3 boys died, 2 from TB and 1 from an accident at what became British Steel. 1938 also saw the death of the eldest sister, and a serious works accident involving her father, who succumbed to his injuries 2 years later. 5 deaths in just under 3 years... God, that must have been hell. And during that time the other 3 girls including mum got TB.

The funny stories... The killer chicken that lived in the backyard, the psychotic monkey uncle Joe brought back from Africa or the cat giving a blow job to a drunken neighbour. There's a host of others but the cat one wins.

Picture this, the man of the house, next door, waits up for his two sons to return from the pub. He falls asleep, and when they come in they decide to play a trick on him. They stick a chicken leg in the fly of his trousers, and go off to bed. The wife hears them coming up stairs, so goes down to drag pa back to bed. She opens the door to the lounge and sees the family cat on his lap licking what she thought was.... She faints, and breaks her arm when she hits the ground.

As a social history they're stunning but the humour in them, in what must have been harsh times, brings them to life.

I think the whole concept of finding someones written diary/ notes is brilliant. They're a special part of a families history. We all do the video/DVD bit nowadays with our family but it won't be half as personal as this journal.

I've kept a book on the little special moments I've had with my kids, and it's great to look back on things even now and it jogs the memory. You forget so much....especially with the amount of Stella I've drank.

Awesome Bri!

That`s a lovely story Bri.... I love hearing the life stories and memories of some of my older patients a couple of whom are 100 years + Some of those memories are as clear as if it were yesterday they were talking about, is very humbling.