Yesterday was my mother’s 80th birthday and since we have family all over the world, and many family in the UK were also unable to travel very far, she was happy to have a quiet celebration at our house. We were wondering how to make a gathering of the select few of six of us extra special when my niece came up with a grand idea.
With only a week to go we emailed family from France, Australia and the UK to ask if they were able to make a quick video for mum. My niece collected them in a folder, amongst photos which were sent and then my mum’s brother and wife, who had only just returned from holiday suggested talking on Skype instead.
Mum had never used Skype before and I had never connected with my aunt and uncle in Sydney on Skype, and so it was a bit nail biting, but at 8pm technology did not let us down and there they were.
Now, mum had not seen her brother for over 14 years and so, as you can imagine, she was quite emotional about it all. They had set the alarm for 5am their time, and so it was wonderful the way it all came together.
After champagne and cake my niece showed all the video clips from France, Australia and the UK: daughter, son-in-law, grandson, nephews, cousins and friends. Mum even tried to speak to them as she did with her brother.
Suddenly our home was full of love for someone very precious to us all!!!!
Category Archives: Family History
A Terrific Time with Technology
Filed under Family History
Trains and Boats and Flights! A Day to Remember
We often spent a week in the summer holidays with out grandma in Woolston and I must have been about eight years old when she took my sister and I on a little adventure. We waited excitedly for the bus at the end of Newtown Road, Woolston and climbed to the top deck for the first leg of our journey to the Floating Bridge, which then took us over the River Itchen next to where the Hoverport was situated, just opposite the site of the Supermarine Works. (long gone by that time)
It was our first ride on a hovercraft and I remember the noise and anticipation as the craft lifted up on its skirts and glided down the slipway and on to the river. It was quite a different feeling many years later on a cross channel ‘flight’ when I likened the experience more to going up and down in a lift as we traversed the waves in the Channel from Ramsgate. This time though, as we sped along Southampton Water, we watched the familiar sights of Weston Shore and Calshot Spit pass us by and soon The Isle of Wight was in front of us, filling our horizon.
At Cowes we walked a while to find a quieter spot to have a picnic before making our way to catch a bus to Ryde where, never being people to shirk exercise, we walked alongside the train to the end of Ryde Pier where we caught the ferry, this time back to Portsmouth. Although it was nothing like the speed of the catamarans today, we were soon on the mainland once more and heading for the railway station. The ride back to Woolston took us behind Newtown Road and I can only just remember sitting with my Grandad on a style to watch the steam trains go by maybe four years earlier before he popped into the The Gardeners Arms where he played dominoes each day with his friends.
Happy memories eh? It was lovely that my last post stirred several memories for readers too. It would be lovely to hear from you if you have other stories to tell; either post a comment here, send me a tweet, say hello on Facebook or send me an email
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Filed under Family History, Southampton, Supermarine, Woolston
Diana Jackson 