Recording family treasures

[Top-of-the-hill]

  My son has persuaded me, now that I have a modern phone, to video the things in my house which are of family interest and to make a short recording at the same time. I was a bit doubtful, but decided to give it a try, and am reasonably happy with the results. I have written it all down in the past, but I can see that this is a bit more interesting.

[Stanwix England]

That sounds lovely.

If you can, it would be great in my opinion to put yourself in the video. People of future generations would love to see that.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  A step too far - it is bad enough hearing my voice!

[Viktoria]

I have packed stuff away but have given a short history of each item.
ie, “ theses Cristal candlesticks were a wedding present to my mother and father in April 1933.
It was The Great Depression and many out of work, Dad had been very ill after WW1,he was a POW.
Mum had a good job but having waited so long (they were in their late
thirties ) a small business opportunity came along and so they used all Mum’s small savings and rented a shop ,greengrocers ,.

Dad had a great interest in things and during the inter war years when he had no work he frequented libraries and was well read but in addition he read books about engineering and so when staff were needed in the armament factories for WW2; he worked on the assembly line for the Merlin Engines for Lancaster bombers.
Not a fully qualified engineer ,but with some knowledge.

A few facts and  there  will be some interest in keeping things .
Viktoria.

[coombs]

I am not sure I would agree to such a thing if asked, and asked to narrate it as well as I hate recordings of my voice and hearing the recording.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I felt a bit like that, but I reasoned that it is only me who finds it strange. To everyone else it is just what I sound like! Very much like my mother, as it turns out.

[Stanwix England]

I do understand that it can be strange and uncomfortable to see and hear yourself.

I always remember though, when I was a new mum, reading an account of a mother who was looking back at her life with her children one day. They were looking through photographs together. The children were upset because their Mum was barely in any of the photographs. She'd always avoided it because she hated the way she looked. She said she regretted it, and from that point onwards she made the effort to be in the photographs.

I've done the same, even though I hate seeing myself. Because I know I'd love more photographs of my grandparents and great grand parents.

[Viktoria]

On an old reel to reel tape recorder we have lots of voices from the past.
My little boys,then our daughter actually saying “ agoo”.
Grandma’s Boxing  Day parties at M in Law’s when nine grandchildren would recite ,sing etc and in the background lovely  Grandad adding comments .
Me getting top C when practising for the OXFAM concerts we did with friends at Christmas to raise funds .
I can’t get very high at all now.
Me talking to our boys ,my accent very strong ,h sounded and crisp word endings but deep u and flat a !

Our boys reading their Flemish set homework passages.
They were seven and a half and five and a half.

My daughter who at one year old loved the record “ Camp” l which sounds as if it is played combs covered with paper,she came in on the “ da da daaah “ .

My Dad but sadly not Mum ,people in Shropshire from my childhood there and whose lovely soft accent and dialect has all but gone .

I am not sure in what condition the tapes are now after sixty plus years.

Viktoria.

[Top-of-the-hill]

  Stanwix - I came to the same conclusion, realising that I was avoiding being photographed. I try not to avoid it now, but so many snapshots are pretty awful, especially if I try to smile! Bring back those Edwardian studio portraits, where no-one tried to put on a false smile, and the quality was so good.