As children we don't always think about our parents as real people -
they provide & protect, comfort & cajole. Their lives surely
revolve around us: we are the centre of their world :o)
Eventually as we get older, realisation dawns that our parents were alive.
Just like us, they studied, travelled and partied; they were not
always so staid, so stay-at-home; they might even have a tale or two to
tell.
Those two paragraphs are written on one side of a tag on this page in my Book Of Me - an 11.5"x8" album that contains pages about me and my past. On the other side of the tag is one such tale, about my fancy dress exploits in Sweden, prompted by the photos which recently surfaced on Facebook!
Drinking in Swedish pubs was shockingly expensive so it was perfectly
normal to have a few liquor-store-bought drinks at home with friends
before hitting the town. The prices encouraged us to host and attend
parties most weekends and these were often themed to spice them up.
Here we are, a mix of Brits and Swedes in the lads' house in Bjurhovda
in 1982. I can remember thinking that Karin's carrot outfit (an orange
sheet and a plastic fern) was simply inspired, whereas my bandages kept
slipping and gradually revealed more and more as the night progressed!
Fun times :o)
The photos and story were committed to paper (made with the remains of my October Counterfeit Kit) thanks to inspiration from the UKScrappers Cybercrop - just about finished now - though there are some "use your left-overs" classes to come today. And this post is part of Siân's Storytelling Sundays - there will be lots more Sunday stories here (all comers welcome)!
I don't think it is until we have our own children that we truly realise that our parents are people and not just there to make our lives good or meet our needs.
ReplyDeleteLove your layout!
Great title to go with these photos
ReplyDeleteit is a super LO and a lovely story your costume is a hoot or should that be a wail
ReplyDeleteLove the bright colours and pennant here. Groaned at the title tho' :lol: Isn't amazing when we first realize that all these grown ups have their own lives?
ReplyDeleteGreat photos....and so true about parents.
ReplyDeleteCool photos and, as you say, an interesting realisation about our parents. Great story!
ReplyDeleteYou were a great 'mummy' and I love the clean double pages you have done to show off the photographs.
ReplyDeleteYour journalling sums up so well what we sometimes forget: there was life before 'me'.
love the title
ReplyDeletelove the LO
love the story
yep I am still in awe of your fabbiness! Thanks for all your work at the CyberCrop it is the first one I have joined in and it has been great I will really miss it next week!!!
The title definitely pulled me in - I couldn't wait to read more! When we were in Sweden in the summer the tour guide taught us a Swedish drinking song, so I'm getting a picture of some raucous fancy dress singing now..
ReplyDeleteThanks for this one Jemma
Great layout and yes, it is interesting to see children's responses to your pre-parent life as well. From genuine interest to genuine disbelief :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story and a fabulous LO. I love the picture of the mummy hanging on to a can of beer!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great LO. The story behind it reminds me of the time we did this with Imogen at Butlins although when her bandages fell, she didn't have as much to reveal - she was only 4 or 5 at the time!!!
ReplyDeleteOh this made me smile. It is a great story to get down in a layout - an eyecatching, clever layout at that!
ReplyDeleteSuper post - from a thought-provoking start to a wonderful layout via a fun story :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely double page
ReplyDeleteGreat post and layout Jemma!
ReplyDeleteAlison xx
What a great layout & story!
ReplyDeleteLove the way you used up your leftovers on this layout! Great story - hope you didn't lose too many bandages before the night was over!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like quite a stuffy outfit - best for winter I guess. Costumes are often fun but can get irritating as the night wears on!
ReplyDeleteWonderful layout and I love that border punch. I wonder when my children will realise I was alive before they were!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great title - captures so much! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRinda
Lol at title, very funny.
ReplyDeleteI love the title. It is very funny :D
ReplyDeleteMy mom very rarely talks about life before me, it is only now that I am managing to get a few childhood stories from her!
This is fantastic-colorful and fun!
ReplyDeleteLove the colours, this layout is so fun!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great mummy costume!!
ReplyDeleteReally stunning pages...found you on the blog hop. LOL and I really don't know what I am doing! Can you write on any post on a blog hop? x
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I missed this post but I love this layout - and the story behind it!
ReplyDelete