In his introduction of Sepia Saturday 824, the host Alan Burnett writes:
"If you are wanting a theme you can have celebrations or cakes or two splendid ladies - the choice, as always, is yours."
What came to mind for me this week was my own mother (who liked to bake cakes), and her sister, who celebrated her 90th birthday this week.
Below is a photo of the two of them together, from 1966 - i.e. 60 years ago.
Mum (36) to the left, and my aunt (30) to the right, sitting on the lawn outside the house where we had been living for about one year then. My aunt and uncle lived in the nearby town back then, and my little brother and our oldest cousin (also a boy) were the same age. So the two families used to get together quite frequently.
Later on, my aunt and her family moved farther away, and family get-togethers got less frequent. However, when my dad retired (at age 60), my parents moved back to their home town/area, which was by then also where I lived (and still live). And as my aunt and uncle also had both family and old friends here, we all saw each other a bit more often again. After my parents died (2009/11), my aunt and uncle also still visited me when they were in this area. Since a few years, they no longer drive this far from home, though. But my brother and I last met up with them last summer in Linköping, where they live.
My mum died in 2009, a few months after turning 79; and my dad did not live to celebrate his 80th either. But (as already mentioned) my aunt turned 90 this week. I sent her a parcel, and also phoned her on the day. Her main celebration will be with her own sons and grandchildren this weekend - and it seems that at age 90, she finds that enough. I kind of assume that a birthday cake in some form will probably be part of the celebration, though. What that one might look like I don't know, but here is one that my mum baked for some other occasion in the past (probably Christmas, judging by the table cloth):
PS. My aunt used to read my blog sometimes, but I'm not sure if she still does. I think in the past I've just referred to her and her husband as my aunt and uncle, no names mentioned, so I decided to stick to that with this post as well.
I like your photos, I can definitely tell they are related. have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteAmy, I think in this photo they look "unusually" alike - I actually can't recall I ever used to think of them as resembling each other all that much!
DeleteVery lovely photos of sisters. My own grandmother lived to 96 and I hope to do the same or even longer.
ReplyDeleteRiver, my maternal grandmother died before 60, so both her daughters got a considerably longer life than she did. My mum died rather suddenly (at 79) and in retrospect I think she might have kind of preferred that to extended hospital procedures and relying on strangers for her care etc. It didn't give any time for goodbyes, though...
DeleteAh, now I've found your post. Somehow blogger isn't listing my favorite blogs on my right hand column today. I did enjoy seeing your mom and aunt's photo...and they wore similar glasses with "cats eye" frames...though otherwise don't have much similarity, in my opinion. Glad that you still continue your relationship with your aunt.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, in this photo I do see a likeness in their facial features which did not really strike me as obvious in the past - perhaps because I also saw them as a bit different in temperament (my mum more introverted than my aunt).
DeleteThere sure is a resemblance between your mum & her sister! Seen together there'd be no question about them belonging to each other. :)
ReplyDeleteGail, I was happy to find this photo recently when going through an envelope of old photos that for some reason never ended up in albums.
DeleteA wonderful picture of two sisters! My sister and I do not look much alike, and are of very different character, but those who know us well see some similarities.
ReplyDeleteMeike, when it comes to facial features, my brother and I both take after our dad's side of the family more than our mum's. Now that I'm getting older, it happens that I also occasionally "catch a glimpse of my mum in the mirror', though - even if a bit hard to define!
DeleteFamily is everything, it's recently blogged about taking out my parents with our grandson. Three generations (that span four) at one table.
ReplyDeleteCK, I have very little close family left, only my brother (who like me has no children) and my aunt. Only two cousins and I haven't seen either of them since the previous century. We all live rather far apart.
DeleteTwo very fitting photos for our theme. That cake looks tempting. I hope you aunt enjoys hers. This past week I learned that Ancestry,com has a A.I. feature that allows anyone to upload an old family photo and it will compare it to its huge data base of photos. Supposedly it can match an unknown face to another identified person. Though I'm sure it is fast, I don't think it is as good as the human eye at finding a family resemblance. I know I can pick out my parents or grandparents in group photos, even when they were young, just by recognizing their smile or the way they hold their head.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike. I have only used Ancestry for a very basic family tree and don't think I have any photos at all uploaded there. I have noted with other kinds of online image searches that AI doesn't always get it right. So I guess one has to apply the same scepticism when it comes to faces!
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