A few of my Favourite Things

Bikes and Boats, oh and Popsie too!

Kissing Gate

When we go for a walk in the forest Popsie likes to play her games. Trying to force us to come up with some rude password to get through the kissing gate. This time it was just me and Lewis and she really was determined to get a reaction!

You'll notice the effervescent bows in her hair, they get bigger and more colourific by the week.

She has a big bandage on her leg at the moment due to a big bash on the leg which has given it a lovely bruise!

Holding back the Years

Photograph taken not so long after moving in as it has the organised look! Just look at the radiogram and the Robin Day settee. The Egg Chair by Arne Jakobsen will also date this, as my parents had to scrape to buy it, apparently it cost something like 500 quid back in the sixties! The curtains also absolutely classic too.

Greg's Linocuts

Greg brought his art folder home from school this week. We've been discussing various projects at home but not seen any of it til now. He's been using photography quite a bit, but as reference, but also as an subject, and naturally enough landscape photography is coming through. Here he's used landscape to inspire his lino cuts and they are lovely. He explained that the 'misregistered' colour was something he really liked, so he's made a feature of it now....

Arty Miranda

One of Miranda's art pieces from school which I rather like. Shows her split personality very well to me!

FB goes walkabout

Another Christian photograph of Father Brown, as he goes for a meander at Penyrallt. As I was to learn when I was visiting them recently there are many things to roam in search of. Chris was working in the garden, and I guess he needs checking up on from time to time!!

Silver Surfer

It's fair to say that Gran is almost taking a keen interest in computers. Cake however holds something closer to attraction for her...!

Digger

About 45 years separate these two photos.The younger Julian Brown was lovingly creating a rockery in the garden at Penyrall. I can recall those days well, which is funny as I can't remember much about last week. We had the Mini I think then, which was a D registration car. Large rocks would be dragged up the beach and manhandled into the tiny boot of the car.

The contemporary photo shows the work Chris has been doing at Penyrallt, Dad is obliging for the photoshoot!

So much water passed under the bridge.

Beanie Boy

My day was brightened considerably when I received these two photos in a message earlier from my bro Christian! He's got an eye for social history like no other, and whilst labouring in my parents garden manages to connect the dots on our collective family history.
First image today in the garden at Penyrallt; second image ditto c1968-70?

 Two of my father Julian Brown's watercolour paintings of Parrog. Over the years he's done many paintings of here and the surrounding Dinas Head area, and has held exhibitions in Newport over many summers. These pictures were just a few I could get my hands on, but they describe lazy summer days really well.

It's quite an amazing co-incidence that the parents of Gregory's sailing partner George, have a holiday cottage here. So this year Greg hopes to be doing some lazy summer sailing here!

Greghead

As Lewi reminded me earlier, we promised a few weeks ago to post a photo every day about family life. And I am falling behind already.

However sorting through some stuff in my archive I am throwing up some nearly there gems. This one almost certainly failed first time around due to the unfortunate positioning of his lordship, but it's too good to throw away.

We may have more retro stuff!!

Feeding time at the Zoo

Some banter earlier in the day between myself and my brother led to him sending me this photograph of my parents. They are enjoying some broth after Chris has laboured in the garden, renovating tired structures! The fence should now be good for another forty five years - my god is it that long since we played as children in the garden pretending to help my Dad build stuff.

NJA Young Sailor of the Year 2016 Elliott Kuzyk

Congratulations to Elliott Kuzyk GBR403 29er and current World Topper Champion, who has just won 2016 YJA Young Sailor of the Year award. He also broke UK regional records by winning the Topper southern area championships for an impressive and unprecedented fifth year in a row.

8 Years Old and Rocking!

Miranda, do you think you could do this?

Step up to the Plate

Been out for a walk today, just Lewi and myself. It was rather misty so as we walked we just chatted about stuff and why we did it. The subject of reporting family life and what it meant to to us both came up, and Lewi advised me to get back into my habit of recording something every day.

So here's my today shot, as he leaps across a stream!

Chuff Chuff

My father Julian Brown, holding a brass model of a Peckitt tank engine, a pastime he followed in the seventies. At the time he used to have a model railway in the bedroom, and spent some of his spare time making brass models.

I'd got the trains out so that he could talk to Gregory about them when we were down. Spottong an opportunity to take some hands on photos, I quickly dusted them down with a paintbrush and got him holding them. With usual synchronicity visitors turned up, and my conversation was diverted, although I managed to get some photos. However the camera never lies, and the 'man clean' is exposed for what it is, just as far as I could see!

There's a few photos on the blog of us visiting old steam trains .....here and here

I must try and find a photo of Dad driving a steam train, I know I have one somewhere!

The Old Fella

On previous trips down to Wales, I have taken photos of my Dad doing stuff he's always enjoyed. This time I managed to take some of him with his trains.

I have memories of the late seventies when he used to make model trains from brass. They are beautiful objects, which he showed Gregory.

My photo session was brief as we received visitors just as I got started, but as I now know, you must take your chances when they come!

Twenty Seventeen

 Photo taken today of Miranda and Lewis next to the two old oak trees adjacent to my father's grandfather's house in Brockenhurst. The house originally called Caswell was home to Seymour William Brown, and my Dad used to come here as a boy, traveling by train, and then whilst here climb trees and ride his bike - which is basically what we do too!

Miranda is wearing part of an outfit that Gran gave her for Christmas, which she likes very much.

First post for 2017, I hope to be a bit more active this year with family photos last year has been a poor year for me.

Denny Wood

An old favourite haunt this one! The old oak at Denny Wood looks almost identical after a decade, it's still alive and hollowed out inside.

A few pictures below tell the story from March 2005 and March 2012.

Originally we had two kids and I photographed them inside the tree. By the later date Miranda had arrived and Lewis could not fit inside the tree. Now even Miranda cannot get inside!

On a sadder note the old tree otherwise known as the Dragon has finally collapsed onto the ground, the end of an era.