Homeward bound 21 August 2015

Again did not sleep well, had done most of my packing the previous evening so only last items to put in case, and remembered to put case out ay 8am, had a shower dressed then off to breakfast with the others.

Afterwards rested for a while before boarding the coach, one of the things I looked goward to was that the driver was a female therefore hopefully a pleasant helpful person, sadly this never seemed the case throughout the trips, this morning was no exception, this is not to say she was not a god driver or other skills to do with the job but there was no wasted conversation at any time and her body language did not give an impression to make conversation at any time.

Back to the trip home, it was a warm humid day, the coach was a little to warm for me but nobody else seemed bothered,  we were informed we were having a stop at the National Arboretum on the way to Stretton. I had never heard of this before but as much as I understand,  it is a place to remember the people who were in the forces and died in the wars or in active service since. So there were a whole range of different styles of monument depending on the particular service, there were even tributes to the police and railway workers. In the time we had I was unable to fully explore the site, there were many people there on the same day as us and they provided a range of methods for people to get round the site from electric scooters to a slow moving train.

Soon it was time to depart again for our next stop, at one of the service areas, but I fell asleep for a time,  when we got there, a bonus for me was that it had a Subway so I was able to indulge myself in one of their filled rolls and a coffee then back on the coach to Stretton,  unfortunately it being a Friday afternoon the traffic was slow moving so I am taking the opportunity to write the blog up as the scenery is quite boring.

Well if I was bored before things could only get worse, firstly the coffee machines in the shop had not been topped up, so we had to wait for that, next we found there were problems with one coach being delayed so for reasons I do not quite understand unless the people on that were spread from all over the country, none of the other coaches were loading up until it arrived. It seemed by further announcements at least some were but definitely not ours, sob sob.

Eventually a coach arrived in our bay and it was the same driver as on the feeder coach out do this did not bode well. Andy noticed that against Shearings own policy he had lit up a cigarette on the coach, I did consider mentioning at the information desk but then realised it would most probably delay the coach. we waited and waited but it was gone 6pm before we finally started to load although Andys wheelchair was still waiting, we joined the queue but the driver had disappeared,  a woman complained because I stopped her boarding, she was quite rude and seemed to have no insight into the issues Andy faced. I eventually found the driver sat on a seat in the boarding area having yet another cigarette, I mentioned to him about the wheelchair to make sure it was not left behind, I also asked if he could give us some idea of what time we would reach Bury, he seemed to have no idea, which filled me with confidence I dont think. We did chat about the smoking and the feeling is that we should report this when home as its a problem for anyone with breathing issues, but even worse that if a customer was found doing it, it could affect their holiday.

We rang Colin the taxi driver to inform of the delay and and what was best to do, him it was agreed we would speak again when we were nearer home. Well it is now 6 45pm and we are still on our way home and have yet to reach at least Bolton. It does seem ironic that in the relatively short distance we have travelled we could of flown to Spain or similar or been home again. What an unfortunate end to what has been a pleasant few days away, plus it is pouring down with rain now.

Warwick castle 20 August 2015

Today we had a trip to Warwick Castle,weather started out damp but warm although it brightened up quite quickly. Was brief journey to the castle, luckily the cost of entrance was included because otherwise it would of been at least £24 even with concessions.

We had an member of staff escort us round and explain the background to the castle he was pleasant and easy to listen, it was odd how we acquired other people on the tour which I did not mind, apart from the children who were disruptive and pushed to the front, access was a problem for Andy and other wheelchair users unfortunately but I suppose not easy with a place 1000 years old,

I was surprised that the castle was fairly modern, compared to many others,  afterwards we wandered round the grounds taking photos of it and the surroundings, it was quite busy but I suppose it was a good but expensive place for a family day out.

Later we gathered for the jousting which was well presented before finally going for a well deserved cup of tea, for most of the trip we were accompanied by Arthur our new member, we wandered round the gardens and visited the conservatory, then a short drive back.

In the evening it was a pleasant meal apart from the very spicy soup, then all went off to pack or watch TV then get some sleep before our trip home tomorrow.

Broadway here we come 19 August 2015

Well today we are off to Broadway,  great lots of lights and shows and music, sadly no it was to a quaint little old village for the morning. Trip was uneventful, village was pleasant place as one thinks, a main street with a green and beautiful old buildings and views across the countryside, again a gid example of how buildings used to be built with consideration to their appearance and durability, but for us an ideal photo opportunity again.

Chico also came along with us for the trip so we acquired a number of photos of him also, which will appear on Facebook, someone mentioned to me why do I still take him out as the fundraising is now finished and maybe he is a distraction from my more serious photography, I am tempted to ask on his profile or mine what people think, any comments on here also welcome, my own thoughts are that it adds a little humour to my trips out and can also be an icebreaker,  the expression on some people's faces gives the impression there must be something wrong with me, but this is countered by the opposite when a wide smile comes to some others. Is it a good sign that he still recieves comments from people on the posts on Facebook and no criticism in that sense, for those that wonder yes I do know that in reality he is a stuffed toy, but the conversation and fun so far makes me feel I should continue until maybe one day he runs his course.

Well back to the trip we met up with our new friend Arthur for a drink then back on the coach to the hotel and a rest before we met for a drink in the afternoon, sadly it was raining so my thoughts of visiting the grounds across the way were cancelled, I returned to the room to remove the dressing on toe and have a lovely soak in the bath and catch up with stuff on the internet.Whilst on there I looked at Booking.com and reviews for here, it was interesting what contrasting views there are of the same place.

Then off for a pleasant evening meal then a chat before returning to the room, Andy had mentioned concern about our trip the following day to Warwick Castle and accessibility so checked on internet and it seems that there are obviously some parts that he will struggle with, at the time it was built they obviously did not consider disabled access as an issue lol, only problem I can see will be if it is raining on the day. Finally spent some time reading and listening to music before going to sleep, the fact I am typing on here at 5.48am is am indication that I am struggling to sleep, so shortly will try to settle down again.

Our trip to Shakespeares place of birth18 August 2015

Had not slept well previous night partly due to pain in toe, found couple of chiropodists in Stratford so hoped whilst on trip there will be able to obtain treatment.
We had a full breakfast then on the coach for a short trip there. I was quite surprised at the size of the place I had always imagined a smal quaint village rather than a large modern town with some old buildings, I must say some of the well known stores and cafes had made effort to make their frontage appear mock tudor although very obviously very modern inside

First there was a free talk and walk round the Tudor Experiance in a building dated back to the 15 hundreds, it is amazing how this and some of the other buildings have managed to survive so long whilst more modern ones last a fraction of the time. The talk was very interesting but I found the settings a little tacky in the house.

After I left the other 2 and went looking for a chiropodist, got an appointment for later the afternoon, so went back to met up with friends and then took a series of photos round the town, including a few of Chico.

Whilst near the canal I noticed people were gathering for some reason, as I got nearer I saw it was because someones ball was in the canal and a young man had striped to his undies to retrieve it, kind and brave though it was it was also stupid, what if his head had hit the bottom or he could not get up the side again, plus the chance of picking up an infection from the water,  maybe a sign of my getting older and common sense prevailing

Later went for treatment seems is going to be an ongoing problem unless have operation so trip to Gp now planned on return, foot still painful, I had planned due to time of appointment to travel back on the bus, luckily as it was solved quickly by walking back quickly enough I managed to board the coach and then on return had a rest before the evening meal, also gave me chance to catch up with e mail etc, oh forgot to say I actually have purchased some postcards was going to send one to sister but had forgotten her address,  very embarrassing so may send on return home.

Evening meal pleasant, but again Andy and Brian returned to their room after. Chatted to Arthur for a while, could not settle so spent some time reading before going to sleep.

First day at stratford 17 August 2015

Did not sleep well as worried about oversleeping,  had set alarm which did not go off(  found out later had set for pm) luckily woke up at right time had breakfast finished packing so on time for taxi, which took us to coach point. On trip to Stretton where we were to travel on actual coach, driver said did not know the way Farnworth so assisted, but very surprised in these days of sat nav that he was struggling.
At Stretton had to sort out luggage labels,  place was very busy with not enough seating or staff to serve us quickly. Eventually boarded coach and travelled to destination, there were no stops on the way and we arrived at Charlecote Pheasant Hotel lunch time. We were greeted by assistant manager then off to our rooms. I forgot to say my left big toe was painful particularly when walking so not very good on a trip such as this, hopefully it will abate in time.

Hotel was modern rooms spacious and even better a bath as well as shower and free Wi Fi, Brian wanted to rest so Andy and I went exploring the area, there seemed to be nowhere locally to go to but there were buses to Stratford.  Noticed across the way in grounds of hall deer in  the distance.

After our walk went for a coffee, back at hotel, was surprised that there only was one member of staff serving behind the bar and for meals, so had to wait some time for the coffee to arrive, after this went to room for a rest.

Later met with friends and decided we would go into park to explore,Charlecote Hall, could not get through gate, there was a small notice asking people to go to shop before entering, did not understand until member of staff appeared on other side of road asking if we were members of National Trust if not we had to cross the road and pay to go in. The tone of the mans voice was not pleasant and it all seemed rather odd, why not have a prominent notice explaining the charges and process,  so we decided not to bother, but did have a look round their garden centre which had a pleasant selection of plants, again rather odd, a member of staff turned the sprinklers on which meant visitors had to try to avoid the spray from them whilst wandering round, sadly I got it wrong and had some water spray me, decided at the time not to complain but may take up in the future with National Trust.

Then back to the room watched tv until time to go for evening meal, when we first arrived had bren asked what time we wanted to dine so decided on 6 30, there seemed to be people sat about whilst others were in a queue,  got chatting to man in queue who was also confused about the process, eventually we were led to table but asked man if on his own if he would like to join us at our table which he did. Meal was pleasant and waitress service.  Afterwards Brian and Andy decided to retire for the evening, so spent a while chatting to man whose name is Arthur before going back to my room. The joys of the internet, spoke for a little while to Jane, was pleased to hear her daughter and grandchildren plus her pet dog had arrived safely for a visit,  then had a read before going to sleep.

A new adventure to Stratford on Avon 17 August 2015

Well here we go again this time off by coach for a few days in Stratford on Avon in the company of Brian and Andy,  oops not forgetting Chico. Its going to be a very early start and a few hours dtive including swapping coaches along the way.
First problem is my left big toe has suddenly decided to be painful, I have tried to ease it but we will have to see how it goes on.
Not sure if will be able to upload photos on here till we get back but hopefully we will capture Chicos adventures along the way

Dun Laoghaire 13 June 2015

Today we had yet another very pleasant full Irish breakfast then had an early start but much of the long drive was on motorway so we did not see as much of the beautiful scenery as we had hoped for.
Eventually we finally reached our next set of accommodation. What a contrast, the owner was out and the young female member of staff struggled to sort us out. Luckily there was off road car parking for our last stay.Somebody had described the b & b as quirky,  well thats one word for it, the whole place smelt very strongly of cheap air freshener, the room had no ventilation other than a sash window but the catches did not work, so I balanced the spare toilet roll at the bottom to let air in( it was only much later we realised the radiator was on full despite the warm weather)
We decided to have a drink and found the sockets near to the floor, the only problem was the lead was not long enough ooops, so Jane had to scrabble about and place on the floor. Next the bathroom, well it was big enough but what a tiny shower, I could just about get in, but then the power was poor and trying to obtain anything other than hot was a struggle.
Margaret our landlady who had now returned,  suggested we could have a sandwich at her local pub, which was another quirky place inhabited by locals, fortunately the sandwiches were okay.  Then off for a walk through the town, stopping at the station for train times,  it was shortly after this Jane noticed she now had a rash on both arms, but no idea what caused it and swiftly it went again. We returned to the accommodation for a rest and found the bed quite comfortable.
In the evening we went for a meal at a local Weatherspoons which was pleasant but the place was very noisy. I vaguely remembered this area from my youth and trips on the boat from Holyhead,  but little was left that I remembered other than the harbour wall. We returned to our accommodation and met the landlord who was quite chatty,  then off for our last nights sleep.

We set off for Dublin and home 14 June 2015

We had an early start today, first our last full Irish breakfast, in the dining room which was quite elegant and a contrast to the rest of the house we had seen, the food was enjoyable.
We then set off to explore Dublin, we found a carpark attached to a department store Arnotts which we had never heard of before and surprise surprise there was a Pandora charm section where we found a shamrock one, for Janes bracelet.  Then on to O Connel Street, which is one of the well known places in Dublin, but is no longer as I remembered. I said we should walk to the river Liffey further up as again its one of the sights of Dublin.

Instead we saw a sign for the Leprechaun museum and decided to visit there, well first problem was further down the street there was no further signs ( maybe a warning) but a helpful man assisted us and we paid and went in, it was wonderful to learn the truth about them, it was fantastic to be told so well about Irelands other inhabitants, Jane was happy to join in particularily climbing at great risk onto the giants chair, it wad a fitting end to our trip. We did see the Liffy but again sadly there was nothing magic about it, so back to the car and a trip to the docks to board the boat.

It was not very full of passengers and we ate before setting sail, guess what a huge portion on CARROT CAKE, then I must of looked underfed by the size of the portion of meat pie on my plate, even I could not win this time. Finally time for a rest, it was peaceful and quiet in the lounge. Soon it will be time for our last meal and trip home.

Jamesons experiance 12 june 2015

Jane was not well last night or this morning, so we decided to take it easy, we drove to the jameson experience for a tour round the distillery,  Jane kindly agreed to try the Irish coffee the barman made before the tour, it was all quite interesting as we went round, I had never realised it took so long before it was fit for consumption, at the end, we were given some to taste, seemed very pleasant but I shared with jane as I was driving, we then went to explore Cork but the traffic was horrendous,  so we came back here for somthing to eat and a rest before our next adventure

Next stop Blarney 11 june 2015

Today we set off again on the next leg of our trip round Ireland, weather warm, but roads busy, yet again I had miscalculated so was yet another long hard drive, but when we got to our destination Ashlee Lodge well worth it. It is in a quiet setting and from the outside looked nothing special but inside it was beautiful and spacious in our room, with a huge bed and plenty of seating for a change. Also a full size bath with jacuzzi to relax in. In the evening we went for a meal, but having now got used to the huge size of the portions here, decided instead to try a chinese meal instead, it was very pleasant. Unfortunately Jane has started with some sort of virus so we had a quiet evening and an early night. Hopefully tomorrow she will feel better and we will be out exploring Cork.

A Quiet Relaxing Day

Today we decided to take it easy starting with a full Irish, I was going into town then coming back to rest. Instead we went to a candle making place which eas quite interesting,  seems they use 3 tons of wax a year.
On the way back we noticed a sign to a lake, so followed the road, sorry senior moment so will have to put more detail in later, was beautiful setting and there was a cruise setting off in a little while.
We boarded and the commentary was good, seems is a popular area for the rich and famous to be on some of the more remote islands, also at the village where we stopped they had filmed the Quiet Man all those years ago and the cottages looked from the outside at least, as they must of all those years ago, it got quite warm as the day progressed,  we went for a walk through the gardens but they seemed much of a muchness after a while, on the way back we stopped for our evening meal then a rest at the b &b

A brief apology

I must apologise at present readers for lack of photos hopefull eventually will be able to upload some for you to better show where we have been and the beautiful scenery

Our trip up north 8 June 2015

Today after a hearty breakfast and brief meeting to retrieve bum bag we set off for Carlingford,  all went well on our journey there through beautiful countryside,  it was a lovely peaceful place. We then continued up north to Coleraine and checked into accommodation,  I was feeling tired so had a rest whilst Jane explored.
Later we set off for the giants causeway it was getting late but still light, we had a walk there but decided the full walk was to high for us so had pleant walk back to the car. When we arrived back we went for a meal then to rest before our next adventure the following day

Our trip to Ireland 5 June 2015

Packed had tickets money and two sat navs so off we set around midnight for the ferry, all went well and apart from one little mistake we arrived at the port, whilst waiting to board Biggles arrived, well we called him that as he was wearing a flying helmet in his little old sports car, well what a poser he was, but soon we boardef, wr decided to see if we could cope with the seats as I was worried in case Jane fell out of a bed in the cabin, we had something to eat then I slept quite well according to Jane then woke just in time for breakfast before disembarking from the ship.
We did well on our trip to where we were staying, unpacked and had a rest. Only problem when decided to go to sons and meet family battery was flat I had left the headlights on and the switch for the warning buzzer was broken, so we had to bring family to us to get going, so a different meeting for Jane with them, all got on well, then later back to rest.
The following day we went bowling, due to problems I am having with right arm, I did not join in, but all enjoyed themselves, think one or two may of suffered later, then KFC for something to eat then back to sons for a chat. On last day I was struggling a little but also wanted to catch up woth sons mum as she has health issues, did this whilst Jane spent some time with family, I forgot to mention on first night I had left my famous bum bag at sons, well guess what did it again that night after we finally parted so arranged they would drop off the following morning before we moved on.

At long last an adventure to Ireland 2015

I have been threatening a holiday touring Ireland for years so this year I finally made the decision to do it with Jane. We did not know where we wanted to stay or even how we would get around. After lengthy discussion we finally decided to go by boat with the car from Liverpool to Dublin.
Over a period of months we started to plan our route, firstly to stay near the family for a few days then to go to giants causeway,  this created a problem as I was convinced it was in the south whereas it is actually in the far north oops, we would then gently wend our way down the left side/ West of the country along the bottom/south to end up back at Dublin ready for our boat home
Over a series of weeks I found suitable places for us to stay hopefully with plenty of time to explore along the way. So all we had to do was look forward to the trip, what could go wrong.
Well Jane started with a series of nose bleeds just before we set off but luckily after 24 hours in hospital we hope she is sorted

Thoughts on 2014

I know this is a little late but still good to look back at the last year of 2014, which has been a very eventful year mainly full of happy times with a number of ticks against my bucket list.

My last blog tells of the fantastic news that I had sisters and family I never knew existed,  meeting the various people has bern such a bonus to my life, but I think it is still wonderful that I have regular contact with my son and his family even if only through Facebook and Skype.

If you have followed my blog you will be aware that in terms of holidays this has been a good year for me,  my trip on safari in Africa was unforgettable,  although I still have not sorted out my video and photos yet.
But then the great round the world trip in November,  initially with my son to fulfill some of his wish list, but also for me as a bonus to share quality time in exciting and restful time with him for our first holiday for just the 2 of us in his life, but then so much more that I saw, so far there are no more grand plans for so much, I realised that sometimes having less flying time and less responsibility will be good for me but also to be on holiday with others is something I prefer yo being a lone traveller. I nearly forgot to say how great it was to spend a few days with my friend Paul in Penang, its a reminder to do these things whilst you can rather than talk about them, thanks Paul.

Through the ex Saga group Buzz I have had a number of adventures in this country and met more people, I have continued to meet up with Brian and Andy on a regular basis and look forward to a holiday maybe in the coming year.

I also started a relationship with Jane in 2014 although we had met the previous year, she has been a huge influence on me in all sorts of ways often quite quietly, listening and discussing with me the issues that come up in life, she makes me smile and feel happy this Christmas was made one of the best I can ever remember by her, her company had helped me feel less lonely and isolated I slso hope I have helped her in her life, at present we have a series of trips to look forward and I feel we grow closer and closer, if you read this Jane thanks for a special year.

I finally stopped fighting with the NHS locally about funding for a former client, I realised I may one day win but nobody else cared and it was good friend who pointed out there were bettet ways gor me to expend my time and energy.  I have also bern helping someone else cope with the appalling way they have been treated by the system, I could not believe that someone who had done nothing wrong other than want the best for their children should have their familes life put through such hell with no evidence, lets hope as we have bern led to believe at long last common sense has worked but how long before they recover from the emotional toll it had taken of their lives,  lets hope that now work is done to help them to move on and leave it behind.

Well I have most probably left important things out but not to worry, at present I am looking forward to 2015 being an enjoyable but more relaxing year and to being able to post even more of my life for you the readers, thanks for taking the time to read and comment.

My new family

Those of you who have known me long enough are aware that, my mother left our family when I was 2 and I never knowingly ever saw her again. I always wondered where and why she had gone but my brother and sisters never mentioned it or their previous life with her and my dad.

Its odd really but I never knew what she looked like other than there had been one family photo at home, some time in the early 70s it disappeared,  I think because I was so young when she went I never missed her presence,  although there were so many times in my life it would of been nice to of had a motherly, kind, caring mother who would be there for me. To help me read and write to sort out my health problems, to show affection and care for me in the way some mothers do. Thats not to say that my dad was bad or anything, in fact when I look back despite all he was left to cope with he did remarkably well as a single parent and I do understand why for a time I went into care.

I was the youngest in our family, there was a gap of 8 years between me and my sister, I was to learn there had been another brother and sister who died in between when I grew up, have always felt what a shame their birth was never acknowledged or discussed, so I had little in common in some ways with my brother and older sister, she often had the role of looking after me.

In the 80s my older sister asked if I felt as she did, that we should try to find out what happened to our mother, now I had decided something had happened to her and possibly she had died, because what other explanation was there for her never having been in touch. We contacted the Salvation Army who did this sort of work and gave the limited information we had. Many months later my sister received a letter saying they were unable to help us, so the presumption was that she was dead or they could not track her down, so we left the mystery alone and got on with our lives, sadly my brother had died in the 60s and my sisters in the 80s do I was the only one left of my family, other than my aunty and her family in Rhodesia who I did not know and we had lost contact with.

Over the years at times I did still wonder at times about what might of been and what the story was,  my wife suggested contacting one of the tv programmes that helped people track down relatives,  but I felt it was not something I wanted to do. I think I may of been curious but not enough to do anything about it, I did wonder whether she had in fact died, or remarried but had it in my head she was already in her 40s so unlikely to of had children, so let sleeping dogs lie.

Late in the 1990s I had health problems and as part of that found that I had medically things that maybe if my mother had been about possibly she could of spotted and maybe helped, I also pondered on where I might of been if she had been there to help support me as a child, rather than just have my dad who I know loved and cared for me in his own way but often had been out at work, so I had grown up at home on my own as a lonely child with little support, I do still wonder would I have done different things with my life, would I have been a better or worse person. I am aware that I did not have a chip on my shoulder as many people do when they have been deserted by a parent. I remember a friend saying many years ago, she could not understand how my mother could of left and not taken me as I was so young, when I thought about it made sense but there were no answers and my life had not been that poor.

So thats how it was until 2013 when my friend Brian was doing some research into his family and out of curiosity whilst we were away on holiday found some basic information about my mother whilst searching the internet.  It was not until 2014 that I thought about it again and decided to see if I could get some basic answers about what happened to her had she in fact died,  was she even now alive but very very old. So I asked for his help in investigating all of this. We used the archive and websites in the search and managed to find her birth and my parents marriage but then nothing else. We had presumed she stayed in Manchester and had not remarried in the search, but then went back looking again by broadening the search and the found she had in fact moved to Yorkshire and remarried in 1955.

Well now we were getting somewhere and I became more involved so signed up to a website to help. I sent for a range of certificates to prove this person was linked to my family. Eventually I found that if we had the right person she had died in 2004 so sadly I was never going to have the answers I sought about how and why she left and why she had never got in touch. I could not find a trace of her husband so was unsure about him, maybe if he was alive he may be able to help me, so I sent for her death certificate. When it arrived it confirmed it was in fact my mother so I felt maybe that was that but on re reading it noticed that it was someone listed as her daughter who had registered the death. Well I cannot describe my surprise and confusion at this, surely she was to old and that meant that this was a grown up person,  so off back to finding out about this person,  much easier due to the Internet and specialist websites.  I found out in fact she had been born before my mother remarried and only a couple of years after leaving us, even odder I now had a sister I never knew about even if only half related

Back to the internet and I joined a website Ancestry to do more research, eventually I tracked down her birth and marriage, also I acquired details of my mothers second wedding and where they lived.Brian suggested checking out the electoral role to see if there was anybody related to me still at the address also if my sister had moved house. We did that,  no member of the family still lived in her house but my half sister was still at her home.

What to do now, I am a great believer in fate so decided to make contact because maybe at long last I would get some answers about the past and who my mother was, what made her happy,  what music did she like, what did she look like, but there again did her new family know about my family if not what a surprise for her. In the end I decided to write a simple letter explaining what I had learnt and send some of the evidence as proof and see if I got a response, I was unsure what I would do if I did but on the other hand the same if I got no response
what to do then, so the letter was sent.

On the following Monday I got a phone call out of the blue and it was my sister, she got the letter the previous week and had investigated both me and the evidence, she had been totally unaware and struggled that her mother could of had a family and deserted them as it now appeared,  she did highlight something in my parents marriage certificate in that the date of birth was wrong in that mother had declared she wad older than really was to marry without needing parental consent. We talked at length and she dropped another bombshell informing me that she had a sister 8 years younger than her,  so my family was growing swiftly.

We talked a few times after that and eventually met up at somewhere mutual, I took family photos as she did and we discussed our respective families and present situations, it seemed she had divorced and never had children but the other half sister had married 3 times and had three children and grandchildren but the as sisters were not in touch. At the time I gave the photos I felt I was being helpful but only found out later that this made it even harder to cope with because it created even more questions for my sister about how and who our mother was as she struggled with the information I gave her.

She gave me contact details for her sister who I met with her husband, again there were all sorts of information to share and more detail of my mother plus photos she had come across of my 2 sisters that they had never known about. Its still odd to me that my mother had kept these photos for the rest of her life, but had none of me or my brother,  not sure what that tells us and now there is no one to tell us, she also , mentioned one of her daughters was on Facebook as was she so could be a nice way to chat at some point in the future.

I have met both sisters again and shared information about our lives, some things make no sense about my mother and her life and decisions, I realize that in reality it is curiosity about my mother, that still makes me wonder about her and who she was only now, sadly it was not quite the fairy story I had hoped for and do wonder what would of happened in relation to her if we had tracked her down in the 80s or any time until her death. Maybe not the happiest event for her or even me, I have spoken to my sisters about whether mother was aware of what had happened in our family or had in fact been aware, it seems there was a friend of hers who lived in Manchester,  now dead, maybe he was a link for her but we will never know.  The younger sister had attempted to investigate our family background but got no help from mother no wonder,  she also asked what she did in the war, again how could she tell the truth, did her husband know, again we will never know now.

I managed to make contact with 2 of the younger sisters children, they are nice people with children of their own, the best of all that has happened is that they have met at least one of my grandchildren and myself and are in touch through Facebook with my family, it was lovely to send and receive Christmas cards this year from them all and I look forward to further meetings with everyone sometime in the coming year.

Well did I do the right thing in tracking down my sister,  I feel so, although not the answers I wanted at least I know more of my mother good or bad, I now feel in an odd sort of way I have closure,  it makes me sad that she chose to deny mine and my families existence for the rest of her life, the reasons we will never know, would life of been better if she had been part of my life, I cannot go there,  I do think it was wrong to keep the 2 parts of the family apart who knows maybe it could of been a positive experience as I now feel having met and got to know them a little, but being a glass generally full I think I have to look to the future and hopefully maintaining contact with my new family and getting to know them better