6.7.13

My nana, Elsie

Late last year I posted about my Nana, Elsie. Today I have tweaked and reposted it as part of Meet Me at Mike's Granny-a-long!!
 
My very young and very hot Nana and Pa!
 
My Nana was born on February 29th in 1920. Yep, you heard me, February 29th, so she only got a real birthday every 4 years. I think she felt ripped off!!! We had a 21st birthday celebration for her when in actual fact she was turning 84!
 
Nana met my Pa (Bob) while performing in an amateur production of a Gilbert and Sullivan musical. Pa was playing violin in the orchestra. How cute!!
 
Nana's name was Elsie. I considered naming my daughter after her, but in the end I couldn't do it as Elsie always hated her name!!!
 
My Nana was clever, creative, friendly, caring and strong, like many other amazing women who lived through the Depression, World War 2 and the rise of feminism. I hope I can be even a little bit like her.
 
I was 21 when Nana passed away. My son (her first great grandchild) was born a month later. It has become more and more important to me since having kids to remember what I loved about "going to Nana's", as I watch my own kids develop their own rituals with their Nana's.
 
So this is what I loved about "going to Nana's"
 
-Helping Nana make everyone a cup of tea after dinner, and getting my own cup of tea that I was allowed to put as much sugar as I wanted in it! (Which I did, 5 teaspoons at least....hmm..yuck.)
-Helping Nana "stir the cake" whenever she made her famous cream butterfly cakes.
-Watching their videos of Gilbert and Sullivan productions taped off the ABC, our favourite being "Pirates of Penzanse" and singing along.
-Finding sixpence in our Christmas pudding each year, and Nana exchanging what we found for real money!
-Nana and Pa were pretty hip and got a VCR before we ever did, and so they used to tape footy matches (Richmond of course!) and "Thomas the Tank" for us.
-Catching the bus to their place straight after school each Friday for Friday night dinner. Every single week, for years and years.
-Fish and Chips on Good Friday.
-Choc coated vanilla icypoles in the freezer for whenever the grandkids visited!
-Walking up the road with nana to her local shops, visiting the butcher, Op shop and Safeway (sometimes getting a ride in Nana’s  shopping "jeep.")
-Nana would always save the butchers paper for us to draw on, I have many happy memories of drawing with my brother's at Nana’s and Pa’s place.
-Watching Nana crochet.
-Rice bubbles for breakfast when we had sleepovers. I never got these at home, (so BIG treat!)
-Looking at photos and listening to Nana's stories of growing up in Richmond.

This is me with Nana....looks like Christmas pudding!!

My mum has kept many of Nana's handwritten recipes. So precious now!!
 
It was very difficult and sad for our family watching Nana's dementia get worse in the last few years of her life. After my Pa died, it became evident how much the two of them had been "propping each other up." It is a very painful thing to watch somebody who was so strong and full of life just disappear before your very eyes well and truly before their physical passing. I think I am only now starting to get my head around what it must of been like for my dad to care for his mum towards the end. Her death was a sad time for us, but in some ways it was a relief. She was at peace, and not confused anymore.

Do you have fond memories of your Nana? I'd love to know what some of your memories are!

Mezz xx

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19 comments:

  1. Anonymous6 July 2013 at 23:11

    I'm loving the few granny-a-long posts I've read so far Mezz! and yours is not exception! I'm having lots of flashbacks to my Nanna because of them!!! Percy looks exactly like Pete in one of those photos. :-)

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:02

      thanks mayra! yes the granny a long has been lovely, hasn't it? percy and pete are sooo similar I know! xx

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  2. ButterandBuntings6 July 2013 at 23:39

    Lovely lovely. So glad i was able to meet Elsie once just before she passed. And yes that looks just like Percy!xx

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:03

      yes, I wish id met your nan too. she sounded wonderful x

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  3. Hannapat7 July 2013 at 01:14

    What a lovely story of what sounds like a wonderful nan. I often think our generation were so lucky to be inspired by such strong woman. I'm sorry to hear that the end was drawn out and painful for you all. It's so wonderful that you wrote this post about her, a true credit. xoxo

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:04

      thanks for the comment, Hannah. yes we were very lucky indeed, the women in our lives are pretty inspiring!! sometimes I really think my life is too easy, I haven't got a back bone like the way women from past generations....

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  4. Claire7 July 2013 at 01:51

    Hey Mezz, that was a lovely post and tribute to your Nana.......lots of wonderful memories. Beautiful pic of her as a young woman.
    I remember Christmas at my grandparents. We sat in a darkened dining room for Christmas lunch as it was a hot day. I received a little red tartan umbrella wrapped in red cellophane as a present........I was thrilled. There was lemonade a treat for us and sixpences in the pudding too.

    Sometimes Nana would pay me one cent to pick snails out of the vegie garden. Poppa would give me a hand and help me earn a bit more......
    Nice to look back and remember.......

    CLaire x

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:05

      hanks Claire for sharing your memories. so preious. and yay for sixpence in pudding!! one of my all time fav childhood memories xx

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  5. OP SHOP MAMA7 July 2013 at 02:04

    Lovely tribute! You're lucky you had her for so long and have so many wonderful memories. Dementia is such a grim thing.

    My own Gran (Ruby) died when she was only 63, (the same age that my mum was when she died.) My grandad died 20 days before her. Her heart was so broken she went too. I just remember a soft gentle presence. I remember the house and the puzzles and the occasions... I remember her softness and the way she talked to the cats. And she had a black bike called the pink witch!

    You look SO MUCH like your Nana when she was young!!! Check out the first photo! It's amazing.

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:08

      thanks for sharing your memories. sorry to hear that both your mother and grandmother died far too young. and that is possibly the saddest/sweetest story about your grandparents. I would agree about nana's and softness and gentleness. yet somehow they could display such strength within the gentleness too. I normally get told I look more like the women on my mums side of the family, but I think nana and I share a few similarities. thanks! its definitely a compliment!! x

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  6. the linen cloud7 July 2013 at 14:03

    Beautiful words ... a lovely tribute to your lovely nan ... Bee xx

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  7. Nosey Cook7 July 2013 at 17:24

    Oh Mezz, we're just about to jump in the car to come over and visit, but I have tears streaming down my face as I read your blog. I miss her too and feel so blessed to have had her as a mother in law. From the time we met, I felt welcomed into her home, and you know what that would have meant to me.She taught me so much...about gardening, cooking, knitting, all sorts of things, and I just enjoyed hanging out with her. I just hope that at some point, God gives her a small glimpse from Heaven to show her what amazing adults her grandchildren have grown into....how proud she would be of the 3 of you. And how much she'd love all your children! All the photos we took over the years are so much more precious as the years unfold....love you xo

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:09

      thanks mum. yep. she really was just. simply. lovely.

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  8. Elsie and Joan7 July 2013 at 17:55

    What a beautiful post, and a beautiful nana!

    I had a nana Elsie too, I love the name. So many of your precious memories prompted my own - I remember walking up to the shops with my Nana too, I loved to tag along as she chatted to all the local shop owners. Walking to the shops meant a fairly lengthy walk uphill, without fail she always wore a dress and heels, hair done just so...

    So nice to keep their memories alive, thanks for sharing! Belinda xx

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    1. Mezz8 July 2013 at 00:10

      hi there Belinda. thanks for popping by (love the name of your blog by the way!) im glad that you had a special elsie in your life too!!! ill pop by your blog soon and say hi xx

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  9. Ashley cramp9 July 2013 at 03:57

    Oh mezz she sounds soooo special and always will be...because she lives on in you in your heart....Daisy x

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  10. Mezz10 July 2013 at 02:49

    aw thanks daisy x

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