Tag Archives: video

Capturing History

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Tonight I had my parents over for dinner.

Mum is 83 dad is 85 years young.

The dinner was thoroughly enjoyed, but the best part of the evening was the beginning of history in the making.

I had decided to video them talking about their child-hood, and their lives before coming to Australia.

Dad escaped from (Czechoslavakia) as it was known then during the war. Though being captured a few times, held at gun point, almost shot by an SS guard, and endured and saw things that no one should have to in their life time, he managed to escape to England where he met my mother.

Dad spoke for an hour sometimes wavering in his thoughts and his memory and  next weekend we will continue his amazing journey before mum then talks about her life.

I wanted to capture not only their life but their voices and their faces, so that my children will remember them and their children and generations of our family to come.

Sometimes we think of doing these things and then it’s too late. The memory will sadly fade. Their great- great- great grandchildren, will not know them by voice, only by aged and yellow photos. They may hear the stories that will be handed down about what sort of life they led, but this way they will have a visual of who they were.

Our parents are to be loved, cherised and remembered.

Please seize the moments when you can.

**My Memoir – The Empty Nest A Mother’s Hidden Grief is now available through Amazon and Lulu (J M Kadane)**

Heart Melt

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Yesterday after posting my Blogs, I thought should I pretty up my Blog Site? Maybe a touch of colour here and there, but I didn’t start doing this to have photos of me adorning the pages (god perish the thought) and do I have any other photos that would be of interest to any one else apart from myself, my friends or family. The answer would be probably not. I started this because I enjoy writing, it’s the words I want to share not much else.

Thoughts out loud: – This morning I bought some DVD’s for my parents my father Joe who just turned 85 who is Czech and my mum 83 years young who was born in England. One of the DVD’s was songs from Vera Lynn and Gracie Fields, all those warm fuzzy songs that got them through the war period and kept there spirits high. For any one who knows any of these songs one “The White Cliffs of Dover” brings a tear to many an eye (similar to Danny Boy). Mum was a trained singer in her youth and bless her can still hold a tune. I watched the DVD with them whilst both of them sung along to the tunes.  Mums voice went croaky (as I had my back to them) I turned around to see that she was crying, then I looked at dad and he was also. “It just brings back so many memories” they both said. I gave them both a hug. I didn’t buy it to make them cry, but I guess their emotions were predictable.

Then the Andrew Sisters came on singing their famous ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, dad stood up rather wobbly (as he is now) and asked mum to dance. Mum had a bad fall last year and also being 83 has lost her confidence and her ability to do many things now. However up she got and held dads hand although as unsteady on her feet as he was and he swayed back and forth a little with her. Oh for my video recorder at that time, a sweet and special moment that tugged at my heart. I can imagine what went through their minds as they held hands, times gone by, the dance halls they went to not long after meeting perhaps. After so many years of being together they still have each other and the memories..oh so many memories..

**My Memoir The Empty Nest A Mother’s Hidden Grief is now available on Amazon and Lulu.(J M Kadane)**