Photo of the Day

Click photo to enlarge.

I miss my darling Grandma so much! So, it's really lovely to be able to look at these old photos of her ♥

Flash Gordon Has Come True

That's what my Step-Grandad said today when he and my Grandma came to visit. It's the first time I've had any visitors for over two months, so it was really nice to see some people other than my immediate family. :) (Not that I dislike my immediate family!)

I usually can't tolerate people staying for much longer than 30 minutes at a push, and today was no different - except that my sentences were actually coherent for a change! Anyway, whenever Grandma and *thinks of a pseudonym* "Gordon" (you'll see why later!!) visit, we inevitably get talking about old films. It's so much fun, because even if they've never seen (or remember seeing) a certain star's films, they'll at least have heard of them (think Eleanor Parker). Today we spent ages trying to remember the name of a Joan Fontaine film in which - apparently - Joan wears her husband's former wife's dress and almost gets pushed off a cliff, but not before being run over by Burt Lancaster. Confused? Me too. (It's even more confusing because all this stemmed from our ritual discussion of Gone With the Wind (Olivia...Joan) which is a favourite of theirs.) Anyway, it sounds like a merged version of Suspicion and Kiss the Blood Off My Hands! My Grandma was adamant it began with an M, but neither me nor Gordon had any idea, so then Grandma said "Mrs...." and I blurted out "MRS. MINIVER!!". It turns out that was what she was thinking of BUT there is still a film that fits the description above...apparently! So then we got to talking about Greer Garson, and I gushed, as I always do when talking about her. ;D

Then I asked them what they thought about Stany, and my Grandma said "She was evil!". I was a bit taken aback until she clarified her wild statement with "Well, she played evil women!". The icing on the cake was when Gordon said "She was a cowgirl!" I nearly choked.

After that we moved onto the Sophia Loren vs. Gina Lollabrigida debate. It's official: Gina owns Sophia. Also, my mother looks a bit like Gina - having almost exactly the same hairstyle doesn't help! Not that it's a bad thing...

Then Grandma said she liked "...the one with the long legs." Nope, not Betty Grable, it was lovely Cyd ♥ (And yes, basically I sit there providing descriptions with names!! ;D )

It was inevitable that we would return to our much loved topic: Frank and Ava. Mostly we discuss Frank, despite my huge adoration of Ava, because my Grandma is the hugest Sinatra fan! She saw him 2 or 3 times in concert, and was, by all accounts, a total fan girl! Apparently, when she saw him in the Royal Albert Hall, she was waaay up in the gods, but when Frank started shaking hands with some of the audience, she was ready to run down - until a friend stopped her because she'd have never reached the front in time! :')

Onto Flash Gordon...

Well, Grandma and Gordon were telling me about when they used to go to the cinema when they were children in the 30s/40s, and Gordon started telling me about when Flash Gordon was shown. It was such a lovely little story of how, obviously, no one back then really thought they'd ever actually get to the moon etc. etc. and how they saw it all coming true eventually! Well, not all of it, but you get the gist. Things like that bring a tear to my eye...because I'm far too sentimental! :') But yes, Flash Gordon has come true!!

Unfortunately, they don't really know anything about silent films...which is fair enough, I suppose, seeing as they were born in the 30s. The only words about silent film that I got out of Grandma was "I never liked Charlie Chaplin!" which made me laugh! She also has only "heard" of Clara, which is sad :( Well, at least if I say "Eleanor Parker" they know who I'm talking about. Hallelujah!!

Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'm rather tired and I want to watch some I Love Lucy. Oh, check out this video...it never fails to make me smile.

Get this: They were both 60!! Look at Ginger - and Lucille - move!! :O

Well, I'll talk to you soon!! :)

Funny Quote of the Day

Gordon (after our old film discussion): Do you watch a lot of old films, Sophie?

Mum: *rolls eyes and splutters*

Yeah, I've only been watching old films since I was tiny, albeit in not quite such copious doses as the last few years!! I love Gordon! I also love his pseudonym! ;D

A Dollop of Reminiscent Ramblings

Well, it's July already! How did that happen? Honestly, time seems to be going by too quickly (which is weird because the last year hasn't exactly been a bundle of joys for me...). Weeks go by and I'm just there going "Whaaa!?"

That wasn't an entirely pointless opening to this post, I promise. However, my move from boring now to exciting 40+ years ago doesn't seem to be going very smoothly though, so I'll just get on with it...

So, yeah, time was on my mind today, and whenever time is on my mind I inevitably become sad and think of how every day takes us further away from "the good old days". I know, I know...I wasn't even there back then and therefore don't really know what it was like, but still, I prefer looking at those years through rose tinted spectacles and imagining than thinking about how distant they become with every passing day. Not so much distant to us, the people who have a strong affinity to those years, but to people who don't have any special love of the past and disregard it as "boring" and just think that, because it's over, it doesn't matter any more. Yep, it makes me sad.

I feel embarrassed that I couldn't find a sadder face in any of my photo albums. Well, not that embarrassed because if it's Clara nobody really cares if she doesn't look overly upset.

Anyway, yeah, it didn't make me sad...just reminisce-y. Yes, even though in reality none of my reminisce-y stuff was in my memories, just my Grandma's memories. My Grandma used to tell me such amazing stories though - commonplace to most people, but to me they were really special, you know? They connected me to the past. I miss her so much...and I wish I'd been older when she was telling me all of her memories, because then I would have paid a bit more attention, remembered more, and asked [slightly] more intelligent questions. As it is, now I get a lot of things confused. I've had to ask my Mum to clear me up on several things.

One of my favourite stories that I got confused was the time when Grandma told me about where she was on September 1, 1939...

She told me that when the war was declared on Germany, she was in one of the family business' ice cream vans down the pier (Italian family in England...). Well, this frightened me because I'd always thought that as soon as war was declared, bombs started falling from the sky (in my defence I was really young...). I thought that Grandma had had to run home dodging bombs and falling buildings etc. etc. It wasn't until a few years later when I questioned my Mum about it that I found that it hadn't quite happened like that: war had been declared and my Grandma locked up the van and went home. Obviously, I don't blame my Grandma for the misunderstanding! I'm so glad I never said to her "Grandma, I think you were so brave dodging all those bombs..." though!! Not that I don't think she was brave. She was. She was brave, strong, loving, and everything that I want to be. I miss her terribly. ♥ Ti voglio bene, Nonna. ♥

My mum and my aunties often tell me that I remind them of Grandma - from not being able to make decisions down to only wearing clothes that are comfortable (very important!!) and wearing the same type of cardigans (except I get mine from New Look and she got hers from Edinburgh Woolen Mill...). I think that's the most wonderful compliment to receive ever!!

Well, I'd better stop my rambling there. I set out to ramble, and ramble I did. However, before I end, I want to wish a belated 88th birthday to the gorgeous Eleanor Parker (26th June)...

...and happy 79th birthday to the wonderful Leslie Caron, whom I shamefully forgot to wish happy birthday to when I made the post for Olivia.

(she has possibly the most beautiful smile ever, but photos never seem to do it justice!)

And coming back to Miss Clara Bow for one second: I am so weirdly excited that it's her birthday later on this month! I have no idea why! I feel like having a Clara Bow birthday party...which wouldn't be at all creepy!! :D

That's all for now!!

A presto!