The Photos Are Now Silent

I looked back over my family photos. I was looking for something, one of my mum's old photos I used at the beginning of my blog. Since I wrote whichever piece, I have rescanned all of my old prints. So now I have a better resolution image to upload.

I've just done a big revision of my blog. Yes, far too much time on my hands. I've been weeding out the draft copies. Where I once had 460 drafts, I now have 269. A lot have been things I half wrote back then and then for whatever reason I have left them and never finished them. I've gone through and finished them and published them. What I couldn't remember, I made up, all with in the spirit of what I had been writing about. There are many that I have deleted, just a few words, or something, recycled waiting as new drafts to be used again.

I realised with the death of Uncle Evan this year, the voices on my parent's generation have been silenced. The old photos used to bristle with life and stories when Uncle Evan was still around, when my mother and my father were around to tell me about the day a particular shot was taken. The photos would be stepping off points to the history that came before me, but that portal has now been closed. Those images are now set in stone, their secrets safe.

Of course there is Aunty Marie, she is my dad's side, I should go chat to her, before her memories slip from my grasp too. Before I say, yet again, if only. But, My mum's side, all the voices are now silenced with the death of my mum and her sister in the last twelve months.

Never will I know just what that smile meant in that shot.

I look at the photos differently now, I realised to day, they have all now slipped away. The photos are silent.

I think of Auntie Marie. Sixty years Evan was there, next to her, beside her, raising four kids with her, and suddenly he is not there any more. Auntie Marie has a strong catholic faith, I'm guessing that is getting her through.

What is it? "Hang on Ev, not long now." And she will get to see him in the after life. Auntie Marie is 84. I guess that is not so very long to be without him.

I make up my mind to go and see her. Get off my arse and go chat with her. She is lovely, it would be nice. Soon, I think.