Monday, July 16, 2012

July 14th, 2012

Saturday afternoon.......Monday morning....

I have been a long time away.  Completely zonked as far as blogging is concerned.  I keep coming back, hoping time and inspiration will be on my side, but no....life goes on but I don't seem to be fully participating.

and now Monday evening....

Over coffee this morning Charles and I got to discussing the wonderful yodeling a ninety-one year old friend of ours entertained us with at the Singers' Summer Potluck, - an event hosted by the group Charles sings with every Wednesday morning.

One thing led to another.  We reminisced about another old and good friend who played guitar, sang Wilf Carter songs and was an outstanding yodeller;  well known during World War 11 for entertaining his fellow soldiers, and always popular at parties and get-togethers when we all settled to grow fruit on the Fairview Height Veterans Land project.

We remembered in particular a reunion of Charles' crew members in 1997.   Charles was Seconded to the RAF so there were Scottish and English members of the crew as well, - and one Trinidadian. The overseas  crew flew into Calgary.  Charles and I met them there with a bright red Van and wetravelled leisurely through the Rockies, across central B.C., down the Okanagan Valley and home to Keremeos











When we reached home our children had prepared a wonderful party for our visitors and for our friends in Keremeos who were so anxious to meet these men who had kept their comradeship alive for over fifty years.  At that time Bill, our yodelling friend, sang those wonderful Wilf Carter western cowboy songs and delighted us all once again.  He is sitting beside Charles in one of the pictures below.




Brownie, the Wireless Op, had a movie camera with him and sent us pictures.
We spent the rest of this morning watching the tape on the VCR, with a great deal of poignancy.
Amazingly four of the crew are still alive, but so many of our dear friends who were
with us that day have now left us, except when they are in the room with us,
laughing and talking on the screen, and we would wish to reach out and touch their 
dear hands and hear their voices again.

Sentimental I fear, but there you are.  We are lonely for those
familiar friends who have gone on before us.








3 comments:

The Weaver of Grass said...

Lovely nostalgic post Hildres - and yes, so many people from that era must feel the same.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Oh Hildred, this is such a beautiful post! It is nostalgic and not all happy, but still beautiful. We have definitely reached that stage where so many people have left us too soon (and I think you and Charles have a year or two on us)...so I understand your feelings. And you express them so beautifully, it's very helpful.

And any time you can write about the memories you and Charles share you have inspiration enough!

ChrisJ said...

We will miss you. I empathize with you over friends who have passed on. We have lost five good friends in the last two years.