Polaroid Posterity

Very exciting announcements from Joe today; not sure what it is all going to mean in terms of difference from the way Blipfoto is currently operating, but I can't wait to find out. 

Polaroid is an such an iconic brand, particularly for those of us of a certain age.  So, I looked out some of my earliest snaps from the photo album, all Polaroids taken on my Dad's Polaroid Instamatic camera, which was the height of technology back in the 70's.  And it really stirred the emotions to look at them again.  Anti-clockwise from top:

Girl in a white jumper - me, seventeen and a half, pregnant.  Unlike a couple of my friends, my parents did not demand that I get my baby adopted.  Instead, they provided a safe and happy home for me and my little one to live in until I was confident enough to get a place of my own.

Charles - two years younger, my late brother was the first in the family to know I had given birth.  We did not have a phone at home, so Charles regularly cycled on his Butcher's bike to the nearest phone box to find out how I was doing. 

Granny and Grandad Dempsey.  Abi's paternal grandparents were a lovely couple; he was a real gentleman who always wore a shirt and tie, even in the house.  She was a wee Dundonian lady, an ex- millgirl, who had a fierce temper and a great sense of humour. 

My youngest brother, Peter. As my younger siblings were not all that much older than her, my daughter's childhood was a lot of fun with Uncles and an Aunt who were more like brothers and a sister.

And lastly, this one unexpectedly caused me to well up and get quite emotional when I took it out of the album and read the caption on the back: "Dad, aged 63, with me and Abi aged 4 months".  My wee old Dad was only 5 years older in this Polaroid than I am now.  He loved his first grandchild so much that he used to come home ever day at lunchtime just so he could see her. 

So, Polaroid (and also Kodak and Fuji and all the rest) thanks for (capturing) the memories.  And Blipfoto - thanks for making me think just a little bit more each day about what really matters to me, and what makes me happy. 

Clue: it ain't money.