Before My Time #4

I learned such a lot about what made my Nan the woman she was, doing tonight's blip, but more of that later!

The Mate, my business partner, Richard, wants me to thank you all for your kind wishes while he has been in hospital. When I took him up to the Infirmary for an out-patient appointment last Tuesday he never expected to be admitted and not discharged until today. 

He suffers a chest complaint which is termed COPD so when he caught a cold before Christmas he suffered badly and had to see his doctor. She arranged for him to see a consultant who advised that he stay in hospital, in isolation with barrier nursing as there was a chance that he may have had TB. That was why it was a relief, yesterday to have the diagnosis of pneumonia!

He was given lots of antibiotics, is feeling much better and is looking forward to life getting back to normal.

So, about the blip:

I started the new year off with the idea of, perhaps, a weekly item even older than me, that has meant something to me. If I subsequently part with any of these items, at least I will still have the image and the story.

#4 Primrose Painting

This is one of two oil paintings hanging in my lounge, this one bearing the date 1894. They belonged to my Great Aunt and I inherited them. She had been given them by the artist, or more, likely, one had been given to my Nan and one had been given to my Aunt when they left her employment.

As young girls my Nan and her sister had gone into service, far from Whitehaven. They went to work for the Revd Richard Whincup and his family near Shipley in Yorkshire. My Nan cooked and my Aunt was a nursery maid. During this time my Nan learned a lot about etiquette and how things were done properly and she brought these traditions back to her own home.

However, what I discovered through the wonders of the internet was that the artist, the vicar's wife Catherine (Matilda Catherine Russell Johnson), had been a strong, leading force in her village during her husband's abscence in wartime and had raised money to keep the school and the church going. I could see now how working for this lady had made my Nan the head-strong woman she was enabling her to tackle every job that needed done!

Mum thought Catherine was a member of the Royal Accademy