A little turquoise Autograph Book

My Autogragh Book which I have kept since the late sixties. How I loved collecting the messages and autographs.

Today we bought Brasso and Fred cleaned up a small piece of copper I have in my little turquoise Autograph Book. It's a finely etched drawing of a baobab, dated 23-7-67, my eleventh birthday, signed Sissie.

Messina.
A holiday with extended family on my maternal grandfather's side. I remember this particular trip and only because of this little book.
Everything is vague though, who Sissie is, who wrote the message in my book signed Roos, Messina, but the pleasure from putting the copper drawing in the autograph book lingers.

I have a wedding photo of my maternal grandparents hanging in the house and I feel as though I am seeing them for the first time, so interesting what the blogging is creating for me.
Pa is fresh faced with a wide open forehead, the gentle smile on his face, in fact he is good-looking, Nan's headgear and veil drowns her somewhat and she looks a little tense.
I do not know the rest of the folks in the photo, we did have an Aunty Edoo who lived down the road from my grandparents and gave me huge dolls as a child, wonder if that is her to the left of Pa?










Nan was a typist.
She prepared the typed messages in my autograph book from her and Pa, I love the curling 'N' of her Nan and her signature on the autograph wall, that's Mom's just below hers, D E Wedderburn.
Then the only writing I have found of my Pa so far, his signature, top right on the photo above, Pa v d Veen. My father mentioned that Pa was a Superintendent of Factories at Iscor.

My Pa walking Mom into the church, my cousin Ian as the beautiful pageboy.

Now to dip into Nan's letter cards sent from Messina....