The love of listing

'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards'

Soren Kierkegaard

Mom's exercise books full of lists.

An early list, 'Gifts received for Sharon' 

No one could list like my mother.

Looking back her love of listing is part of me and my sisters. We love stationery and are never without a notepad, journal or a piece of paper for a to-do list.

My love of listing manifests itself in bird check-sheets, a life list of birds seen, and on my latest holiday I listed any number of things including Ben & Jerry Ice-creams.

I have notebooks that she left me with her detailed planning for my engagement and wedding and not surprisingly, I too have notebooks for my engagement and wedding - full of lists.

My daughter Shawni was married earlier this year; she has a wedding notebook too. She too loves stationery and she lists.

This set of exercise books in the photo belonged to my Mom and they cover everything from collective nouns to Greek Mythology, she collected words, phrases and definitions, for crosswords and for scrabble. Her favourite was the You Magazine Blockword. I wonder what Mom would of made of the quick search on Google?

A quick peep into one of the exercise books; a male donkey is a jack and a female donkey a jenny or jennet.

My plan is to take all these notebooks down to our Loft in Amanzintoti for my scrabble games with family and friends.

What a treat to find Mom's typed list from 1956 among her things, my birth gifts.

Amazing.



First baby, first photo shoot, I love these dear little black and white 'rough proofs' that lie in my box.

Mom with me at my first formal photoshoot.