Tuesday, March 04, 2008


Just once, on a visit to us, Grandpa said he was going to swim. What a surprise - only children and lunatics swim in the freezing, sewage-soupy sea! Even stranger - when he appeared from behind the sand dunes - his bathing suit! My suit had rows of shirring elastic so was all bubbly-bobbly - and never dried once wet. Actually, Grandpa only paddled.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Alison,
Wonderful as usual! I'm so glad I didn't miss your Memory Painting! I can only imagine what a wonderful treasure this will become for your family.
Shirley
http://www.paperandthreads.com

Leslie said...

What a funny memory, Alison! I think I remember the fabric you're talking about that never dried once wet. :)

Unknown said...

I assume that this is a whole line of memory pictures you are doing? They are whimsical, charming, and catch the naive surprise of a ten-year old looking down through time at another generation.

This is the kind of art project that intrigues me the most!
Sandy Jensen
Eugene, Oregon
http://nightvisionjournal.blogspot.com/

Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

I'm glad you didn't do a front view of Grandpa! I remember our awful bathers we had to wear in the early 50s. Heavy wool. But I glammed up with black bathers as a teenager. Never got a bikini until I got skinny one year in Fiji, then because of protocol, couldn't wear them in front of the people!
w.

sandy said...

I love this sketch. And also reading the story behind it.

sandy

Penny said...

I agree with Wendy, glad you did the back view! I remember bobbly bathers too but I am older than you. Bought my first bikini in Sydney when they first came out and then a huge variety of more and more daring ones then put on weight and now not too sure of myself in bathers!! Lot of the time mine were hidden under wet suits in the halcyon diving days. Sometimes we didnt wear any.

Tami said...

Great memory and drawing! I just never tire of these!

Anastasia said...

Beautiful! my grandfather was a strong swimmer ....

quirkyartist said...

Glad to see you're back blogging. This is a great memory drawing. My cousin had one of those bathing suits but I had hand-knitted woollen.

Anonymous said...

I've just found your blog (thanks for the link) and really love your memory drawings -- even being on the other side of the world, some of them made me think of my own childhood, too.

Unknown said...

Yeah, I had those cossies too! I thought I looked quite the thing in my shirred dark green one-piece... do you think they only came in dark green?

Jan Allsopp said...

Oops! My daughter Mallory was home for Easter and I accidentally posted under her id as she didn't log out when she left!

Anonymous said...

I just discovered your memory pictures and they are so very special and I have spent some very enjoyable time browsing through them. Thank you. You are very talented.