Surprise Visit from Cousin Tracy!

I've just woken up; not a lot of sleep for me last night; too many things on my mind. I had just got out the bath yesterday afternoon, when I had an anxious message from Ged at the bar, asking me to come into work urgently.  Quickly I got ready and was out of the door in a flash. It doesn't take too long to get to Calle Holanda, from the top of the ravine where myself and Darrell live and we were there within ten minutes!

As I ran up to LoungeD, I was greeted by Ged, pointing to a Lady stood behind the bar, introducing her to me, as a new member of staff. I must have looked rather confused, it has to be said. I walked over to speak to her, when she finally introduced herself as Tracy, my Cousin; I haven't seen in thirty years. It was quite an emotional reunion. The last time I saw Tracy, she was sporting a large 80s perm and I was still a teenager!

​As a family we were large; Tracy reminded me yesterday how my Great Gran had twenty children and lived in a tiny two bedroom cottage in Gordon Road, Fareham. 'Kids these days, don't know they are born.' Such a true saying; we have no idea of the hardships suffered by our family in generations gone by. We used to be a very close family, always having family events in Funtley Hall, a local venue that looked rather like an air raid shelter from the Second World War; accordingly the Tracy, the old building still stands and the family still use it as a location for events and milestones in their life.

Tracy is the daughter of my Great Aunty Carol, my Nanny Poppy's sister, who is still alive, well and kicking, God bless her. If I remember rightly Carol was the same age as my Mother, or there about's. Sadly I don't have any photographs of Tracy from back in the day, when I last saw her; probably at her wedding in 1988; if she reads this blog, I know she will pass some on to me, which I would dearly love to see. 

It is sad how families drift apart over the years, but in this modern World, I guess it is more a fact of life now, than ever. Fifteen years ago I began to research my family tree, tracing the lineage on my fathers side back to the 1500s; I wasn't so successful on my Grandmothers side, but would like to ask, if any of my family who read this blog, have any details and documents, please could you email them. Seeing Tracy has given me that 'Family Tree Bug' again and I would like to continue my research. Any old family photo's, birth, death and marriage certificates, that you may have lying around, just scan them into your PC and I can use them to continue looking back, towards a family, that at one stage was the biggest in Hampshire.

It was fantastic seeing my Cousin and her wonderful family yesterday; it has brought a lot of memories flooding back. I promise, I wont leave it so long in future and look forward to seeing you all again, one day soon!