Auntie Knows Best

This pic is a really special one to me although I cannot take credit for taking it. It was taken by my very talented friend Paul Mariess and I nicked borrowed it.

This house belonged to my grandparents and was called Manora. We spent so much time up there and it has the most wonderful sea views. It looks out across the west coast with views over Cobo Beach. Beautiful in the lovely weather and absolutely wild when the weather is rough. Such a wonderful view.

They are now ripping down the house to replace it with a glass fronted modern building. I am sure it will be spectacular but I wish they had attempted to restore Manora to its glory. It could have been so beautiful although it would have required an awful lot of money to sort it out.

Time moves on, but this house holds so, so many special memories and in my minds eye I can still picture my little, hunched Gran Nora sitting in her winged chair in the window with her fat tabby cat on her lap and watching the sea out of the window.

Memories… so many of them…

– Christmasses spent sat in the hallway opening masses of presents.
– My cousins wrestling with each other in the hallway.
– Going to bed in Gran’s bed at Christmas with my cousin Beccy reading stories to us.
– Climbing up into the funny little loft space at the front of the garage to find the bullet holes.
– Sitting next to Gran on her bed when she was really quite poorly and talking to her about day-to-day stuff.
– Sitting on the granite wall at the front watching my bigger boy cousins jumping off the rocks into the sea in the gully below.
– The house had a particular smell all of it’s own and that long room which looked out onto the sea contained the most exciting thing in the house… Grandma’s button box.
– After Gran died going to the house with all the family to claim a few bits and pieces which ended up with the family emptying Gran Nora’s hat box and having pics taken wearing her creations.
– Spitting prune stones across the formica topped table in the kitchen.
– Sitting next to Gran on her bed when she was really quite poorly and talking to her about day-to-day stuff.

So many meals, so many hours spend with the family, so many tears and shrieks of laughter. So much noise! Most of all, so much love.

Manora will always hold a very, very special place in my heart.