A picture of my pappou (centre) from 1945, whilst serving with the British in Ismailia, Egypt.

Last Sun ii

Last Sun

Love this photo of my sister, brother (& nephew) soaking up the last of the summer sun in 2012, taken with my old brownie box camera.

Pram Pushers

Apparently there was some sunshine in London last summer, after all. Sunny enough to use my old brownie box camera, light leaks and all.

Family Reunion

Οδυσσέας

Belated (as usual) congrats to my sis & Alex and welcome to my first little nephew, Odysseus! Who joined the world 12 days ago. Can't wait to dress him up in all sorts of animal suits, oh yeah...

Nan's house

Here are some photos I took recently, trying to tell a story about my nan.

Recently my nan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So far, it mostly affects her short-term memory: she can't remember if she's eaten, or what the last sentence she just read was about. Her longer term memory is largely intact. She knows she's been diagnosed, still remembers who everyone is, and what her past is. 

As she was always quite a reserved woman, and as I grew up in a different country from her, I've been keen to hear more about what kind of life she's had and what she's seen in her time. She's travelled a lot and like most people her age lived through tough times.

But the stories are harder to get to than I first realised: she forgets what she's talking about mid-sentence, trails off, gets confused and lost. Trying to talk about the past seems quite uncomfortable for her. In effect, it feels like these memories are trapped inside her.

The memory held in her muscles however is still strong. Her motor skills are very much intact, in fact she powers through her routine of daily household chores with enormous strength.

Her house is immaculately ordered, everything has its place. If you are foolish enough to leave a half-drunk cup of tea lying around, it'll be washed, dried and put away in a snap.

This is my documentation of a place rife with memories, and my attempts to trace and decode the map of knick-knacks and souvenirs that make up the story of a life lived.

To be honest the pictures came out very grainy, and though they sort of add to the idea of haziness and vagueness I think I might try to re-shoot some of these next time I go to visit her. 

A Year in Instant Photos: December 2011

Family tiime.

For comparison: Xmas 2010.

A Year in Instant Photos: September 2011

Dusk on the veranda ii

Pappous & the pets

Dusk on the veranda

With family and honorary member (Louna).

Morning in the Mountains

Photo of my brother from a visit to a friend's house in the Troodos mountains last summer. Lovely fresh morning.

Γιαγιά και Παππούς

Grandparents - photo taken on Xmas Day 2009

More pictures of the old folks here.

Brotherly love

Brrrlin

Xmas in Berlin, 2010

PHOTOAUTOMAT - BERLIN ii

PHOTOAUTOMAT - BERLIN

 

Last Xmas

Humming along to this tune thinking about last year's feast, lovingly laid out by my uncle & aunts