My Much Missed Grandma
My Grandma Parkes was everything a grandmother should be. She was kind, a patient teacher (I learned numerous crafts from her), cuddly and a great cake baker. She was a professional musician all her life, working as piano accompanist to my grandfather Cecil, who played the violin. I was very fortunate to have been able to spend one night a week with both my grandparents for the whole of my final year at Loreto, Mandeville Hall. Ceramics was not offered there at that time, so I went each Wednesday night to classes at Hawksburn, a short walk from Grandma and Grandpa’s home. We invariably had chops and boiled veggies for dinner. I loved it!
This photo of May Parkes (née Broderick) was taken in the late 1980s for a passport for a trip to New Zealand. I wish she had stepped into a photobooth more frequently as I’d love to have one or two booth pics of her as a young woman. She was a most attractive lady in her heyday.
Photobooth Journal 
Your grandmother sounds like such a special lady. And I think I said before, but it’s always the best to have photo treasures like these when they’re the people you love.
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Yes, she was special. One thing I couldn’t figure out about such an independent women (as she was), is that she gave up driving when she married Grandpa in 1925. Grandpa never drove. I always wonder what happened to her Model-T Ford. I have one photo of her driving it. She looks so splendid in it!
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Even more amazing! You might have to sneak that Model-T Ford picture into a post!
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That is a good idea. I know that it is in a photo album, that is in a box, which is in a bigger box, that is in the top of a wardrobe at my Mum’s house, so it may be a while before I find it! I was thinking about putting in one or two of Grandma’s professional portraits from her younger days, too, so they could go in a post with the car..
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That is just fabulous!! You made me cry when I saw that! She really was the best Grandma ever!!! Penny is thrilled to have May as her middle name!
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Tell Penny May that we are all thrilled, too!
She really was the epitome of the word “grandma”. She would be chuffed to think that her picture makes us so happy. xxxx
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