A Portrait of Mummy
I remember my first day at school very clearly. I grew up in England. My Mum held my hand as we walked to the infant school. It was in the same road as my house. I was five years old. She walked me there on the first day and on the second day I went by myself. On my first morning, I shyly walked into the playground. There were teachers around and I followed the others into the school hall. This was what they called Assembly. A tall girl rang a hand bell to call us inside.
The school hall was on two levels and us new children had to sit on the wooden steps joining the two sections. We sang ‘All things Bright and Beautiful’ and the head mistress talked all about the new term and new beginnings.
Now, what happened next probably had a lot to do with the fact that at time we didn’t have a television. Neither did we have a fridge, a car, central heating, a washing machine, a phone, or a shower. This was in common with most people in our street.
I looked up from my perch on the hard, dusty steps and there, on the wall was a massive, framed photograph of my Mum. She was wearing an outfit I had never seen her wear before. It was a long silvery, ivory coloured dress. She had a blue sash across her shoulder. She was wearing a crown on her head.
I was really confused by this but couldn’t help staring at it all through Assembly. As we dispersed, I walked right up to the picture, transfixed. One of the teachers put her hand on my shoulder and said, ‘You like the picture of the Queen?’
When I got home, I told my Mum they had a big picture of her in the school hall. She just laughed.
It took me some time to straighten out the difference in my head. My Mum, who was born within 3 weeks of the Queen passed away when I was in my twenties. The actual Queen passed away just before my 60th birthday. But throughout my whole life the one reminded me of the other and when the real monarch died, I shed tears for them both.
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Wow, what a story.
@dj Thank you. I tried to upload a picture of my Mum to go with the story but it failed and there is no attach button on this reply panel. But my Mum really did look a lot like the Queen!
I remember that photograph from my own school days.
@scorpio Yes. I think almost every school in the land would have had that picture. I can also remember the smell of floor polish that went with being at school.
You could maybe try to post that picture of the Queen alongside the photograph of your mother in the Photo Group. 😊
@scorpio Thank you. Great idea. I will. I think it failed to load because it was the wrong format. I have put that right and will do it now.
I know from the photogroup how similar they were. Must have been a crazy experience. My Mum in law was crossed with the queen in our family. Not because of looks but behaviour and style. They shared a birthday and were both such dignified ladies. You just had to respect them. We also mourned them both when our Queen died. Never a real royalist I wax surprisingly sad when she died. The end of an era for sure.
@tjay Yes she had been a constant throughout life, hadn’t she?