Thought for today:
"Today is the birthday of my sister Eileen (The one on the front row LHS). Eileen is the second eldest sister in my family of seven siblings and the third in age ascendancy in the pecking order of privileges within the household and family in which we grew up. Even today, on the few occasions that we manage to get all seven of us together for a family photograph, all siblings naturally take up their pecking-order-place in line in order of age and good looks ascendancy, which coincidentally matches! As the three eldest grew up in a materially-poor, yet, emotionally-rich council-household during the immediate post-war years of the early 50's, rationing books were still in use. Some foods were hard to come across, like fresh eggs, unless a family produced their own in their garden or their unapproved chicken coop. I still recall that as the house breadwinner, my father was given the main body of a boiled egg to eat and as the two eldest children, me and my sister Mary took it in turn to have the top of his egg. Being the next one down the pecking order invariably left our sister Eileen out of this table treat, but me and my sister Mary always made sure that we described to her in copious detail, the delicious and delicate taste of a nice runny egg as it slid down the throat effortlessly to take up temporary residence in the tummy. Those were the days, when the rich went to bed on a full stomach and the poor retired on a wing and a prayer. These were the days when if one was one of seven children and there was only food enough on the table for five or six, you never slept in. These were the days when everyone in every household recognised the natural pecking order in the family hierarchy and each knew their place. Happy Birthday Eileen. Sorry you didn't taste a fresh egg until you were 14 years old. I love you. Your big brother Billy x " William Forde: June 19th, 2013.
"Today is the birthday of my sister Eileen (The one on the front row LHS). Eileen is the second eldest sister in my family of seven siblings and the third in age ascendancy in the pecking order of privileges within the household and family in which we grew up. Even today, on the few occasions that we manage to get all seven of us together for a family photograph, all siblings naturally take up their pecking-order-place in line in order of age and good looks ascendancy, which coincidentally matches! As the three eldest grew up in a materially-poor, yet, emotionally-rich council-household during the immediate post-war years of the early 50's, rationing books were still in use. Some foods were hard to come across, like fresh eggs, unless a family produced their own in their garden or their unapproved chicken coop. I still recall that as the house breadwinner, my father was given the main body of a boiled egg to eat and as the two eldest children, me and my sister Mary took it in turn to have the top of his egg. Being the next one down the pecking order invariably left our sister Eileen out of this table treat, but me and my sister Mary always made sure that we described to her in copious detail, the delicious and delicate taste of a nice runny egg as it slid down the throat effortlessly to take up temporary residence in the tummy. Those were the days, when the rich went to bed on a full stomach and the poor retired on a wing and a prayer. These were the days when if one was one of seven children and there was only food enough on the table for five or six, you never slept in. These were the days when everyone in every household recognised the natural pecking order in the family hierarchy and each knew their place. Happy Birthday Eileen. Sorry you didn't taste a fresh egg until you were 14 years old. I love you. Your big brother Billy x " William Forde: June 19th, 2013.
