The prompt this week shows children holding hands in a circle. I don't have any similar family photographs, but like Marilyn, I do have a sweet one of a brother and sister holding hands. In this case my mother-in-law Mary was out walking in the city somewhere with her little brother Cyril, who was some seven years younger than his big sister.
Cyril Olds was born in Hull,Yorkshire in 1932. He enjoyed working outdoors but later joined the Civil Service and became a VAT inspector, although he always said he didn't really like having to tell people of their tax liabilities. He didn't marry until he was 50, at which time he gave up smoking. Cyril always referred to Margaret as his bride. They enjoyed over 30 happy years of married life together but sadly he passed away almost a year ago from lung cancer.
The photo below shows Cyril when we last saw him in 2014, in the spring garden of the family property,Yew Tree Farm in Clehonger near Hereford. Margaret and her late first husband had been next door neighbours ever since Cyril's parents Frank and Doris Olds bought the farm in 1956. After she was widowed Margaret downsized to a cottage just across the road, and following their marriage in 1984 Cyril moved in there too. He looked after Yew Tree Farm in his spare time, maintaining the cider apple orchard and tending the gardens that he had established, and at various times he raised or agisted sheep, pigs and cattle in the fields. Cyril and Margaret also ran a nursery business from the greenhouses that Cyril had installed behind the barn. They had no children but always had a dog or two for company. Here is a photo I've posted previously of Cyril and his mother Doris at work gathering apples when I first met them in 1976. At that time Cyril was a bachelor in his early 40s, and we went with him on a day trip from Hereford up to Hull to 'see a man about a dog'. It wasn't a sightseeing trip. Cyril drove fast and stuck to the motorways, stopping only once or twice at roadside service centres for sustenance, so we didn't see much of the English countryside at all. When we returned his mother asked how the drive had been, and Cyril assured her in his broad Yorkshire accent that there had not been much traffic, and "what there was, we passed".
The photo below shows Cyril when we last saw him in 2014, in the spring garden of the family property,Yew Tree Farm in Clehonger near Hereford. Margaret and her late first husband had been next door neighbours ever since Cyril's parents Frank and Doris Olds bought the farm in 1956. After she was widowed Margaret downsized to a cottage just across the road, and following their marriage in 1984 Cyril moved in there too. He looked after Yew Tree Farm in his spare time, maintaining the cider apple orchard and tending the gardens that he had established, and at various times he raised or agisted sheep, pigs and cattle in the fields. Cyril and Margaret also ran a nursery business from the greenhouses that Cyril had installed behind the barn. They had no children but always had a dog or two for company. Here is a photo I've posted previously of Cyril and his mother Doris at work gathering apples when I first met them in 1976. At that time Cyril was a bachelor in his early 40s, and we went with him on a day trip from Hereford up to Hull to 'see a man about a dog'. It wasn't a sightseeing trip. Cyril drove fast and stuck to the motorways, stopping only once or twice at roadside service centres for sustenance, so we didn't see much of the English countryside at all. When we returned his mother asked how the drive had been, and Cyril assured her in his broad Yorkshire accent that there had not been much traffic, and "what there was, we passed".
Cyril. above right, with his wife Margaret, his younger sister Helen and their nephew Roger (son of Mary), in April 2014.
Photo taken from the upstairs bedroom window of the farm.
Young Cyril has headed home and his tractor now stands idle in the greenhouse. Without him, the future of the farm is uncertain.
May 2015
Over the years Cyril and Margaret visited Australia several times, staying with big sister Mary in Canberra and exploring parts of the coastline from Queensland down to Sydney. Helen and Margaret are coming again to spend Christmas with their sister/sister-in-law next month.
R.I.P. Cyril Walter Olds, 19.10.1932 - 14.12.2014
The Black Sorrows, Hold on to Me
To find out who else may be holding hands or playing games for Sepia Saturday #307,
just click here.
12 comments:
Cyril in the first photo is sweet enough to steal my heart! What a cute little boy!
That;s a truly lovely story, the family closeness
He looks like a very sweet man. I am surprised no one snapped him up earlier. Maybe there is hope for my son yet. LOL.
I believe Cyril was engaged when he was much younger, but that the young lady broke it off, and it took him a long time to recover from the disappointment.
Hi Jo...nice to meet you. I stopped by from your comment you left on Liz Needles blog for Sepia Saturday and enjoyed your images...both the days of yore and today's times. Well done.
Don't you just love the class and style of days gone by? They knew how to dress for sure.
A charming photo and sweet memory. It's curious how similar your choice is to Marilyn's this weekend.
Cyril was a cute little boy. Mary looks very grown-up for her age.
Yes, I think Mary as the oldest child had to help her mother in caring for her younger siblings, especially Cyril who was apparently quite frail as a child.
What interesting photos and a story of Cyril's life in a nutshell.
Love the part about Cyril's driving.
That’s such a lovely photo of Cyril and his sister holding hands, and I did enjoy getting to know a bit more about his life later on.
Great stories about a man and his life, both as a youngster and as he matured and changed. Thanks.
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