family | Frances Bell

When you cannot string words together as a narrative, turn to textile art

My last post (one of only two since my oldest son Dan Bell died on 1 July 2021) was Loosely connected thoughts on the anniversary of the death of my son Dan Bell – Part 1 , where I wrote about writing, including academic writing (from which I had quickly stepped away when Dan was…

Loosely connected thoughts on the anniversary of the death of my son Dan Bell – Part 1

1. Friday 1 July is the first anniversary of Dan’s death. I find writing very difficult and have done over some time. Still, I know that writing (privately and publicly) is a good way for me to address that difficulty. Writing, thinking, reading, talking with good friends, loving my family and friends, sewing, knitting, quilting:…

An 80th Wedding Anniversary

On 26 December 1940, my parents, Vincent Richardson and Elise Crampsey, got married at the Sacred Heart Church in Drummond Place, Grangemouth, one of many couples getting married in that year. I can’t find the data for Scotland but 1940 was the peak year for marriages in England and Wales from 1862-2009. Vincent hailed from…

Gradually, then Suddenly – caring and careful responses to COVID-19

“How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked. “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.” “What brought it on?” “Friends,” said Mike. “I had a lot of friends. False friends. Then I had creditors, too. Probably had more creditors than anybody in England.” https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/08/06/bankrupt/ The idea of gradually then suddenly was playing around in my…

Archaeology of family life

Diving through the layers of ‘stuff’ in our home office that was virtually unusable because of all the ‘stuff’, I found this lovely artefact in my late aunt’s Scrabble set. It is a diary that reveals two layers. The diary dates from 1965 My aunt Celie was a civil servant and she had acquired this…