Josie – born in May 1987 and given to us by Geraldine Forehead of ‘Hounds Cottage’ animal rescue in July of that year. Faded away in 2002.
You’ve seen this picture before – nearly. Same briefcase but it’s 14 years later. Josie was very different from Ginnie. She wasn’t very bright but was photogenic and learned that we liked her to pose. She was quite happy to do that but had some odd problems, like falling off the seawall when we were out for a walk and other sorts of dyspraxic things. Somehow this made her more precious to us.
She liked people and was the nearest thing you could get to a living soft-toy. One of the games we would play would be to throw her onto the sofa or a bed. She loved it and would quickly come back for more.
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1: Funny how it took the rest of the world another 25 years to catch on to the beard thing. By then, of course, I was clean shaven – they’ll catch up with that too, eventually, won’t they?
2: Evan had a vicious buck Lop rabbit (in the box) so Josie was taking her life in her hands (ignorance is bliss!). The black & white photos were for one of Evan’s school projects.
3: Karl and Josie in cuddly toy mode.
4: Joining in at the barbecue with Evan and a French exchange student.
5: We used to meet Brian and his two collies almost every day on our walks in James’ Copse at Lovedean.
6: Maggie was very cross with me for taking this picture which I felt demonstrated the old saying about people growing to look like their dogs – same hairstyle and colour!
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We were privileged to be able to walk into open fields just at the end of our road and wander about along many footpaths and the woods of James Copse. Paradise for dogs!
Josie had amazing hair – no, not fur – with no ‘undercoat’. In summer she was prone to some sort of skin complaint, so I had to bathe her in tea-tree oil shampoo once a fortnight – quite a business! So we decided to give her a trim – she looks quite reproachful! It didn’t stop her posing, though, even with Evan’s Lop which seems to be having a peaceful turn, for a change.
Of course, her lack of fur became a problem in winter, so Maggie knitted her a coat – she looks ptretty underwhelmed about that, too! She soon shook that off although the snow was a little more difficult …
And, finally, a few more poses – some less formal than others!
Peter Robert Turnill, third and youngest son of Joan, b 1/5/1947, m 19/10/1971
Little more than a shed! The picture shows it in 1982 shortly before we demolished it. The house to the left was built by Joan and occupies half the plot they bought in 1952. They had about 2/3 of an acre of ground.
Margaret Ianthe ? ? Hanson, first child of Derwent & Margaret, b ??/??/1942, m ????? d ??/??/2008? Ellen holds Ianthe – taken 1/3/43
Richard Brian Turnill, first child of Joan & Victor, b 23/10/1942, d 12/1/1961. Douglas must have got lost somewhere.
They certainly did …
Derwent George Cooper Hanson was their 3rd child, born 8/9/1918, and thus just 21 at the start of the war. Died ??/??/??
Margaret Williams, born ??????,
