26 Comments
May 25, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

Seriously, an incredible piece of writing.

You are capable of anything.

Expand full comment
author
May 25, 2023·edited May 25, 2023Author

Thanks for your encouragement. I very much appreciate your belief in me, Mark.

These are a few other recent (ish) ones in a similar vein although about different experiences.

https://juliedee.substack.com/p/tea-bread-and-angels

https://juliedee.substack.com/p/auntie-edie

https://juliedee.substack.com/p/a-pinch-of-salt

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

My god Julie you can write.. 🤩

What a wonderful story full of emotions both your journey and memories of my own

Favourite sentence -

“One of those beige teddy bear sort of women,  blonde, plump and sturdy.”

X

Expand full comment
author
May 22, 2023·edited May 22, 2023Author

I cried when I wrote this one. It was such a powerful experience, looking forward to seeing someone again for so many years only for them to not know who you are. It absolutely broke my heart at the time💔

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

❤️

Expand full comment

Probably the best comment under this post.

Yes, she can write.

You've identified a segment that touches you.

I identified one, too.

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

Thank you Julie.

Better than a TARDIS 🤗💚

Expand full comment
author

Glad you enjoyed:)

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

All we have is love and light .all that matters is love. Love is the answer to everything

Expand full comment

Ahh that was a lovely reminiscence - and a little heart breaking!

Expand full comment
author

That’s kind of how it was for me at the time. Bittersweet.

Taught me you can never go back though, only forwards or you are always disappointed.

Expand full comment

That's lovely Julie. I think you need to write a book or 5 ❤️📝📙📖

Expand full comment
author

Apart from my own life story I’m not sure what it would be about 😂😂

Expand full comment
founding

This was so beautiful and did fill me with a feeling of loss. So relatable, even though it is clearly such a personal experience. For me, it evoked that feeling you get when you pass a pub that has closed down or somewhere that used to be a video rental as your past slips through your fingers. I get it as my daughter grows up and certain favourites and routines fall by the wayside. The loss of these things does somewhat feel like a betrayal although you have no reasonable right to feel that way. I’m also aghast at the way memories seem to drop out of our head as we age. I walked part of the Leeds canal the other day, thinking it would be a new experience. I was disconcerted to vaguely recognise a stretch of the towpath as one that I had used a lot to cycle to work in my mid 20’s. I seemed to have completely forgotten a whole swathe of former existence until the landscape reminded me. Thank you for delving into your memories for us.

Expand full comment
author

It was such a game changer of a holiday.

When my little brother suddenly produced a crystal he’d shoplifted for me, wanting to impress me, it seemed to sum the whole prickly experience up really. Just like “No, no! It was never, never like this before….”

Life lessons eh?

Expand full comment
May 23, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

Not surprising...you actually knew her. Dementia is the most cruel disease.

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

That's beautiful Julie. And I've just had a little sniffle x

Expand full comment
author
May 23, 2023·edited May 23, 2023Author

Glad you liked it. Yeah, I shed a little tear when I wrote it too xx

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

The perfect natural shape. I imagine rubbings would look fabulous. What amazing wallpaper or fabric that would make.

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

Oh wow! Lived in Meva until I was 16. My mother’s family owned fishing boats so it was a pretty feral childhood down by the harbour. 😂😂

Expand full comment
author

Is Mevagissey the place with the big scallop shells or was that Fowey? We always did the trip together so I can’t remember but I know it was one of them.

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

Meva was awash with scallop shells. My Granfer had a trawler and scallops were my favourite thing he would catch. Sometimes would trawle up a lobster so we’d have it for tea. That was in the days before quotas of course! Fowey not so much a fishing port as it doesn’t have a harbour

Expand full comment
author

I used to collect them to do crayon rubbings from them on paper when I got home. What a lovely place to grow up ❤️

Expand full comment
May 22, 2023Liked by Julie Dee

My Granny was the Ann Phillips of Mevagissey. Did you ever go there?

Expand full comment
author

Yes I did, on the coach! ‘Fowey and Mevagissey”

It’s all so beautiful isn’t it?

Expand full comment