Friday, November 23, 2012

Sepia Saturday 153 : 3.3GHz, Duel Core, All-In-One Sisters


When I returned from holiday a couple of weeks ago I switched on my somewhat ancient computer and, like an old man climbing a steep hill to collect his pension, it started loading Windows. A day and a half later it succeeded! Well a nod is as good as a wink to a blind donkey and I quickly realised that it was time to go into the marketplace and buy a new machine. For the last week, I have been immersed in that strange world of computer specifications; trying to decide whether I should buy expensive and sleek or cheap and nasty, a Mick or a Mac, a desktop or a black-bottom (you will note how easily I have mastered the language). I will not bore you with what I have bought - other than to say that it leans heavily towards the cheap and nasty end of the scale - but I feel I must warn you that it is due for delivery today and therefore I suspect we might be in for a technological interregnum whilst I battle to discover which wire I plug in the wall socket and which I tie my mouses' tail to. I thought it wise, therefore, to get my Sepia Saturday post up before the change-over period commences.

Our Sepia Saturday prompt this week has a delightful pair of girls who may appear to be sisters but in fact are not (for the full story - or rather for the start of the story, you will have to look at my post on the Sepia Saturday Blog). My response to the prompt is a photograph of two sisters : my mother Gladys (on the left) and her sister Amy (standing). I suspect I may have used this picture before several years ago and for those with a long memory (4Gb on-board and a massive 1Tb hard disk) I do apologise. 

In his introduction to one of my very favourite books, The Old Wives' Tale, Arnold Bennett talks about seeing two old sisters dining in a restaurant in Paris and speculating what their lives must have been like and this speculation became the basis of what is a wonderful novel. My picture is like a telescope viewed from the other end : here you see the two young women and you need to speculate what their lives were like. If you do the experiment with my photograph of Gladys and Amy, you will have to use your imagination. However, if you do the experiment with Lala and Elgie (the two girls in the theme image) you might want to make use of a Google search.

Whatever sepia exercise you want to indulge in, you starting point, as always, is the Sepia Saturday Blog where you can find links to not only all the other Sepia Saturday contributors, but also to the original photograph of LaLa and Elgie.

24 comments:

  1. I love these old photographs of children - their dress, hairstyle, pose and expressions - and yours is a beauty.

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  2. That's a cracker of a photo. Lucky you to have it!

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  3. You have me very curious about LaLa and Elgie. I am wondering if I should wait to see if a fellow Sepian covers that ground or whether to go off on a journey of my own.

    With the door open behind them, you can almost sense that sister Amy is ready to step out into her adult life leaving childhood behind. Great photo!

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  4. Later images of your mother on holiday are passing through my mind as I look at this photo.

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  5. You have to be careful posting images of kids these days. The thought police may be looking, although in this case the statute of limitations may apply.

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  6. The photographer certainly had an eye for composition. I wonder what answer you would get if your asked your girls, if they remember, what they hoped to do with their life.

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  7. It's a lovely old photograph! And they do look like sisters!

    Best of luck with the new computer. After the initial adjustment and getting your fingers used to the new keyboard and all, I hope it's a pleasure to use!

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  8. Your mother sure was a cutie, eh? And I noticed the bracelet she's got on...perhaps we're related, as I, too, have a plain gold bangle that I wear all the time. Nice photo...

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  9. Interesting metaphor to look backwards in a telescope! And thanks fro giving us lots of prompting.

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  10. Oh I see what you did here, Alan. A window photo on a post about Windows. A lovely image that inspires great writing to frame it beautifully.

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  11. Great old shot. It reminds me of my mother and her sister from a similar time.

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  12. I think it is kind of funny that we both came up with a mother/sister picture. A very charming photograph!

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  13. Funny the things we notice. Deb - your mother's bracelet. Me - your mother's shoes. Good luck with the technology challenges.

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  14. Oh, my, you too? It is such a drag to have to start over and learn new stuff, isn't it? But, now you have a new machine that should last you for several years.

    Love the photo!

    Kathy M.

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  15. Good luck on your computer endeavors! I just adore what the photographer did for this photo, it's quite perfect how the one girl appears to be stepping out of a house onto a patio or something, and takes your mind away from an in-studio shot! Perfect photo. I did have limited time but I tried google to discover something about your girls (as I've been calling them) hahahaha! But I do hope you disclose just what all you have on them if you do! Okay?!!!

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  16. That's an artsistically 'framed' shot if ever I saw one! i'm sorry you didn't lean towards a Mac; I would have enjoyed helping you discover its delights!

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  17. That is an interesting prop, but the angle is kind of disorienting. The window seems to lean one way and the bench the other.

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  18. Charming photograph! I wonder what the occasion was for the photograph. As Postcardy noted, the props used were quite interesting.

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  19. These 2 really do look like sisters. I know that should be obvious, but in my family, there are many sisters who do not favor. My own daughters don't even look like they're from the same family.

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  20. That's one gorgeous photo. I love the beautiful dresses and the photographer's set is so pretty with the paned windows. Those photographers had to be set dressers as well as good with the camera. This example seems extra special.
    Nancy

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  21. I'm so familiar with that "nod is as good as a wink ...". I am currently awaiting the delivery of an iPad which I ordered online a week ago, Sunday, thinking it would be here next day. Unfortunately, when I saw the option, "free engraving", I decided to take advantage of it. This has resulted in quite a journey for my iPad, starting out in Chengdu, China, moving on to Incheon, Korea; Anchorage, Alaska; Lexington, Kentucky, and then Buffalo, NY! At last track, it was said to be near Hamilton, ON which is only a short drive from me. The doorbell could go any minute now!

    Once I get the darned thing, Wii it up, and add my apps, I shall Google away and explore the world of Lala and Elgie. If I had more information, I'm sure I'd be digging into Ancestry.com to find out about Gladys and Amy who are equally as captivating.

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  22. Anonymous6:25 AM

    A lovely picture of your Mum and her sister - I like the way one is indoors and the other is outdoors. Happy new computer!

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  23. Lovely old photo! Good luck with your new machine...I hope all goes well:)

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  24. Between the techno babble and the lovely photograph,
    this was certainly a fun post.
    Long live your new PC, and you as well, of course.
    :)~
    HUGZ

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