The theme image for Sepia Saturday 254 features a man carrying a woman over a river. My dip into the archives this week has a man, a woman and a river; but it is Waterloo Bridge in London that is doing the carrying. The man is myself, the woman is the GLW (Good Lady Wife) and the date must be somewhere around 1970 or 1971.
At the time I was at university up in Keele in Staffordshire whilst Isobel was at university in London. Although we spent the week apart, we would get together each weekend : our meetings being based on a three week cycle - one weekend she would travel up to Staffordshire, the next I would travel down to London, and the third we would both return to our homes in Halifax. The weekend of the photograph was obviously a London weekend and you can clearly see the Houses of Parliament in the background and the Royal Festival Hall to the left of the photograph.
Within two or three years of the photograph being taken, we had married and I had moved down to London and started working for the Inner London Education Authority at County Hall; the building that you can just make out over my right shoulder. A year later I had moved on and I was working as an early version of what is now known as a "spin doctor" for the Labour Party at their Smith Square headquarters which was adjacent to Parliament and therefore just above my left shoulder in the photograph.
It is interesting that, what started with an attempt to match a Sepia Saturday theme image, has turned into a chapter of an autobiography I have yet to write. If I ever do so, I am tempted to call the chapter dealing with the 1970s - "Life Over My Shoulders".
When you have finished looking over my shoulder you can see what other Sepia Saturday contributors are looking at this week by visiting the SEPIA SATURDAY Blog and following the various links.
I suspect that many of us would look over our shoulders much more cautiously than this.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a hot, adorable and SWEET couple you are!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! I recognized you two immediately!
ReplyDeleteA very engaging and prophetic photo indeed. But I suppose that's all water under the bridge now.
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrific shot!
ReplyDeleteSuper, your river trumps mine any day! But where is your link on SS?
ReplyDeleteI like that abbreviation, GLW, and rivers always make for good backgrounds. The Thames must feature in millions of family photographs, but the subjects in the foreground aren't always so attractive as you and your GLW.
ReplyDelete"Life Over My Shoulders" would be a good title for a collection of selfies.
ReplyDeleteHaving met you both ‘in real life’ I can only agree with Mike that this was a snapshot of what was to come. I’ve got a matching photo from your visit here; almost the same clinch.
ReplyDeleteYou've changed, London has changed - but it's fun looking back. I guess if you'd been able to look forward then, you would not have been displeased how things were going to turn out.
ReplyDeleteWhat a striking picture, good looking couple!
ReplyDeleteWell you snuck this one in without a link on Sepia Saturday. But reading your post makes me think that Backgrounds would make a good theme for Sepia Saturday.
ReplyDeleteVery charming!
ReplyDeleteLove your history! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd a very handsome couple too. Write that book.
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