Today's collection of photos come from a huge haul - the largest I've seen - that appeared on my desk late on Friday afternoon. I've barely scratched the surface, but the following images are the ones that made an immediate impression.It will take time to trawl through the contents. So far, all I know is that the family in these pictures lived in a council house in Manchester. They may also have had an Irish connection, as there are lots of photos of rugged scenery and priests:
This photo would be entirely unremarkable, if it wasn't for the fact that the man looks as he is emerging from a hole in the ground.
It's a novelty to see anyone on a scooter these days, particularly an older woman. But in my childhood, I remember several local mums and grannies beeping at me as they whizzed past, with several bags of shopping precariously balanced at the back.
An idyllic scene. Would a scooter holiday be feasible on today's congested roads, with juggernauts and 4x4s rushing past?
Is she really grabbing the seagull by the foot?
I'm fairly certain that the seagull-assaulting scooterist is an older incarnation of the girl of the middle.
I had no idea that flat caps were so big in the north - literally. In my family photos, even the poorest men usually wore hats, but caps were obviously de rigeur in this part of the world.
I rather like this woman's tea cosy-style hat (I shall refrain from passing comment about anyone else in the picture).
The caravan holiday: outdoor loos, gas lighting and a communal water pump. A far cry from today's caravans, with their en suite bedrooms, satellite televisions and electric ovens.
There are many photos of holidays in the British Isles, but also a few from more exotic locations like Gozo:
Out of the hundreds of black and white photos in the collection, this one stood out: a lovely portrait, beautifully lit and composed.
I also like the 'staged' pose in this photo.
I though that rowing was supposed to be a pleasurable activity, but the grim expressions on these people's faces suggests that they've just had a terrible row (as in rhymes with cow).These photos could end up being the visual equivalent of Derek's diaries - there are several boxes worth, including a number of letters. As usual, they were almost thrown in the skip. Many of the pictures are quite commonplace, but as I hope this selection has shown, even the most ordinary lives have something remarkable about them.
