Deborah Lundbech's photos

Merry Christmas to all my old friends and new friends. And a happy healthy New Year to everyone. Peace.

And me in my furry hat.

Today Brian was interviewed on Vermont Public Radio along with other crazies who live in this state who commute to work all year round. Brian's been biking for over two years now and no kind of weather, NO kind of weather, stops him. His trip is about twenty five miles round trip and he does it five times a week. To say he loves commuting by bike doesn't come close to his describing his passion. For him it's all about being present in the world, appreciating his surroundings and keeping fit without planning exercise. You can find me on the couch with a good book.

Today Brian was interviewed on Vermont Public Radio along with other crazies who live in this state who commute to work all year round. Brian's been biking for over two years now and no kind of weather, NO kind of weather stops him. His trip is about twenty five miles round trip and he does it five times a week. To say he loves commuting by bike doesn't come close to his describing his passion. For him it's all about being present in the world, appreciating his surroundings and keeping fit without planning exercise. You can find me on the couch with a good book.

My mother was stationed in Devon in Carbeile House which was in Plymouth, I think. These are the young women she was stationed with, photo taken by her friend Bill. She was twenty years old. Written of the back: Left to Right - 1st Row. Jean Carless, Margaret Young, Johnnie Tee, Dot Noble, Dave Chance 2nd Row - "Andy", Daphne Howard, Peggy Palmer, Joan Silverman, Olive Melhuish, Sheila Rynd 2 Behind Are: Stephanie Douglas & Marjorie Butler

"Taken by Bill" My mother in the WRENS. She is twenty years old. Stationed in Plymouth, Devon.

...my future husband was being dandled on his daddy's knee. Same day, same year. Christmas Day, 1955. And look at the tree THEY had! L to R: Joanne King, Agnes King, Ronnie King, Brian King and Chris King.

!955, Highams Park, London, at my Auntie Pearl's house. I am in the middle and flanked by my cousins - Heather and John. I love the one string of lights and the cotton wool on the top branches only.

My mother said (when I laughed my head off at this tree) that they were impressed there was a tree! (In 1955, this was still post-war Britain in many ways.) Standing L to R: Molly and Pat, family friends and William and Ann Gregory, my grandparents. Brought forward for the Vintage Photos theme Park theme of "Charlie Brown Christmas Trees"

I found the serious one. This is the last of my formal school photos. I didn't have one taken when I graduated from UVM. Ack, my hair needs a good trim - just what my mother was always telling me.

She was a "magnet dolly" (it says on the back) She has a magnet in the middle of her back and on the back of her clothes. Her name was also printed on the back and she came with a Storybook which I don't remember. I had two other magnet dollies but she was the first and favorite. Her name was Rosemary. I think she lost her arm in the 90s when she was played with by the girls at the school where I worked. I was really happy they loved my paper dolls too!

I loved the Dutch Doll dress.

This is the passport photo of my Dad's father, Gudmund Andreas Lundbech, who emigrated from Denmark to Cardiff, Wales and married a Welsh widow, Catherine Stone nee Smith. As Lundbech is an unusual name I have a habit of checking lists and was interested to see a Per Lundbech on Flickr with a photo of a bird on what looked like a Danish roof. So......... I wrote to him asking if he were a "Danish Lundbech" because my grandfather... etc. etc. I should say that very, very little was known by us about Gudmund's family in Denmark, other than his father's name and that he came from Odense and worked in a Wire and Rope Factory. Well, incredibly, Per wrote back and informed me that we were related (distantly) and that his father was passionate about genealogy and had hundreds and hundreds of names traced including Lundbechs (our direct family) back to the late 1600s. You can imagine that my Dad was thrilled - he hadn't even known his grandmother's name, let alone his GGGGG grandparents. Last week Per very kindly sent me files with all the information, which I've put down on my "ancestral scroll" as my kids call it. I love to see it all laid out - what a sense of history and family. There are some real mysteries that we puzzle over - for instance - my Dad's father had many siblings that my Dad knew nothing about - including a sister , born the same day as my father, (different year) who emigrated to New York and died in Brooklyn in 1954. Perhaps more things will unfold, but what a gift this is, Thanks so much to Per Lundbech and my deep gratitude also to Aage, his father!

It begins.

Caption reads: "Snapped on the way to the station to meet Rowena" I'll have to find out who this friend is. My mother is on the left. She was very proud of these pants which were fairly unusual at that time.

She's very appealing - but I think her hair style and outfit are a bit odd. Found photo - Vermont.

Found photo - Vermont.