If you're smiling at me you know I will understand (Crosby Stills Nash)

I've been having fun with my new scanner. Ross asked for a photograph a while ago (the four generations one from a previous post) and it kicked me into gear to both buy a scanner and to organise the photo albums and our photo archives.

Luckily there was a lot to organise. Dad was a very keen photographer who developed his own film and then made lots of prints.

Our laundry at 18 Korma Ave would be turned into a darkroom from time to time. The enlarger that lived in the hall cupboard was brought out of its protective plastic sheath and the ringer washer was pushed aside and blackout conditions would operate with a red safety light.

An elaborate ritual took place in that dark room. It was precise, it was convoluted, it was a kind of magic. The different coloured plastic trays of solutions, the red darkness around the enlarger, the sweet smelling developer, the soothing sound of water lapping in the trays, all somehow conspired to eventually produce the new red-tinged black and white photograph.

These pictures would then be laid out in rows on drying paper in the lounge where we could inspect them.

Some 40 years later I am now choosing images from that source to scan and put on this blog.

I thought I'd keep to the generational theme for today's selection.


Nita took this photo on a visit to our place at Alpha St, Cambridge. It contains three generations of Purdys. The men folk: Adam, Wozza, Graham, Keegan. The women folk: Jade, Jacky, Samantha.
Again there are three Purdy generations in this photo taken, I think, at dad's 21st. Top row, second from left is Graham, then his dad (Harry/Deedoo), then his dad (William). His mother, Christina (our grandmother) is sitting in front of William. Sadly I have no idea who anyone else is - a sad byproduct of what happens when the people who know aren't around anymore.



These two were taken at Ross and Lynda's house in Orewa when Hayden and Scott were shorter than Ross. Again - three generations and the sum total of Deedoo and Christina's successors are in there with Jacky and Lynda. In the top picture I particularly like the (accidental) exact pose that dad and Keegan have!
Here we have a fairly rare glimpse of three generations of Adsetts. That's me, Ma, Uncle Jack (one of mum's three Adsett brothers), Ross (a.k.a. Dusty by Uncle Jack) and mum (who was Dulcie Mary Adsett before giving into the unrelenting pressure from one Graham Purdy). This is in the lounge at Korma Ave. Ma and Jack were on babysitting duty on this occasion which is why I'm in my peejays.

Love and peace - Wozza