I WAS BORN A TWIN
IN SOUTH LONDON, ENGLAND IN 1939, SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE START OF THE
SECOND WORLD WAR. WE WERE THE YOUNGEST IN A FAMILY OF FIVE BOYS AND TWO
GIRLS. MY TWIN SISTER’S NAME WAS
AVRIL . WE SPENT MANY HAPPY MONTHS
TOGETHER IN MY MOTHER’S WOMB AS WE DEVELOPED FROM EGG AND SPERM THROUGH EMBRYO
AND FOETUS, UNTIL WE WERE THRUST FROM THE WARM COCOON INTO THE COLD HARD
REALITY OF THE REAL WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, AVRIL DIED TEN DAYS LATER FROM SOME
INTERNAL PROBLEM. I BELIEVE SHE
PASSED HER ENERGY ON TO ME. THIS WAS THE FIRST DEVASTATING LOSS IN MY LIFE AT
THE TENDER AGE OF TEN DAYS. I THINK OF HER OFTEN.
FLOWERS FOR A DEAD PRINCESS.
THE DECLARATION OF WAR WITH GERMANY WAS MADE ON SEPTENBER
3RD, 1939. AFTER GERMAN TROOPS ENTERED POLAND. WITHIN FOUR DAYS OF THIS DECLARATION,
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT PUT INTO ACTION A PLAN TO SHIP ALL CHILDREN UNDER 16
YEARS OF AGE TO BILLETING FAMILIES ALL OVER ENGLAND AND TO
COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES SUCH AS CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. IT WAS KNOWN
AS THE GREAT EVACUATION.
LEAVING FOR WHO
KNOWS WHERE!
COLLATERAL DAMAGE
IMPROVED BALLISTICSS GERMAN V2 ROCKET
READY TO COMMIT CARNAGE
IT WASN’T GREAT FOR A HUGE VOLUME OF THE PARTICIPANTS,
MANY OF WHOM SUFFERED GREATLY FROM ALL MANNER OF EVIL FROM BEATING TO
MOLESTATION AND MASSIVE SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE. THEY COULDN’T PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WERE
SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTING THEM. MY TWO OLDEST BROTHERS WERE OVER THE AGE OF
SIXTEEN, SO JOINED THE WORK FORCE. MY REMAINING SISTER AND TWO BROTHERS WERE
SHIPPED OUT TO THREE DIFFERENT FAMILIES IN THREE DIFFERENT CITIES IN THE NORTH
OF ENGLAND. IN FOUR DAYS, THREE
AND A HALF MILLION KIDS WERE EVACUATED TO PLACES THAT WERE SUPPOSED BE OUT OF
ENEMY BOMBING RANGE. IN A VERY
SHORT WHILE GERMAN BALLISTICS DEVELOPMENT MADE THEM ALL VULNERABLE. I CONTRACTED CHICKEN POX THE DAY BEFORE
AND WASN’T ALLOWED TO GO AND THE AUTHORITIES WOULDN’T ALLOW ME TO BE SENT ON
LATER BECAUSE OF MY AGE. I DIDN’T SEE MY SIBLINGS FOR OVER TWO YEARS. I STAYED
WITH MY MOTHER WHO WAS RUNNING THE FAMILY BUSINESS AS MY FATHER WAS AWAY AT
THE WAR EFFORT. I SPENT FIVE AND A
HALF YEARS DODGING BOMBS ON A DAILY BASIS. THIS MADE ME INTO THE ULTIMATE SURVIVOR, A GREAT THING FOR
SOMEONE IN THE ART! LONDON IS ALL
BUILT ON A HUGE SEAM OF BLUE CLAY. WHEN THE BOMBS CAME DOWN THE CLAY CAME UP IN
GREAT CRATERS – FREE ART MATERIALS FOR LIFE THANKS TO ADOLF HITLER!!
THREE YEARS OLD IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR JUST STARTING TO
WORK WITH CLAY
AT THE AGE OF THREE, I STARTED MY 70 YEAR LIFE IN CLAY.
MODELLING ANIMALS AND MAKING VASES THAT I USED TO FIRE IN MY MOTHER’S KITCHEN
STOVE. I HAD A NATURAL TALENT IN
ART AND AN INQUISITIVE MIND., ALWAYS TRYING NEW THINGS. I FOUND A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT CALLED
BARBOLA PASTE, A SELF-HARDENING
MODELLING MATERIAL THAT I COULD USE FOR MAKING JEWELERY, AT THE AGE OF SEVEN I STARTED MY FIRST
BUSINESS, MAKING JEWELRY AND SELLING IT TO CLIENTS IN THE MANY HAIRDRESSERS
STORES OF THE NEIGHBOR HOOD. I ALSO BECAME AN AVID CERAMIC RESEARCCHER
TO FIND OUT WAT ELSE IS OUT THERE THAT I CAN USE. I STILL DO IT.
MY MOST RECENT GREAT FIND HAS BEEN
WITH A NEW HIGH TECH PODUCT INITIALLY FOR THE NASA SPACE EXPLORATION AS
WELL AS PERFORMING THE ROLE OF COMPUTER CARDS. THE MATERIAL IS A BEAUTIFUL THIN
PORCELAIN-LIKE PRODUCT WHICH WE
CALL PORCELAIN CANVAS SUBSTRATE.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IT, YOU CAN CLICK ON THE LINK CERAMICARTCART.COM . LAST JANUARY I WROTE AN
ARTICLE ABOUT USING IT FOR CERAMICS MONTHLY MAGAZINE WHICH IS ON THAT WEBSITE.
ROBIN AT SEVEN WITH BOBBY. ARTIST, MISFIT AND BUSINESS BOY
BOBBY WAS LATER
POISONED BY THIEVES WHO BROKE INTO MY PARENTS’ GROCERY STORE. MY SECOND IMMEASURABLE LOSS
HERE TWO IMAGES OF GLAZE PAINTINGS BY ME USING PORCELAIN
CANVAS SUBSTRATES , AND A CRYSTAL PAINTING BY JAMIE
I’M TIRED NOW SO I HAVE TO GET SOME REST.
SEE YOU TOMORROW, WHEN I MOVE INTO THE MAGICAL AGE OF
PUBERTY.
thank you for sharing your story!
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