New Project.

I've finished page 2 of this project, and already am thinking I could have done it differently. This normal for me, so for the moment I'll leave it as it is. The great delight (or curse) of assembling things in photoshop, is that you can always go back and change things. This should give you a clearer idea of where I'm going with this...I'm trying to tell it from the 7 year old's viewpoint. Once again, I'm hoping you can read the text. Mum would never say much about this, I got it from my Aunts. Mum and Dad had recently married and set up in a new home, then came the war, and Dad went into the Army. I don't know about you, but when I think of my parents, they're always middle-aged and upwards. When this happened, she was in her early twenties with a new baby. The council found her a new place to live, gave her some sticks of furniture, cooking pots and second hand clothes (a mammoth task for them with all the devastation.) Then, a few months later, that too was destroyed in an air-raid. Below is a photo of the road she lived in taken during the war. Greenwich South Street was its name (just a few hundred yards from where we lived in my story)...most of the street was flattened, just a few random buildings survived. I won't be dwelling on the war, I don't remember any of it, but it's the logical starting place. Soon I hope to move on to lighter matters. Lew.

I've just posted page 3 in the gallery. Better put it in here. This is to establish where we where at the end of the war...as it's boring stuff mostly I chose a different layout. I've done a bit of whimsy with the outside toilets...in fact, we thought nothing of the fact that they were outside. This was the norm. I'd wait another 10 years before we moved to a house with an inside toilet. I remember my Aunts having a chuckle about somebody doing this (lower right pic). Not surprising when three families were living in one house. It was gas-lit at first, after a year or two the council started fitting electricity. The house is still there in Blackheath Road, Greenwich. Houses like this (late Victorian/early Georgian) fetch £1000000 upwards these days). Lew.

I think I'll end this thread. I've been getting marvelous feedback in the gallery...thanks to all for that. This thread hasn't had any attention for a few days, so perhaps it isn't necessary any more. All I've been doing is expanding on what I said in the gallery posts. I've got the feeling I'm waffling to myself. Thanks to those of you who have commented in this thread. I think we'll leave at that. Lew.

As an end-note to this project...I thought I'd post a pic of the books I've had printed. I wanted three. These are photobooks, I compiled my pages to fill the page...as you would for a full page photograph. I was waiting for an offer from the printers that I couldn't refuse. I'm using Bonusprint, they are pretty good with offers...but they only last a few days, so you have to have your book ready to go. I compile the books on my PC with an application supplied by Bonusprint. A 50% off offer came up and I ordered three. That made them a tad under £18 each. I like 'lay-flat' pages which costs a little extra...without that they'd have been even cheaper. Pretty good value I think. Here's the pic.... While I'm on this subject...a while back there was a thread about what you do with your paintings. A lot of people sell them, but I can't be bothered with all that. My son asked me NOT to throw away any of my paintings, but he'll have to when I'm gone. I've begun to put together art books (actually photobooks but with photos of my paintings and drawings.) Again, I get the book sorted on my PC and wait for a good offer. I've had two printed so far. I'm a few pages short of completing a third. When it's done I'll sit back and wait for a good offer. Here's a pic of the two I've had printed. One in Landscape format, the other in portrait. It provides me with an added interest. I enjoy the process of painting and drawing, it's nice to know that anything decent will end up in a book, not just stored under the bed. This will be of no interest to people who sell their work, but there must be some, like me, who don't. It's an option. And maybe of no interest to anyone. Lew.

That's a new one to me, Alan. I'll look into it. Thanks.