52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Wk 37 - Earliest Memory

Week 37: Earliest Memory. What is your earliest memory?

I think my earliest memories are from when I was about 3 years old. 

I remember holding my grandfather's hand and we were in a florists. I was allowed to pick a bunch of flowers from my Great Aunt, who was my Grandfather's sister. I later recall walking to her house, up a hill, which seemed like a mountain to my small legs and as the door opened thrusting the flowers at my Aunt. That was the start of a tradition which you can read about HERE.

Another, I was again about 3 years old. I visited the house of my Great Grandmother who lived with her eldest daughter, sister of the Aunt mentioned above. By this time, my Great Grandmother was a very elderly lady in her 90s. I was picked up and placed on the bed next to her, and allowed to sit and tickle her toes. The memory I have is of an elderly lady, with her gray hair swept bank into a bun, giggling with me and giving me a cuddle. I seem to recall she liked pineapple and my Grandfather never visited his mother without taking her a fresh pineapple.

I have been very fortunate that I was always involved in visits to my Great Aunts. As a child I routinely visited them and did so, long into my adult years. It was these early visits which sparked my interest in my family history and my Great Aunts were more than happy to share their recollections.