Christmas letters #4
I’ve posted this letter before on my blog and social media – but make no apology for the repeat as it never fails to remind me how lucky I am.
Written by my maternal Grandfather Albert Mellor to my uncle’s employer.
Christmas 1941.
This gallery contains 7 photos.
Christmas letters #3 Charlie Barrow still in Sri Lanka in the first photograph (1948) but on the reverse of the photo a touch of his dry humour that seems to have passed on to his son. The third and fourth … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
HMS Wren was a Black Swan Class sloop commissioned by The Royal Navy in February 1943 and paid a formal visit to The Sultanate of Muscat and Oman in July 1948. My Dad took these photographs during their stay, especially … Continue reading
Christmas letters #1
Here is a rather grainy photograph of my Dad, Charles William Barrow (Charlie) in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1948.
This was, I believe, his first year as a “sparks” (radio operator) in The Royal Navy, following a military tradition that saw his father Jos Barrow serve in the Coldstream Guards.
By the time Charlie enlisted, he had already married my Mum, Norma Mellor.
He left her behind in Manchester, living with various relatives as well as serving in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS- which merged into the Women’s Royal Army Corps) and serving in Fort William, Western Scotland.
My father’s 5 years or so in the Navy saw him visit most of the Persian Gulf, Egypt, Suez and the fledgling Arab States and, in an old briefcase which I am browsing through over the holidays, are many photographs – some of which I intend to share with you over the days ahead.
In later life, he seldom spoke about his experiences, other than to say that he suffered terribly from home-sickness. He had married his sweetheart and the extended time without her was bittersweet – even though many of the photos I have show him playing just as hard as he was working!
For a working class boy from the grimier ghettos of industrial Manchester – one of 5 children of Jos and May Barrow, living in Bennett Street flats (he told me of rats running over the kids’ heads as they slept at night), the sights and sounds of the Middle East and the Indian Ocean must have been a wonder to behold.
On 10th September I announced that “letters from an imperfectionist” would be migrating into the 7connections blog.
I’m asking the good folks at ApexHub to advise me on what difference that has made – because I have some important things to say about my personal life but feel it necessary to distance those comments from 7connections as they are completely unconnected.
Gave this a lot of thought whilst we were on Skye.
Decision sometime this week.
This is the last of my personal blog posts that will appear on the Tumblr platform.
“Letters from an imperfectionist” will continue – but as a sub-brand appearing within the 7connections blog on the business of dentistry.
So the good news (I hope) is that you will still be able to read my reflections, rants and reveals as I make way may through MY imperfect life in OUR imperfect world.
Each of the “letters” will carry a warning that the views expressed are those of Chris Barrow the private individual and not necessarily those of 7connections – my partners and colleagues in the company are OK with that.
Reason?
It’s all about social media engagement.
We are going to get a lot bigger as a company over the next few years (although not, I insist, less personable – if we ever start sounding like a corporate, someone please punch me in the throat).
If you have two blogs, two web sites or two of anything – you dilute your reach and potentially confuse an audience that are already drowning in media.
We want as many people as possible to read our content – not just because we want to do business but because we believe our content is really useful (that’s the message we get from our fans).
My “letters” are, of course, a catharsis but I get constant feedback from readers to say that vulnerable honesty about my shortcomings and obsessive disorders gives them the confidence to face their own.
This blog will stay around for a while – there are 100+ posts here and you never know when someone might stumbl (sic) across them.
But, to continue reading, please switch to:
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Our holiday hotel for week one, The Melia Zanzibar, was stunning in every department from accommodation, through food and drink to customer service. Even more surprised than usual, therefore, to see families “divided by devices”. At breakfast, lunch and dinner … Continue reading
Off to Tanzania tomorrow evening.
A week of complete rest in Zanzibar.
A week on the shores of Lake Victoria with the Topley family (from where Mark sent me this photo at sunset last night – no doubt as a result of my last post here – thanks buddy).
I leave with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the good things in my life:
The next 12 months will carry huge challenges – some scary stuff.
Off the grid from tomorrow evening until 1st September.
I’m ready.
I’ve never felt better.
Thank you for a being a part of that.
2 more days to go before I close the office down and depart for Tanzania and 2 weeks off the grid.
Apart from some relentless rainstorms, I think we’ve had a lovely summer so far in the UK but I have to admit that I’m looking forward to some proper sun.
After my experiences in February on “a certain Island”, I thought beach holidays might be off the agenda for a while…..
…but the attraction of blue sky, azure sea and the tropics has proved irresistible, although I’m hoping that catching and killing my dinner and using the woods as a toilet won’t be necessary this time.
Slightly concerned that I may repeat the sleep-walking that accompanied my return home in March.
One of the most pleasurable developments of the last month or so has been getting my trainers back on seriously and clocking up some early morning running miles in a variety of domestic and European locations.
I simply love the freedom and purity of the dawn – have never worn earplugs in over 30 years of jogging and marathon training, preferring to take in the sights and sounds of the world around me – sunshine, rain or frost – it matters not.
The world is a lovely place when the sun rises and sets.
On that Island I witnessed some beautifully calm mornings and 28 magnificent sunsets as a golden orb sank into The Pacific.
In Tanzania I expect to do the same – the sun rise and the sunset are primeavaly grounding – in them we glimpse our roots as a species.
Where better to see them than in the very place that mankind was born.
Letters from a Perfect Imperfectionist 