Laurna was very happy for us to take some photographs of her. She did wish she had dressed up for the occasion so maybe we can do another session for her later in the New Year. 

I am 90 year's old, and I was born in 1920. I was brought up in an orphanage in London, and stayed there until I was 15. I am from East Ham, and started work in service to the Courtauld’s family. They had so much – one room was completely full of cigars. It was very hard work. Then much later I worked with fork lift trucks. 

I moved to Birmingham in the 1950’s. I love music and sound, and I so loved to dance – the quick step.  Any music, almost any music. I am full of rhythm. I used to go to the ballroom in Birmingham but can't remember what it was called now. It will come back to me. 

I was married in 1947 and had 4 children. My wife died about 40 years ago. I have never really thought about getting married again. There is someone special in my life, Pat, who is 15 years younger than me.  I have known her for about 60 years. We were never together in that way. Someone always got there first! 

That’s my mum. Rose. I never met her. Never.  When I think about it I don’t know why I was put in the orphanage.  It might have been because she met a soldier or something, and it was not allowed in those days. It was not long after the war. 1920. 

This is David and Michael, my sons, when they were young. Michael lives in London now – he is 53. He does a lot of designing now.  I always like to have Michael around – he is so good at anything and so useful to have around. He can do anything. Anything. 

I have two daughters Margaret and Teresa who live in Australia.  I am my best when I have my family around me. I never got the chance to go and see them in Australia – there was something that came between us and we fell out for a while. You know I can’t even remember what that was now. 

This is my sister Hilda with me – she is 5 years older than me. She was also an orphan as well, but at a different orphanage.  I never even knew at the time that I had a sister until I left school and then I found out. When I found out which orphanage she lived in the nuns there told me that she had left. So I had to try and find her, and then eventually I did find her working in a bakery shop. She is 95 years old now, and lives in Warrington. We celebrated her 95th birthday last week - a very posh French restaurant, but I did not really like the food. 

This is me, '1988 in Malta' it says on the back. I had lots and lots of friends there. And those who I did not know I got to know. It was a wonderful place to get to know people.

I took this myself. I was not a sailor (laughs) – I have this problem with my hand so I could not be in the services.  I was a good photographer for an amateur. I also used to paint as well. 

I can’t complain about my life. I can’t complain. Sometimes it has been hard, other times it has been exciting.  I don’t have many regrets – only a few regrets. I am contented most of the time. Now, well I am not the youth I used to be. 

I am 73 years old and I was born near the Lickey Hills, very near Birmingham. I moved to this area when I got married in 1954.  I used to work in the home help, I worked all over this estate, and all around Erdington.  You never think old age is coming to you. I feel old bodily, achy, but I don’t feel old myself really. Not up here anyway. I will still have a go at anything – nothing beats me. 

Well, this is the start! I don’t really remember it, but I had a very happy childhood. This is me and my brother Brian. There are 3 years between us. Me and my brother we were like that (shows fingers crossed) right up until he died. He died in 1990, 11 years ago. I used to go every weekend to see him, he lived in Wrexham. 

My hair – it was tight curls and me dad, whenever he used to comb my hair, if there was a knot in it he wouldn’t pull it out but get the scissors and cut it out. He did not like to see me get hurt. 

This was taken when Sue was born, I was in the orthopaedic hospital at Northfield.  I was in bed for 18 months. I had TB of the spine. 
This was a very difficult time, on that bed for 18 months.   Whenever my mother brought the baby in to see me, which was every Sunday, I would see her for 2 minutes and then the sister would take her off me and take her around the hospital so I did not to get to even see her!  I was 18 years old.  It was all bad, but the worst of it was the sister of the ward.

This me and my son Barry, just after I gave him a driving lesson. He was a cheeky so -and-so here! What he used to do was get up in the night – he used to think I didn’t hear him – and used to take the car for a ride, before he passed his test. 

I am very close to my son.  We are all close really in our family. 

This picture – a lot of boozers! (laughs). This is mother, sister-in-law Margaret, step-father George, and my brother Brian. I think it was taken in the mid-70’s, and might have been taken at a camp like Butlins at Scarborough.  I was not there. This picture is important to me, it is only one I have got of them all. I just don’t want it lost.

I wish they were still like that now! (laughs). This is my daughters, the youngest is Jane and the eldest one is Susan. They were such lovely girls. 
Well they were happy times they were.  We were moving around the country because my husband was working on building sites. This is taken in a caravan. They were good times they were.  Not all my times have been happy.  

This the most recent – it was taken at the beginning of last year.  This is my oldest granddaughter Kerry, with my daughter Sue. It makes me old to look at this picture! (laughs). 

As part of Me,You and Everything Else we have been asking some of the residents and visitors to Phoenix Court to take some of their own creative photographs of the area. Chris Jukes has been out with his camera today and his new images reveal the connections in Castle Vale with its former role in aircraft manufacture and flying. Chris has also shared with us some of his historic images taken on the site in the 1950's at the Castle Bromwich Air Show. 

Chris writes: 

The Signs used on the Shopping Center Shops are the same profile as the wings on the Supermarine Spitfires that were built, tested & flown from Castle Bromwich Aerodrome between 1940 - 45 along with the street furniture on Tangmere Drive and the other main road.  The Spitfire Sculpture was designed and built by Tim Tolkien nephew of J. R. Tolkien of Hobbit fame & was unveiled by The chief test pilot of the Spitfires at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome Alex Henshaw on 14 November 2000. The wood yard is on the Kingsbury Road nearly opposite the old Cincinnati Machine Co Building. 

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chris-jukes-new-photo-set-poxBeyzutizwmxwaivnC.zip (1.62 MB)

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chris-jukes-new-photo-set-pCGfGdymyyAdkpsGiquy.zip (1.47 MB)

We have now put up our display board at Phoenix Court and started to show some of the shared family albums of participating residents and visitors. The board is a really good way of celebrating the progress of this part of the project within the centre, especially as very few residents use the internet so they don’t get a chance to see the work displayed on our blog. We have had very good feedback so far from everyone who has looked at it! 

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the-display-board-at-phoenix-court-gfJaxcxCufqwirvajqCm.zip (1.45 MB)

It says on the back ‘Met at Rhyl 1934. Had a good time.' We had a good time reading tea cups. My mother used to read tea cups.  This is me sitting at the front with my hand up, and my mother at the back in the centre. 

This is my favourite picture out of all of these. It is very sad that she died of breast cancer, and she did not deserve it – but who does deserve it?

This one is taken in my back garden. This is taken in 1966 – it is my brother’s racing bike so I am just posing on it.  I am in my late 30’s here. I worked in the personnel department at Dunlop. I liked it, you met a lot of funny people!  I was also at British Leyland.  It was a quieter time then, there was not the pressures that there are now.  

I was evacuated in the war to Repton – I really hated it, I did not like being away from home. There was no running water, it was very primitive and the people were a bit strange and in fact very strict.  I found the blitz very very frightening. 

This is a very happy family group isn’t it? This is my sister-in-law Anne, my niece Louise, and my nephew Steven, and Charmaine.  This is my mother standing up a the back. 

I used to do a lot when I was younger – I really loved mountain climbing. Snowdonia.  There was a lot of people, a lot of friendships.  I travelled quite a bit in the 50’s. I went to Paris on one of the first flights.  I had lots of pen-friends – in Canada, Australia.  I also wrote a book about my life called Memories of Ward End. 

I just found these two pictures, talk about history repeating itself. The first one is Josie and Pat, my sisters, taken in 1934 at Brean Sands, Bridgewater. The second is my own two children Louise and Steven, taken in 1978 in the garden 129 Orphanage Road. And it was not deliberately done – It was only after that I have seen the parallels

The picture – he has a smile of a bit confidence here. I really like this one. He missed the first war by 12 months. He felt a bit guilty that he missed his turn, as it was an honour to serve.
My dad was a very happy and enthusiastic man. I think that is where I get my enthusiasm for life from. He died in 1975. 

This is me, aged about 21, on my racing bike in the garden of 39 Fairholme. You can see here how the bike has been modified from the one that Josie is sitting on. I used to have loads of motorbikes – lord knows how pop put up with it as there used to be oil on the lawn and bits of bike everywhere. Happy days. We had some good fun. 

The other reason why I chose this picture is that you can see at the front there, that is the wonderful Tilly the Tortoise. She died in 1982,  and she was found in 1936 in the back garden. She lived through so many things – through the Blitz. There were incendiary bombs in this garden in the war. This tortoise has been through all that. She has known every generation of Jukes, all our kids. She is on a rope here because when it was warm she could really shift!

This is a picture of my daughter Louise’s christening taken late 1971 in 129 Orphanage Road where we still live to this day. A chap called Tony Turner took this. That is June in the dress, she was our neighbour and godmother to Louise.  That is my mum next to June. This is me at the back in the glasses. This was a great day, it was a really good gathering of people. 

How many people in this picture have disappeared in the last 40 years though. 

This was one was taken in 1984 in Kidderminster on the Severn Valley line. This is a happy occasion. This is my wife Anne, and her brother Ray, and his kids Sharon and Andrew. This picture is important to me as it is a memory of all the trips we used to go on with the kids – castles, canal holidays, steam rallies. I think part of it is my background as an engineer.   It is an important link to past in so many ways. 

This last one is of my son Paul, down at Josie’s and mum’s at 39. Jo helped them in how to do cookery, making cakes and so on. I have chosen this one to show the link between the generations – the older generation helping the younger generation.  I think a lot of parents today – not all of them – just don’t hand on enough skills to the younger generation.  It is a link of skills.  

I was born in 1929 in Erdington – that makes me 81 this year.  I have cared for 89 children and I also had 6 of my own.  We had such happy times. I am happier living here (at Phoenix Court) that when I was living at home by myself after my husband died.

My father worked all his life. He lost a finger at work, and out of the compensation bought a farm and after that a village shop. My sister is still alive. My brother died in 1969 – he fell of the roof.

This picture brings back such happy memories, and I wish I could see it all over again – it was the happiest day of my life. It was snowing when we got home and my husband had to carry me over the threshold.  My husband's name was William, and we got married in 1950 at Yardley Parish.  I really did love him, although he was not my first love. I gave my first love up for him.  At the time I did not know if I was doing the right thing, and I was walking up the aisle thinking to myself ‘am I doing the right thing?’ But then of course it was the right thing marrying William - all my life I have been such a happy person.  

We really had to rough it for a few years, it was so hard to find any decent place to live in those days. 

This photo was in Skegness – it was the worst holiday we ever had, and it rained the whole time. This was taken on the best day of the lot.  But we do look happy here, we were such a happy family.  I was so happy, I wish I could see that time again, I think it was the happiest time of my life.  Having a happy family around you. My husband loved being with the children. 

My husband died just over 4 years ago when he was 81 and I miss him that much.  He was such a lovely and faithful man. He loved all the children and was good with them.  I find it really hard to go to parties now without him. 

This is my daughter’s partner Charlie with one of my foster children. He loved them as much as we did.  I chose this one because it has one of the foster children in it, and also Charlie really wanted children of his own. 

I am 81, and I feel it. I have 3 sons and 2 daughters. I lost the first one at 7 months with gastroenteritis.  I have 10 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.  I am originally from Ireland, from County Kildare. My mother died when I was 12, she died in my arms.  I came here, to Aston, when I was 15. 

I came to Castle Vale 2002, and I do like here, the area, but I get very lonely. The neighbours keep themselves to themselves and don't come for a cup of tea or whatever. I don’t sleep in a bed, I sleep in the reclining chair watching the TV all the night. The only rest I get is up at my daughters at weekends. I don’t like being alone, but what can I do?  

This is the earliest one. In this one I am at JD Wild, in Floodgate St in Digbeth. They were giving a Christmas party in the canteen. It was a happy time, all the people I worked with were really nice. I have worked all my life, I have. 
Well, they were happy days for starters. I was more contented there as I was ever. Everything seemed to be going smooth, but then things changed. 

This one is in the town, near Small Heath, the 97 bus stop. Round the back of Marks and Spencer’s. I worked in the home help. Some I worked for were very nice people. But some of them, they were very ungrateful.  You had to work harder then than you do in these days, they have it easy now.  Very hard work, and I had some of my own children to look after as well. They are all grown up now.  

These times were not sad times. The thing is I am lucky to be here to tell the tale. 

That was the one in Handsworth, me daughter was living in Handsworth. That’s a few years gone by.  This is me with my grandchildren in Handsworth Park. I like this one – it me with my grandbabies – Anthony and lisa. And this was my little dog Ben. I loved this dog like a human being.  I was very happy here, then I was with my 2nd husband.  He has been 7 years gone now. 

This is my Steven’s son, also called Steven, and his daughter and my great granddaughter, Nive. I see them very often – he is such a lovely lad. His father, my son, he is the king to me he is. He lives in Pype Hayes. Steven, he is lovely he is. He looks after me properly he does. 

This is my daughter’s grandchildren, very nice kids – one is 11, Nazy, and the other is Hannah, going on 14 15. I look at this picture and it makes me feel old. They love each other, and go the same school.