Up The Farway Tree

My Beautiful sister's anniversary

I can't believe it is six years since we lost Frances Ann.   Time flies although I guess I have been rather busy over those years.  I thought I would maybe show you some pictures - especially for those who never had the pleasure of meeting my rather charismatic sister (subsitute for slightly strange/funny at times).

With mum - looking very innocent!   She was one of the cutest babies I have seen - massive blue eyes.  Not like me with my chubby wee legs ;-)

Looking like a tiny doll...

True colours beginning to show.  She was never ever a tidy person.  She largely didn't care if her hair was all over the place - mum had to put her in pigtails for school or her hair would be wild.  The primary 1 photos mum has of us are funny - Claire is immaculate, I am quite tidy but tie sticking out, Frances Ann has half her hair falling out with a massive grin.

These were my costumes (banana in pyjamas) for a dance show - Frances Ann was so huffy about the fact she didn't have a costume (she didn't go to the class) so we had to dress up at home to please her and pose for a picture looking like a right eejit!  She did later attend drama classes - you would never have guessed ;-)

On holiday where the game was 'Jacqueline pulls Frances Ann around the pool while she sits like a little princess in the rubber boat'.  I thought older sisters were supposed to boss about the younger one??  She started this early though.  One day when mum went to pick her up from nursery the teacher said 'oh she is doing well, we take her the milk at break time and she always drinks it'  Mum was confused and asked why she didn't come and sit and the table with the other chidren  "Oh, she prefers to sit on the chaise long and we bring her milk and biscuit while she rests!" Mum quickly nipped that one in the bud - chancer.  I also remember a time at school when she was trying to get out of class.  She started with "my legs are tired" - the teacher said "well just sit down for a while".  "My arms are tired" - "well just sit and read for a while".  Frances Ann thinks carefully.  "You know what - my eyes are tired".  Teacher had to give in and tell her to go and lie down!!!  She hated getting up early and loved her bed very much.  Even when at nursery she used to ask "why can't I go to the afternoon session so I can stay in bed!"  

Frances Ann climbs into the mattress for z-bed and pretends to be sleeping there.  She would often pretend to be either sleeping or collapsed.  She once went into Biology higher class and lay down in the middle of the floor just to see if the teacher would panic and think she had collapsed.  Knowing her too well, he just prodded her with his foot, stepped over her and started writing on the board.

This is what happened to her hair when it had been in pigtails.  More interesting though it the t-shirt "I'm a little monster"  Very true.  Also reminds me of the fact she insisted the word for monster was actually "munster" and refused to say otherwise

Just liked this one (ignore my bright pink pj's!)

Dad and his girls on holiday.  I am wearing Frances Ann's skirt and she is wearing my top.  She liked to borrow clothes but was equally willing to share.  She gave me a loan of loads of tops and dresses for my honey moon - many of them still with tags on that she had just bought.  She was also known to borrow things and then put them in her drawer though and then pretend that mum had put it there and she hadn't noticed!

At Madame Tussauds she thought it was hilarious to pretend to get a fright from Alfred Hitchcock.  Then insists I take a photo because it is 'oh so hilarious'.  Total exhibitionist.

I still miss her so much but I know she is always here with me.   I read this quote some where recently  "We all die.  The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."  I think Frances Ann succeeded in this - so many people loved her and these people will never forget.