Joint Account Madam?

It's Father's Day. My father died 16 years ago, but I thought a little tribute would be appropriate.

My parents met in Yorkshire at a mutual friend's house. Mum had been set up to meet an eligible farmer, but fell for my dad, up from London for the weekend. She says he was the first man she'd ever met wearing a suit and bowler hat!

They probably met only twelve times before they got married, and during their courtship my father sent my mother a series of caricatures of him to woo her.

This is a photo of the final one. Mum had gone to see her bank manager, who presented her with an envelope, containing this. Dad had sent it to the bank!!

When not wearing a bowler hat, my father wore a flat cap, but on high days and holidays he always wore this red bobble hat, purchased in Germany shortly after the 2nd World War when he was working out there for the Forestry Commission.

The hat is my over-riding memory of him, when he wore it, he was jolly and full of high spirits, a rather different chap from the serious business man that appeared at bedtime to say goodnight and little else. With his hat on he was life and soul of the party, it was his alter ego.

Dad was a tallented artist, but he never put his skills to full use. He always made Christmas cards featuring himself wearing the hat for special friends. Way before the days of photocopiers he would trace and paint by hand a number of cards, several of which still adorn the walls of peoples loos!!!

We had the series of courtship caricatures framed for my parents 25th wedding anniversary, and they are still on mum's kitchen wall, a happy daily reminder of D.K.M.

Post script:
To complete my story: My mum