Lily Waddington's Journal

I thought I would put this picture up to get you into the mood for today's post. This photo is of the Bank of England in 1890 take by George Washington Wilson (source: bbc.co.uk).

My dad and I were going through some of his old collections, when we found a journal dated back to 1890 belonging to Lily Waddington. She was my dad's great aunt, born in 1868 on the 10th of July in Dullwich. Lily died of Bronchopneumonia and Hypertension at the age of 80 in 1948, on the 12th 0f November in Camberwell. The journal is a compilation of various poems, messages, and pieces of art written and drawn by her talented friends and of course Lily herself.

Reading the journal for the first time that night, with my family at the dining table was a truly magical experience. I could imagine them scribbling the messages so many years ago, with their calligraphic handwriting, each so unique and beautiful in their own way. The poems and messages have so much emotion and meaning, that we can relate to even today. The journal, over a 120 years old, has pressed flowers neatly stuck in it, still in perfect condition. I even found a tiny squashed fly that was sandwiched between two of the pages over a century ago!

I've kept the treasure somewhere safe... so safe that I seem to have forgotten where! But I will definitely hunt it down and put up a few pieces for you to read.

I was also thinking of getting it published... if you know any publishers who might be interested please drop me a message!

Until next time... keep =) -ing.