Ibstone, Bucks & Well Manor Farm, Hampshire.

Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs.

Today’s theme is; Motorbikes, pillions, uniforms, couriers, turbans, tents and towels;

I've had a largely unsuccessful rummage through the family albums in the hunt for uniforms, couriers, turbans, tents and towels.  Motorbikes proved a little easier, so that will be my theme for this my first foray into Sepia Saturday territory.

What can I say about this photograph? Only my dear old dad would pose on a motorbike while wearing a suit, tie and not so flat - flat cap! I hadn't realised how odd the term ‘flat cap’ sounded until I typed it. According to Wikipedia, there are numerous other names for the same type of headwear, names like Paddy cap, longshoreman’s cap, scally cap, Wigens cap, duffer cap, bicycle cap, cheese-cutter and bunnet!  

Regardless of what it’s called dad never left home without one. Interviews, hospital appointments, days out, working on the farm, his cap went with him. His ritual on leaving the house was always the same. He would recite the words “spectacles, t-------- (word removed for the sake of decency), watch and wallet" while patting the appropriate points on his body.  Thinking back it would have made more sense to replace spectacles with cap, but then it wouldn't have rhymed! 

Dad doing his best Norman Wisdom impression, note the cap is firmly in place although this time worn backwards. Dad was a huge fan of Norman Wisdom the "little man" in the ill-fitting suit and cloth cap. He always watched the programmes on TV and knew many of the songs and gags off by heart.

  Mum played the piano a lot when we were kids. This was one of her favourite songs.

Now it’s the turn of my brother Tony to model the bike! I have no idea what was going on with the car. It's on blocks and covered by a tarpaulin (does that count as a tent?) so I presume it was a work in progress. It looks to me as though Tony has something (oil?) on his hands, so perhaps he was helping to do the car up. Tony if you should read this maybe you could let me know what you remember.

Tony looks to be in his early twenties here, so I'm guessing it was taken at the end of the 1950s.  One thing I've noticed while looking through the photos is the number of times my family have their pictures taken while standing in front of windows and/or drainpipes!  

I don’t think mum ever rode pillion, but later she did own and ride a moped.  This bike looks very similar to the one in the first photograph apart from the registration number, but then I know nothing about motorbikes so it’s probably nothing like it at all...

Mum, dad and Peggy a dog of many varieties. 

For more exploits on wheels and other exciting things, please visit Sepia Saturday