the other side - the Furness'

my mom had a very different upbringing from my dad. The Furness' were well known in the city they lived, had been there for many, many years. They lived in one of the stately older houses in New Westminster. They were active in all the right social circles. Mom and her siblings were in all the socially accepted activities: church, vocal, dance, violin etc.

i remember my grandparents home very well. it was beautiful. everything matched. the living room was only for company, and if we were in there we had to behave like little ladies. we ate in the dining room on good china with the good silver. grandma was always redecorating her house, new paint, new upholstery. girls - this is where we get it from! I remember cuddling up to my grandma's fur coat in church on Sundays. i learned to sit still and not wiggle for long periods of time. i learned manners.

grandpa's garden was to die for. he spent hours out there. it was perfectly manicured. when my mom got married, the reception was at the house. the next day, my grandpa was outside vacuuming up the confetti from the lawn! i loved watching him garden as i grew up. grandpa had a great sense of humor - you know the dry, British kind. you never really knew if he was teasing or not. he worked as an accoutant for the same company until the day he retired.
when he did retire, they went on a nine month world cruise. grandpa wouldn't fly so they went by boat and train around the world. grandma only traveled first class. i remember that year getting cards from exotic places and every few weeks a package would arrive in the mail with trinkets from a far off country. i learned to yearn for far off places.

summer holidays with grandma and grandpa usually involved spending a few weeks at their summer home in White Rock. or traveling by ferry to Victoria and staying at the Empress Hotel. did i mention grandma only did first class!

from the Furness' i learned to be comfortable in any social setting, to be able to make small talk, to be polite and well mannered. i learned to love gardening, decorating my home and entertaining. i learned to love getting dressed up- to be a lady. i learned to appreciate the arts: music, literature, theater, art. and i learned to be passionate about other countries and cultures - to see a world beyond my own backyard.
i learned to drink tea from china cups....