Interesting old pic @LongDriver … showing the old dog racing track at White City. It’s all quite different now, of course.
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Yes, I’ve spent some interesting hours at the WC dogs made all the better by a visit to Tubby Isaac’s stall outside. He had several stalls from the East End right across to the White City.
Tubby Isaac | The East End (the-east-end.co.uk)
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Sorry for the off topic but wow that brings back memories
Used to go to the dogs at White City with my dad and Great Auntie Hild, who both liked a little flutter
Dad even had a system, which worked for a while, then he lost the lot
Love jellied eels and cockles 
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My Mum is wonderful. We celebrated her 90th birthday in January.
She is the kindest, most loving person you could meet.
Until the pandemic she played bridge regularly, went to a U3A music class and a social club, and has missed these activities very much.
Physically she is rather frail and can only walk very short distances, but she is still very much her “self”, she does Sudoku, codewords, wordle, was learning a language on Duolingo and also reads a lot, (she specially enjoys it when her 22 year old Grandson recommends books to her).
I stopped work recently to help her more, as the last fall she had knocked her confidence a lot, and it is my pleasure to be able to hellp her more, plus I enjoy her company.
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My mum died 14 months ago aged nearly 97. She was very beautiful, very hardworking and didn’t mince her words. She wore her heart on her sleeve.
She was one of 8 children and was close to them all her life even though they all lived in Ireland. She spent her life writing to them and in later years phoning them. She used to get very homesick knowing that she was missing all their family get togethers. She often took herself off to bed on Sunday afternoons and cried. She made lots of friends and socialised a lot here but her heart was always back “home” in Ireland.
She was very bright and I think in another time she could have had a good career but growing up in the 20s and 30s then came the war she did not have the opportunities. She was a good Mum and always made sure we were smart, well fed and behaved ourselves and she took great interest in our schooling.
Her family all loved a good party and most either danced, sang or played a musical instrument so coming to a small village with a very reserved new husband must have been very hard for her.
She was a brilliant cook, she could sew, knit, crochet etc to a very high standard and had the most beautiful handwriting which was one of the first things that declined when she was diagnosed with Alzheimers a few years before she died.
As we lived in a rural area there was little in the way of work for women but Mum did work for a few years in the school kitchen and also cleaning work. I always wished she didn’t have to go out cleaning but we needed the money. It was dirty work too scrubbing floors and No hoovers back then. She was worth so much more than that!
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My mother, I loved her. She was beautiful, blond hair with blue eyes, terrific figure, a bit like Marilyn Monroe. She was an avid reader, kept an immaculate home. She was also unhappy, although those not in the family never knew this. She was looking for something, she didnt even know what it was.
She became an LPN, worked in a Veterans hospital in the pharmacy on second shift, so wasn’t home when we got home from school. It quickly made me the Mom of the family, taking care of a sister and brother. My dad was a caring, hard working man who loved her so much.
As an adult, I forgave her for many things, and when she left my dad, remarried twice, I understood she was still looking for the elusive happiness. We were close, she asked my advice, sometimes even listened to me.
Those who knew her, loved her laugh, fun, sense of style, and accepted her poor choices in life. She meant no harm to anyone, but left scars on our family.
Again, I loved her.
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Loved my Mum, she was a bus conductor for over forty years and used to drive the busses around the compound. She passed away in the March of 2009 at 84 years old, Dad followed shortly after in August that same year after 63 years of marriage.
I wish she was here now, I’ve got loads to tell her…
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I know that feeling very well! 
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