Label Travel Photos while you are at home - for order, a travel book, or a family history book

Are all your photos labelled and captioned? I shall tell you why you should caption them. The day after my mother died, I sorted through a box of photos at my father's place for a photo to display on the dining table.


Who? What? Where? When? Why? My parents' wedding photo. Who? Netta and Albert. Where? London.

I wrote in small capital letters on the back margin: my mother's married name, her maiden name, and her date of birth, and date of death. That was in the year 2000. Now, in 2020, twenty years later, I have trouble remembering the date my mother was born and the date she died.

Those photo labels at the time were easy to write, when my father was alive. Which year did they get married? The date is in a book I self-published of my family history.

My father's box of photos mostly had no captions. He did not tell me much detail. He said about some of them, 'That was last year.' Others were labelled, that was 'France', or that was 'Venice'.

"Who were these people?" I asked my father.

"Those were our neighbours. ... A couple we met on holiday. ... Auntie Sarah." And so on.

When I finished, I went through the photos, again. I was able to add dates to places, and places to dates.

Sometimes I was able to pair up the pictures using landmarks. The picture of a church, 'I don't know where' was my father's comment on the background to a photo of my parents. In another picture I found a French signpost. France, Belgium, Switzerland or Canada or some French-speaking island?

Label Your Own Photos
When I left my father's flat and went home, I started the same exercise again with my own photos. I had tutted disapprovingly over the fact that my father had not labelled his own wedding photo. Of course, he knew it was himself and his wife and the year they married and where.

But my own photos of my wedding were not labelled! For the same reason.

At the time of my wedding to my husband, in the 1970s, both sets of parents shown in the group photos were alive. Now all four are gone. When I pass on, and the photos are passed on, my descendants will be trying to work out which woman was my mother and which was my husband's mother.

If you label your own photos with even only the most basic information, the name of the family members, the year, the country, that can trigger memories.

Why bother labelling the country? While you are all living in the same country, your country and your home town is obvious. Five years later, when you move house to another city, or go to work overseas, or emigrate, the identity of those old photos is less clear.

You might be able to check on dates with other sources such as who went where and when. A photo taken of South America has to be my husband's because I have not been there.
'Where?' I called.
He just told me, 'Argentina.'
'Which city?'
'Cordoba.'
Which year?
'1976. No 1978. I was invited to the World Cup of Soccer. I had written a paper on football attendance when I was a lecturer in statistics at Aberdeen university.'

I can check on the dates of the World Cup in Argentina to be sure which year.

But a photo of Mexico was my trip on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. My husband has never been to Mexico.

Signposts Opening Sets Of Photos
Nowadays I include the welcome sign as we drive into a city. I take a photo of the airport on arrival with the sign. I photograph signposts.

Romantic Road sign, Germany.

Self-captioning Photos
I often take self-captioning photos. I include the name of the hotel with a picture of the outside.

Why use labels?
When I worked for a photo agency, we were instructed to write on  labels and stick the photos on the back. Never write on the middle of the back of a photo, because the indentation of the pen or pencil would impact the front of the photo.

Now you can use your grouped photos for a blog on your travels, or a printed book.

Storage Systems
I visited the head of a photographic society in New Zealand. He had a simple dating system. He kept all photos in date order in numbered shoe boxes. January 1999 was followed by February 1999. To find photos of particular places, he used books of indexes. He kept one book in date order. The other was by country and City, alphabetically by country and within that alphabetically by city.

So his page on France, Paris, might have an entry: France, Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral, exterior, June 1999.
Another later entry would read: France, Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral, interior, altar, 2002.

He could use this system to pair up photos at different dates, his first photo of a place fifty years ago with the same place last year or this year.

Each photo had a number. It helps if you make notes of what you have photographed every evening on a trip.

Mystery Photo
I have a mystery photo of a wedding taken in what looks like a back garden in the East End of London. Was it from my mother's family, or from my aunty Pearl? If only they had written the bride's first name, I could have checked back in the family history and found the bride, the groom, and maybe many more people, and the location where they lived.

You could use a similar system with family photos. You can compile a family history.

I used a stock photo on the front of this book for the 90th birthday of my relative Pearl.

I prefer the family photo I used on this book of family history, which I wrote for my neighbours.

Alice and Loudon

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.) See books and profiles on Lulu.com and  Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When. Also watch videos on YouTube.

Travel online: visit hospitals, record stories, show travel pix; do telemedicine

Who Is Complaining About Video Calls Instead Of Hospital Visits?
I have heard people complaining that they could not be at the bedside of their dying parents and grandparents in the UK, USA and Singapore, but could only speak on the video phone. I think how lucky they are.

First, I shall tell you my family experiences - when we did not have the advantage of iPads in hospitals. Then I shall tell you how much you can do nowadays:
a) Visit your family online, at home and hospital
b) Interview them on family history and
c) Send them uplifting photos of home and holidays,
d) Organize online doctors chats and prescriptions.


My mother, Netta, on her wedding day to my father, Albert, in WWII.

The Year 2000
I wish I had had iPads in hospital in the year 2000. My mother died alone in hospital in 2000. At that time we were not allowed to use mobile phones in Watford General Hospital, London, England.

Paul

The 1900s
I had often heard from my mother, Netta, how Netta's father, my maternal grandfather, Paul, died alone in the 1900s in London. He, too, was without the benefit of phone and video contact to his family, who were elsewhere in the hospital.

People on the internet, and in news stories, have complained that they could not visit or touch granny.

My mother recalled the death of her father, Paul, in a London hospital, just after they had visited him. She said that he told them, 'I called all night - but nobody came.'

Nursing homes try to ban family setting up secret surveillance. They should welcome it. Instead of needing nurses on call, family could be entertaining bored grandads with music and conversation and only alerting hospital in a case of emergency such as grandad falling over.

My mother said, "A nurse said we should all go off for tea. So we did. When we came back, he was dead"

After my mother died, for days I worried about whether somebody had given her an injection to bump her off. When my father died, I was there, so I knew nothing like that had happened. With videos, you can be checking what is going on. You can watch at the time. And/or play back, later.

The Years 2002-2005
After my mother died, her younger brother, my uncle Ronnie, went into Barnet hospital. I was able to visit Ronnie with my father (who drove me there in his car).

Angela's Uncle Ronnie in Barnet Hospital, visited by Angela and Angela's father Albert.

I spent a long couple of afternoons or with Ronnie.  Then he had the operation.

Physical Touch?
After my uncle got MRSA and declined, he was too sensitive to be touched.




In Barnet hospital. I could only observe my uncle through a side ward window in the London hospital, Barnet Hospital, without donning clothes and gloves. My uncle had MRSA after an operation which was supposed to give im another three years of life. MRSA is an, infections you pick up in hospital or take in with you.

He died in Barnet hospital.

Similarly, my mother-in-law, Pearl, for days before dying, was too sensitive to be touched. If you tried to touch her hand, or arm, she recoiled and moaned.

When my father was in hospital, he was too frail to get up and go to the phone. When I called the hospital and asked them to tell them I had phoned, I could not be sure they would remember to tell him. So I devised questions which needed an answer. It could be as simple as, "Tell him my son is visiting tonight and ask him if there's anything Tony should bring."

When the nurse called me back and said, "He was asleep earlier. When he woke up I told him your son was visiting. I asked if he wanted anything, and he said, 'Nothing, thank you, just the visit.' "

That way I was sure my message was delivered. How much better nowadays to have a proper video call!

The Blessings Of Internet In The Year 2020
In this era, 2020, we are lucky to have internet contact. If the complainers' granny could not speak, at least the family could observe the room and know that nobody had deliberately snuffed out granny or grandfather.

If the family wanted a record, the family could video the hospital or nursing home scene, for use in family history or for a court case for neglect against the hospital. Or to identify and thank and maybe reward a kind nurse who had comforted their beloved relative.

Bedside Vigil Rotas
Recently I read that Freddie Mercury's ex-wife and friends when they knew he was dying held a vigil rota by his bed. They made sure that he was never left alone. On Facebook I read the same about other families.

Even if you cannot travel, because of lack of flights, you can hold an internet rota. Twenty four hours. Or staying awake at night, taking an afternoon nap while the nurses are awake and watching. 

You could even have the video on like a baby-sitting device, so you can hear any change of breathing. While you are sleeping, the patient can call you and wake you if they have something to say, or request.

You can set up the video so that the patient has the illusion of travelling home and being at home. Either just as a fond memory, or, if they have dementia, they might really think it is true.

You can bring out happy pictures or your travels, your family when you were younger and everybody was alive and healthy and happy.

You can show old photos to trigger memories and conversation. Or to bring comfort to them and yourself.

Using video conferencing with your family members when they are well enough at home still be a help if they need telemedicine or to speak to you from hospital.

Online pharmacy organizing prescriptions

Useful Websites
THE BAD NEWS
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/health/coronavirus-hospital-visit-ban.html

THE GOOD NEWS
UK - hospitals providing iPads
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/uk-hospitals-tightening-restrictions-on-visits-even-to-dying-patients-coronavirus
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/senior-elder-dementia-memory-reminiscence-therapy-holiday-family-12199668
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8226375/Dancing-gran-lockdown-good-health-deepens-family-ties.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grandparents_Day

Useful Medical Websites
India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medlife
Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong
https://platomedical.com/
USA
https://platomedical.com/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See other posts on Freddie Mercury, telemedicine, Singapore, UK and more. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury, a Rothschild home, and National Trust, a great place to visit

Waddesdon Manor is in the news this month for sad reasons, an aircraft small plane collision nearby. Everybody in the area and London knows of Waddesdon Manor which is a National Trust Property. Who lived there? The Rothschilds.

The place is instantly recognizable from the grand fountain at the start of the direct drive (no curves) giving an uninterrupted view. I like the grander word, vision of the house. I like the word vision because one immediately gets visions, imaginary pictures, memories, or everything one associates with the house and with the Rothschilds.

If you can't afford the time and money to visit the house, as is usually the case with big museums and houses, you can still see the shop and the tea room and the grounds.

Aylesbury, Bucks. Near Tring. Disraeli lived in the same area. No coincidence. Disraeli and the Rothschilds were great pals.

I love stories about Disraeli and the Rothschilds. Some of my favourites:

Disraeli, dying, asked whether he wished to be visited by Queen Victoria, declined, saying, "She will only want me to take a message to Albert."

It is worthwhile joining the National Trust for a year if you want to visit a property every weekend or, like some American visitors, to spend a week or more visiting two properties every day. Also look for other perks when joining schemes.

I once joined a Saatchi museum scheme. Even if I didn't go back a second visit ever, it was worthwhile joining for one visit, because I got a reduction in the restaurant where four of us had lunch plus a reduction in the gift shop.

The Rothschilds were 'citizens of the world', (said by Gandhi, quoting somebody else, and me, quoting Gandhi.)
Online, you can find out about buying greeting cards, ordering potatoes, plasterwork, or even Japanese goods when you visit Japan.

Useful Websites
National Trust UK
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/join-us
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddesdon_Manor
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/waddesdon-manor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothschild_properties_in_the_Home_counties

National Trust for Scotland
https://www.nts.org.uk/Home/

Would you believe it! They have teamed up with a Japanese store:
https://shop.nationaltrust.org.uk/hankyu-department-stores-japan/i80

See my previous posts.
One I wrote on everything in Aylesbury:

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See my other new blog:
http://www.luxurytravelforless.co.uk