jim hay's dog
We have a saying in our family, if someone is being restless and can't settle to anything, 'You're just like Jim Hay's dog.' Apparently the dog always wanted to be somewhere else; outside if he was inside, inside if he was out.
Actually, I've not heard it said for a long time. It was something my father, and my grandmother and grandfather, used to say. It definitely came from that side of the family. I was thinking of my dad recently on what would have been his 88th birthday, he died at the age of 72. I was wondering how long he would be remembered. They do say that no one really dies while they live on in someone's memory. It's a comforting thought. My dad will go on while my siblings and I remember him. And he has four grandchildren that would remember him too, and two that wouldn't. So the memory of him is secure for a good few decades yet. Hopefully.
Jim Hay I never met, and I don't even know whether he was someone that my dad met, or maybe someone that my grandparents knew. I don't even know if he was a real person. I have considered that he may have been a music hall performer, or radio character - such people would get referenced in my grandparents stories, so it's not a fanciful idea. More likely, I suppose, he could simply have been a neighbour, or a man who lived down the street. The dog was never name checked, it was just simply known as the property of its owner. Thoughts of my dad's legacy made me wonder how long 'memories' of Mr Hay would last. I hope there is a family somewhere that remember him fondly, and his old dog. But if there isn't, then he lives on only with me and my siblings. Although now that his name appears here, I have given him a legacy of sorts, and one man and his restless old dog will continue to live on, at least while the internet lasts.
Actually, I've not heard it said for a long time. It was something my father, and my grandmother and grandfather, used to say. It definitely came from that side of the family. I was thinking of my dad recently on what would have been his 88th birthday, he died at the age of 72. I was wondering how long he would be remembered. They do say that no one really dies while they live on in someone's memory. It's a comforting thought. My dad will go on while my siblings and I remember him. And he has four grandchildren that would remember him too, and two that wouldn't. So the memory of him is secure for a good few decades yet. Hopefully.
Jim Hay I never met, and I don't even know whether he was someone that my dad met, or maybe someone that my grandparents knew. I don't even know if he was a real person. I have considered that he may have been a music hall performer, or radio character - such people would get referenced in my grandparents stories, so it's not a fanciful idea. More likely, I suppose, he could simply have been a neighbour, or a man who lived down the street. The dog was never name checked, it was just simply known as the property of its owner. Thoughts of my dad's legacy made me wonder how long 'memories' of Mr Hay would last. I hope there is a family somewhere that remember him fondly, and his old dog. But if there isn't, then he lives on only with me and my siblings. Although now that his name appears here, I have given him a legacy of sorts, and one man and his restless old dog will continue to live on, at least while the internet lasts.
Comments
Post a Comment