Vol. 2 - Introduction

My mother was a “Walters”.  As a child she had had very little to do with this side of the family. The Walters were considered the “posh” side of the family wanted nothing to do with Skinny Granny / Fat Granny side of the family. My mum’s dad, Henry Walters, had kept his secret well hide.  My mother would be horrified to discover the true facts surrounding his early years.

My mother idolised her father and never recovered from the trauma of his death when she was just 12 years old.  All she would say about her father was that she was his favourite, the apple of his eye.  I believe his death was the root cause of her life long feelings of rejection and her pathological need to be loved.

We have no photographs of mum’s dad. The nearest we come to know what he looked like is my mum’s brother, George.  Uncle George was a true “Walters” The highest compliment my mother could give to any of her children, grandchildren or great grandchildren was “They’re a Walters, the spitting image of me brother George”.

In volume two of “The Cactus that Blossomed”, we shall explore my grandfather’s history and his connection with Oliver Twist, my grandmother’s affair with a friend of the Prince of Wales, and why gardening and sowing were part of my mother’s very DNA.

Coming soon. “The Wastelanders”