A touch closer

Lunch with my great uncle and aunt this afternoon. Unfortunately he´s going deaf, but it´s still impressive that at the age of 93 he´s still mentally all there.

We had a good long chat about the family (my grandmother´s side) and a look at the various photos of them from the early part of the 20th century. What was difficult to imagine was how the older generation (my grandmother´s parents and grand-parents) could put up with wearing heavy, English-style suits and dresses in the heat of a Brazilian summer.

Also had a look at various documents which my great uncle has relating to his great gradnfather and his own time as honourary consul in Porto Alegre. They included correspondence signed by the Brazilian emperor Pedro II and the most prominent 20th century Brazilian presidents, Getulio Vargas and Juscelino Kubitschek. Looking at them on my great uncle´s desk these individuals ceased to be distant and historical figures and far more tangible.

Fascinating.