Olga Woronoff

Was She Always Mentally Fragile?

Mental fragility – it can happen to anyone and is often triggered by traumatic events. Last week I wrote about my grandmother’s grief and depression, which gave me food for thought – perhaps she had always suffered from mental fragility? I thought I would explore this idea. I know my

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Her hat making trial was a good idea but soon failed!

My grandmother, Olga Woronoff, was elegant, fashionable and loved her hats. By the looks of it she owned a few! The photos above show her wearing some of them. My grandmother, her husband Paul Woronoff and her sister Tata, made their escape from Russia on board the British ship “Hanover,”

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And After That, She Never Learnt to Drive

I never saw my grandmother get behind the wheel of a car. Whenever we went out as a family, she always sat in the front passenger’s seat, no matter who was driving. It was a matter of respect. As the matriarch of the family, she sat in the front. Once,

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Enough doom and gloom – Let’s head to the beach!

I have had enough doom and gloom for now! So here is a happy snap of my grandparents sunning themselves on Juno Beach, Florida in 1959. At this point in time they did not even realise they were going to be grandparents! Sometime while they were soaking in the sun

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Horrified and indignant, but should she have judged?

Every country lays claims to having great artists and performers and Russia is no exception. One of the most influential and talented singers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Russia was Feodor (Fyodor) Chaliapin. He has been described as having both an imposing figure and voice, with

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