Looking back on this photo of myself makes me feel pretty ancient.
Robert's mother was also called Alice. I once asked Robert why he named me Alice also and he said he named me after his mother and the story 'Alice In Wonderland'. I remember him smiling as he put away his book and answered me. He didn't give it a second thought and I didn't have the heart to tell him at the time but it wasn't my favourite name. I remember visiting Alice when I was very young with Mouse. I have a memory of her once sitting in bed and Robert sitting beside her just staring at her. Once, (later) Alice brought a huge suitcase of sweets for all of 'us' children as we were growing up. We all thought she was wonderful of course. But she went through alot in her life. She was a Jewish refugee and times were horrific during the second world war.
She worked incredibly hard when she arrived in London. Whenenevr I think of her, I imagine the nightmare time it must have been for Robert's mother and father. Robert used to show me many images of the holocaust when I was a child. Robert's mother set up a hotel in London and many people lived there. Robert used to have a room (number three) where he used to paint and study astronomy. Even when he was young he dissected animals and drew the anatomy.He was fascinated by the anatomical drawings of Leonardo. He had a telescope he would look through at the stars. Hotel Shemtov was the name of the hotel. My mother remembers it and visited Robert's mother while they lived in London. I always remember Robert painted a picture of his mother when she died. I remember feeling shocked when he showed me.
Robert was a particularly strange father. When I was at school at the age of fourteen news ;eaked out that he had died but in reality he hadn't. This was a particularly strange point in my life where conventional ideas of parenthood were certainly being challenged for me. I
Robert used to play magic tricks and #conjure sweets from the airwhen I was a child. He could also be very sensitive and helped me through many experieneces in my life.
