Memories of my uncle

[Gemini]

My favourite uncle was the husband of one of mum's 3 sisters.
His name was Frank. He was funny, gentle and quiet. He was quite religious and sang in the church choir. He had been brought up in a Bernardo's home down south somewhere and this always made me feel sad, even as a child. He never mentioned it but mum told me.

He made me laugh. He often recited the rhyme 'Yesterday Upon the Stair (I saw a man who wasn't there etc) I also remember one which went 'I wish I was a fish with a tail long great, with head like a winkle and a body like a skate'. However Google throws up nothing for this rhyme, so I wonder if he just make it up?!
There were others which I cant think of now.

[Plantaholic]

Memories of not an Uncle but a Brother in Law, my eldest sister’s husband. He was funny and kind and I loved him very much. He used to make us children snowballs at Christmas, my children loved to be in his company too. He was a Geordie, I loved his parents too.
I know the rhyme Yesterday upon the Stair but not the one about the fish, perhaps he made it up. .

[Oma]

Isn’t it strange how we remember certain people,
I had a Uncle one of my mothers brothers that I disliked intensely,

He was a drunk and took advantage of my mothers good nature ,
He would turn up on the door step roaring drunk to crash out on our sofa .
Then would stay for weeks getting fed etc with no offer of money for all this ,

My parents didn’t drink and we were poor so it was a great hardship for them , but my mother wouldn’t turn him out he was her baby brother.
This went on after my father died till one day I really lost my temper and told him what I thought of him and not to come back .
Horrible rude man he was,
Completely different from her other brother who we all adored a lovely man who died far too soon .