Back in the day, toys were for rich kids we made our own games on cobbled streets that at night were lit by gas lamps. In fact our house was a two up to down with gas mantles for light, you had to be real careful when lighting them they were not cheap two for a penny at Mrs Clarks shop on the corner.
She would put Arkwright to shame, but the shop had everything he had and more. Once my granddad had a heavy cold, the cure a Penarth of whisky from Mrs M. Coming home from school on a Monday evening my grans bread made the mouth water, baked from the cellar kitchen range, you could smell the bread from the top of the street. Years later the Hovis commercials reminded me of my gran and granddad they raised me.
In summer we were aloud to play out till nine, we played hiddy{hide and seek}kick out can, tors{marbles}what seemed like 50 a side football matches played on the wreck at the top of our street.
I'm 60 now and can not remember in my adult life having friends like I had back in the day, I often wonder what became of them all, some died as kids George S, fell of a roof, Michael W killed in a hit and run, never did catch who did it. Mary C, TB. One gassed him self at 14. Some moved away as parents did better for themselves. I know times change; we used to leave doors open at night, we had a lady who knocked us up with a log stick.
I hated that sound on cold winter mornings from under the sheet with my granddads long army coat on top for added warmth, the sound meant two hours to getting up for me, but more importantly the coat would be on my granddad and not me. Summer mornings my gran would wash the flags and scour the steps, Friday was pay day, clean piny and head scarf on my gran, granddads wages, off to uncle Benny to retrieve the crystal fruit bowl we had to pawn if my granddad had lost a days pay for what ever reason.
The streets are all gone now torn down in the sixties for multi-storey cells in the sky, I wish the spirit of those days were still with us, but that’s not to be, those days are long gone, but the memories off back in the day will remain with me for the rest of my life.
By Tony
2 comments:
Our memories are so important and I hope you are sharing them with those you love. Life has changed so much since we were children. I too look around in awe of the changes and many are not for the good.
I still remember when my children were small and I took my collection of old toys into share with their 5th grade classes.
Many of these children had never heard of the game of marbles, played with a simple piece of string to make shapes, a button twirl, or pick up sticks.
We played the entire period and their faces were lit up like 100 watt bulbs when we finished. I learned that a child does not need a video game if a parent is willing to sit down with them and play.
I loved your memories and wanted to thank you for sharing as they took me back to a simpler time and place this early morning:-)
Kimmee
Post a Comment