UK Disability Resource of Disabled Needs

Annie · Full Member Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 216 Location: kent

Doesn't sound the best introduction to horse riding, cant say I was that way inclined although I loved Whitbreads big dray horses. Often had a ride in a cart behind one of those, Mum always took us to watch them being released in the field when they came down on holiday, the used to gallop and roll on the grass with delight.

I think we all gain a bit as we get older, in my case love of food is probably to blame. I am the local cake making lady.

The red woolly costume used to stretch and drag down when it was wet, not really a problem for a skinny 7 year old though with nothing much to look at, it was pretty itchy as well.

We collected loads of winkles in the buckets bought from the shop on the front, (still there) but never cooked them, I guess Granny dumped them, they probably stunk. Thinking back she was a fantastic lady, very strict but we loved her just the same, when she visited she always bought dolly mixtures in the little shop and then she would make cones out of newspaper and share them out, a few each day, I realise now we learnt a lot from her,

Annie

pam · Posted: Mon Jun 23, 2008 1:39 pm Post subject:

The days of the long swim wear was just a little before my time. I can imagine how itchy the wool would have been, I got a mental picture of this little girl with the crutch of her wet swim suit down to her knees. lolol
I just had the bog standard stretchy swim suit as a child and when in my teens and twenties wearing a bikini. Didn't have much on top in those days and we always went away with our friends (another married couple) John was a joker and on one occassion said to me Pam - I'm not sure why you wear a top to your bikini cos I have more than you - CHEEK!! Doz his wife and my closest friend was quite 'busty' and I still remember a year or two after, we both went topless and were playing with a ball in the sea in Majorca. Doz's boob were bouncing nicely on the top of the water and the elderly gentleman nearby? - Well folks I reckon he thought it was christmas and his birthday rolled into one.

Pam
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Pam.

Annie · Full Member Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 216 Location: kent

Yes Pam it was down my knees, red baggy swimsuit and ginger hair, later I did get a normal stretchy one but that was an emergency solution, to be honest I think those sort of suits had been out of fashion for years even then, the neighbour probably had it at the back of the cupboard, those days people hoarded all sorts of things. When it was no good for any thing else it was cut up and made into rag rugs, well at least my Mum started a few and had us pegging away but none of them ever got finished. One elderly great aunt had one made out of first war soldiers puttees, it must have weighed a ton.

You are very brave, I never went topless but I did once crochet a bikini and wear it, wouldnt dare now, too many bulges in the wrong place, I was never that well endowed either, at least it has never sagged, reckon the elderly gentleman was lucky not to have a heart attack.

Annie

pam · Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject:

I'm the same as you these days Annie far too much flesh wobbling around!!
When I was engaged (in the late 60's) my hubby to be and I spent many a night pegging a rug for our new home. I will never forget it.
Half moon shaped, white in colour with green ivy leaves on - what a choice to put up to the coal fireplace.
We had lino upstaires and a sheepskin rug at each side of the bed (bought from the Isle Of Man whilst on holiday) to keep our tootsies warm on a cold night (no central heating) Pam
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Pam.

Annie · Full Member Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 216 Location: kent

I actualy made a woollen hooky rug myself and gave it to Mum, that had white poodles on, that went in front of her coal fire, collected all the ash, when I was young we used to get ice inside the bedrooom windows in winter and lovely patterns made by Jack Frost as my Dad told us. We must have been tough as we survived it, I cant remember the last time I saw real frost patterns on a window, they were very pretty.

For the rag ones you used a much bigger latchet hook with a pointed end, I dont know if you can still get them.

We adopted a pigeon who used to come to that window sill every night for food, later he bought his wife and chicks, eventually they stopped visiting but my brother and sister and I loved them coming. Dad taught us how to entice him gradually. Dad was very good with animals, once our cat came home with wire from a trap round her neck, she had been missing a few days, Dad removed it, she had a bald patch where the wire had cut afterwards, poor thing. It did gradually grow over,

Annie.

pam · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 5:34 pm Post subject:

Oh yes I remember the ice patterns inside the windows and the snow hanging from the roof - we used to open the windows to try and dislodge the snow - just to make it fall with a thump below. We survived because we had the old armie coats on our beds to keep us extra warm didn't stop our noses getting cold though.

Our outside pipes to the upstairs bathroom used to freeze up as well and I remember dad going up on the ladders and putting hot water on it. We also adopted wold birds which were injured and tried to make them better my two brothers were worse than me for that once had a bat ugghh. My mum drew the line one day when my brother came home from work (he was 16) and had a snake !! Mum made him take it back to where he had found it the following day. Also he had a tame Jackdaw I remember that for sitting on his shoulder and swollowing a blue bottle fly whole and I could here the fly buzzing on its way down the birds throat.

Pam
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Pam.

Annie · Full Member Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 216 Location: kent

Pam we used coats on the bed as well, glad we weren't the only ones, any thing to keep warm, we had army blankets as well, horrible rough things but very warm and heavy.

My Mum drew the line when my brother came home with a newt, a lovely male great crested, she made him take it back. I am actually happy with the palmate newts that have turned up in my pond probably on water weed and the frogs.

I remember one year we had a toad living by the well, he never moved, just stared at us, also a lizard which used to sun itself in the privy wall, I dont think any lizards survive in this area any more. They probably stayed because Dad told us to let them get used to us. Mind you his efforts were somewhat spoiled by our cats hunting habits. I think we accepted it though as part of nature, these days I am pleased to see the odd kingfisher but they were part of the life in the stream where we lived and we saw them every day along with moorhens and coots and the odd duck. We often tried to raise baby birds that had fallen out of nests, never with any luck though as they were probably too badly injured, also kept the odd stickleback in a bowl, they never survived either.

Annie

pam · Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2008 12:07 pm Post subject:

You sound like us and I suspect most of the children then. We would go down on the 'Rec' in the school hols with mum for picnics and were happy playing in the river or on the swings. We used to take home frogs spawn and the tadpoles which came later - fill the old pot sink up with water in the wash house and put in what we had caught some lived some didn't. These days when I take the children there I make sure anything we have caught goes back into the river.
We also had the grey blankets on our beds to keep us warm. Do you think the winters are generally warmer nowadays Annie? I know we have double glazing which stops the ice inside windows but we don't get the snow like we used to do we?
We used to mainly walk every where as well. Only my beloved grandad had a car and I have fond memories of helping him when it wasn't running right. I can see him now sat by our large grey oven in the kitchen fag in mouth (he used to blow me circles to entertain me) telling me he had a problem with the car (this was when I was around 15yrs) and would I help as my fingers were smaller than his to get to the bit he needed taking off. Grandad was widowed when my mum was a young girl grandma died shortly after giving birth to their seventh child and grandad brought all the children up alone he was great at making and icing special cakes and he taught me how to make pastry from being quite young bless him I wish he was still around.
It's how people had to manage isn't it - by the eldest children having to help more in the home to keep the family together when one parent was gone, and of course the children went out to work at much younger ages than these days. My mum never did go out to work as she had to stay at home when she left school to look after the younger ones then she married and still stayed at home to look after us. Pam
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Pam.

Annie · Full Member Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 216 Location: kent

I think most country kids had a similar lifestyle back then, most people were not that well of and life was fairly simple. Sandwiches and a bottle of water for picnics usually.

We used to go miles on our bikes as well, when Mum was working we had to start dinner when we came in from school, mostly seasonal work on the local farms usually based around the hops.

Most of us belonged to Guides or Scouts for the boys, Brownies and Cubs when we were younger and church youth clubs as well. I remember we had to light a fire with only one match. Tuesday a man used to come to the village and show films in the Working Mans Club, we all wnet to those as well. Also went to Old Time and Country Dancing lessons there on a Thursday, I remember The Gay Gordons and The Valeta, The Dashing White Sergeant was another one, they often came up at dances and school parties.

Annie

Annie

pam · Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:45 pm Post subject:

Yes we used to ride our bikes around the village and enjoyed the roller skates - several of us used to make a train by holding on to each others hips and go around the village to the hills we had great fun I remember my skates had ball bearings and steel wheels - boy could I travel not sure how i didn't break any bones actually. Remember the bread paper with a waxy finish? we used that as well as candels to make the slides extra fast to whizz down. Dad showed us how to make our own kites with brown paper and the thin rounded wood and we would spend hours on the back field flying it. The field was also fun for making dens - when the grass had been cut we would do this we would just pile the grass up and round in a large circle so we could hide behind it then make 2 seperate dens and tie knots in bunches of grass - having pretend battles with the 'enemy' in the other camp. Simple - but good fun. Our village centred round the working mens club although we didn't go as children until my 2 brothers were older but dad was a member and so we went on the summer trips and to the christmas parties. Pam
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Pam.