My next school was the Girls’ High School. That school was in its final years before the changeover to the comprehensive system, and the upper school was already under construction. Nevertheless, the school kept to its old-fashioned organizational and disciplinary system, so the all-girls school had four houses with a system of house points andContinue reading “Secondary School”
Author Archives: originalearthlady
Routines
Counting the money was a major part of doing the papers. I’d watched Dad on a Sunday afternoon for so many years, as he spread newspaper on the table and emptied out all the leather moneybags, that when it came to my turn I barely needed any instruction. In turn, I picked out each denominationContinue reading “Routines”
The Sunday Papers
I’d already had a paper round for several years before I got a daily one in Sudbury as a teenager. When Dad gave up the village shop in Lavenham and moved to Sudbury, he didn’t give up the Sunday newspaper supply and deliveries. From before I was born, he would get up before first lightContinue reading “The Sunday Papers”
Memory Lane 1 – Lavenham
On a recent visit to England, Dinah and I spent an afternoon in the south Suffolk countryside with M and B, trying to track down places where Mum, Dad, or their parents had once lived. It was a clear and very cold afternoon, and our trip took us to Long Melford and Lavenham. Although IContinue reading “Memory Lane 1 – Lavenham”
Accidents
Although Mum didn’t work full-time when we were children, she did work: on the market on a fruit & vegetable stall once or twice a week, and a 4-hour early evening shift at CAV, although not at the same time. We had a series of babysitters to look after us when Mum wasn’t there. OneContinue reading “Accidents”
Day trips
When we were children, we occasionally had family outings at weekends, and they were of two kinds. Either we’d go out to forage for seasonal produce, most often ingredients for Dad’s excellent home-made wine, or we’d be all dressed up in our Sunday best to go for a drive to a picturesque country village. LaterContinue reading “Day trips”
School days
We always used to walk to school. My first school was Tudor Road infants school, which is still there and now, I think, called Woodhall school. I don’t remember who my first teacher was, but I do have a few memories from there. There were benches and coat pegs outside each classroom, and we hadContinue reading “School days”
Nanny Joyce
On the fifth anniversary of her leaving us, today’s memories are of my Mum – not from my childhood, but from the children’s. M was born in hospital in Bursa, and Nanny Joyce was here for the occasion, although I think she probably wished she wasn’t, at times! She was pretty horrified (as was I)Continue reading “Nanny Joyce”
Music & Ballet
The front room of the house was kept for “best”. It was always hushed and calm, in contrast to the living room and kitchen where 4 or 5 of us were constantly doing something: eating, playing, fighting, watching television, or doing homework. The front room was always tidy and there were no toys. There wasContinue reading “Music & Ballet”
Christmas
Christmas was nothing like the commercial spend-fest that it is now, but it was our biggest holiday of the year, and we always looked forward to it enormously. Mum and Dad went to great lengths to make sure Christmas was very special, even when there was clearly little money to spare. We always had aContinue reading “Christmas”
Fading Memories 