I read a great post on Cup of Jo recently all about childhood memories – the comments were the very best part of the post.
And that got me thinking, what were mine, my core childhood memories? Collating and reading the Maggie and Kay letters has meant I’ve been thinking about my childhood a lot of late, but mostly in a general way – I’ve found it interesting to see what Mum thought about something relating directly to me – I’m not likely to forget that she described me as chubby!
I would say that I have a mixed bag of core childhood memories. Here’s a few that came to mind:
- Long, hot Summers in Ulverston
- Gran crocheting each of her five grand daughters a scarf and a matching beret. Mine were tangerine in colour (and probably acrylic) and the beret was huge. I put it on and it fell down over my face. My Gran’s response? “Your sister and cousin told me you had a big head.”
- Late Sunday afternoon visits to the corner shop for a quarter (4ozs) of sweets. I almost always chose Midget Gems or Parkinson’s Thins.
- Sliding down the storm drains in the park near our flat in Kowloon, Hong Kong. On occasion, we would be chased off by the park keeper (presumably because it was actually quite dangerous).
- Spending Saturday afternoons curled up of the floor of the front porch (when it was sunny) with Enid Blyton‘s Malory Towers.
- Friday evening swimming lessons at Livingstone Street baths – a magnificent Victorian red brick building opposite the Whitbread brewery, and long since demolished.
- Air cadet Summer camps in the early ’80s – RAF Waddington, RAF Halton and RAF Coltishall.
This West London Life 
Ruth those two photos of you as a child are wonderful – you are SO cute.
Thinking about childhood memories, is I am sure, for most of a mix bag of emotions. For me, it’s been a lot of therapy to smooth out some of the rough ones. You are very wise with the words you spoke to yourself about reading your Mum’s letters & even wiser to pull close up to the happy memories, especially the ones you now share with TB, like time well spent/enjoyed in Ulverston & your love of reading. (( ))
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Haha, initially all I could remember was the horrible stuff – like how Gran would lock me in the coal shed if I cried. It only made me cry harder!! Can you even imagine!!
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I can see family resemblance with TB in that second photo! What a lovely post and I am thinking hard of stand out memories. Such happy holidays in Looe in Cornwall, we always went with my aunt, uncle and two cousins. I loved Malory Towers too and when I was 10 I was so jealous of my friend Gail whose family moved away and she had to go to boarding school! I also remember going up to London with my mum and dad and lovely lunches in Dickens and Jones. I loved secondary school and made such great friends, I left in 1976 which was that wonderfully hot summer, mostly spent ‘revising’ for A levels in the sunshine over the park – happy days!
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Dickens and Jones – what a London institution!
I remember the ladybird population during that hot summer of 1976.
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