when i was young book

WHEN I WAS YOUNG MEMENTOS OF PLAYFULNESS



MEMENTOS OF PLAYFULNESS M.A PRESS

YOUTH HELD THE MAGIC OF PLAYFULNESS IN ITS HANDS JOY DANCED IN ITS EVERY MOMENT, BUT AS TIME PASSED, PLAYFULNESS TOOK FLIGHT LIKE A MIGRATING BIRD.

IN ITS SHADOW, MITELMEOFRTIEBES,HBINUDT AGE SAW FIT TO FORGET WSITNOHHETDAHSETOEAIURTD.LEOPONTFCHEAOGHFEE,LD THE MERE MENTION OF PLAYFULNESS SAW THE SEASON OF JOYFULNESS RETURN

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD





One of my favourite toys when I was probably still at infants’ school, was the wooden farm dad made for me. It had a farmhouse and wooden fences. I don’t remember any other items, though there may have been more. I always liked the idea of living on a farm and this was a beautiful escape for me with a few toy animals (frustratingly not to scale so the horses were tiny compared to the pigs!) and a tractor which brought it all to life. I think I owned a tiny little naked baby who played the farmer!



My favourite toy was adjustable roller skates that laced on over shoes and were for outdoor play. Up and down curbs, acrobatics on skates, hanging on to the back of the milk float, being pulled along pavements and over obstacles blindfolded. They crept indoors too on roller-skate tiptoe..

Ihad a Dolls' House that my father made. It was large enough to play inside. The walls folded so that the structure halved in size for storage. There was a chalkboard on one wall. The house had four rooms. One evening in the mid-1960s my Dolls' House was used to trap and kill a mouse. The large mousetrap proved very effective. I was not there at the time. I don't remember squeals of fear. The story was probably relayed by one of my parents.



Iloved cycling around the garden. sense of freedom, speed and fun. Great adventure when my stabilisers were taken off and I could cycle down the lane. Lanes were quieter then!!





Iremember spending most of the summer holidays in our long narrow garden. The sun always seemed to be shining. I created a 'den' on the grass using a large clothes horse and pieces of curtain that were hung from the clothes line. I don't think I ever referred to it as a den. Given the heat of the sun - it was more a shelter - I was creating a room in the outdoor space.

That's quite an unusual question and it's soooooo long ago! I think I would answer a Hornby double 00 electric train and I think our main train (we had 2!) was the Sir Nigel Gresley!





Well we did not have many toys, but I did love my rabbit. He was probably about 20 cms tall. Bluish/grey in colour, I called it my 'BUN'. I did not have a teddy. I don't know what became of him, I think Mum must have disposed of him somehow. I was told at one time that I was too old for my lovely 'BUN' That's about it. I remember he was almost threadbare.

Iremember lining up a row of cushions on the floor in the front room, I used to jump off a chair and see how far I could get, I was convinced that it equalled flying.





Ia wrceohmailleebm.uTbnhekerenmr,wyweseifsowtueenrredhiwhdeoinrr.rgiIeiwndatfshoer scared of the coal delivery people.

Iloved Playing in the Park. The closest park with a play ground was about one mile from our house. The usual route was via the adjacent allotment gardens. The park was landscaped with a stream running through from south to north. There was a square sandpit, and the usual play structures; swings, slide, seesaw, roundabout, and climbing frame. The climbing frame was smaller (and less scary) than the one at my infant school.





We played with cards, sometimes with incomplete packs. We always altered odd cards to make up the complete set. We played chess using odd chess set pieces too. We usually make our own chess boards.

Ihad a cassette recorder, we use to make and record our own radio show, it was called 'body matters' fake news and comedy sketches, pretty embarrassing, but it funny at the time.