My childhood memories - getting chips in a dish from the chipshop,home made ice cream from Ivan ice cream who brought it in a big van, the baker who came in a van with hot crusty loaves, the fishman who came in his van on a friday and the horse and cart laden with fresh vegetables and fruit. Also the "cockles" man who came with a horse and cart and you could hear his cry of "Cocos" from 2 miles away getting nearer all the time. Also the french onion man who came on a bike.
I remember the bottles of orange juice from the food office which we had on ration, and the third bottles of milk thawing out by the stove at school in winter and we all had these at break time.
We played lots of skipping games and things like "giant steps" and enjoyed bowling wooden hoops down the schoolyard. We loved to go in the schoolgarden and came home via a "gors" where we invariably got a "socsan" or one wet foot as we jumped from one clump of grass to another with little water laden ducts between them.
We roamed free about the village and played in places we would never let our children play now - on quite high rocks, with slides worn smooth by generations of children sliding down the rocks.
I remember sitting by my brother and Dad on the bench seat of an A49 and my brother catching me as the door flew open as we went over a bump.
There are so many memories - blue bags for sugar, tea bought loose, shopping with a big square basket that held a weeks provisions - no overfilled cupboards or wasted food then.Friday night was the main shopping night.
We had a chemist shop and I remember being one of the first shops to ever provide a free Christmas wrapping service with bold candy striped paper and bright ribbon.
Student days brought back memories of being thin because I walked everywhere, and I had so little money that by the end of term I ate only things like toast and jam or fried onion sandwiches. Calls home were once a week from a call box at the end of the street and my mum worried 200 miles away because I had to walk home on my own in the dark. I remember carrying a three foot mattress through the town with a friend, to replace the straw filled on on my student bed and having only my dansette record player, and a tiny transistor for entertainment. My room was heated only by an old electric convector heater and the window were wired up with strong wire to keep intruders out as i was on the ground floor.The bed was heaped with blankets to keep me warm.
Life was fun and although I had little money the hardships were nothing compared to the difficulties facing many people now.
