Precious Memories

Let’s go back to my childhood days in the 40’s. No television to entertain people in the evenings or wet inside days. My family often had friends around to play poker. My Gran taught me how to play and instead of money we used match sticks. When I got closer to my teenage years I was allowed to use pennies which my grandfather had given me to buy a farm.

 Sorry Granddad, I lost all the money playing poker.

Snakes and ladders was a popular game. 

Outside games were Hop Scotch: Oranges and Lemons: Rounders to mention a few.

At 6pm each evening we didn’t watch television, we turned the radio on and listened to the news; similar to today not so good news come over the radio about proceedings in World War 2. I thought Germans must look like freaks from out of space. I asked my mother what they looked like and she replied.

‘Just like us, two eyes, one nose, two ears.’ That surprised me.

My Gran was a fan of the radio. She started the morning listening to Aunt Daisy who had the thirty minute show at 9am. She always started with.

‘Good morning everyone, good morning.’

One morning all the adults were in fits of laughter when she said.

‘Good morning everyone, good morning. What a lovely day. I opened up my bed room door and the sun was shining right up my back passage.’

Phil Stone was another character on morning radio. My parents told me about a prank which sucked in many listeners. He advised people to stay inside and close all their doors and windows because Auckland was about to be invaded with an enormous swarm of bees.  

Couldn’t get away with that now; he’d be in big trouble.

As a teenager knuckle bones became a interesting game, we’d get on the floor after tea and compete with each other. (I was pretty good)

Time moved on and I married and became a mother of four. My husband and I had fun with the children putting some of their toys in our new oven with a class door; no we didn’t turn the oven on, just the light, we pretended it was a TV.

With a bit of imagination and creativity in those pre television days we managed to keep ourselves fully occupied.

When we eventually did get a TV I recall telling my children if they watched too much they would get square eyes. Although I must admit it was a good baby sitter when I was attempting to prepare our evening meal.  The children loved ‘Lassie Come Home’

 One evening I called out to them to go and wash their hands because dinner was nearly ready. As they ran past me to the bath room two of them had tears running down their faces. I told them ‘Don’t worry Lassie will soon be found.’

In the sixties life was so simple. Children playing outside until it was time to go to bed. Up in the morning at seven am. Then a short work to school meeting their friends on the way.

When it came to my youngest son’s first day at school. I dropped him off and told him I’d pick him up when his school day had finished. ( In those days the new primmer ones finished an hour earlier that the rest of the primary school.) He took no time to tell me that he would walk home.

I thought he was just being brave and when I turned up at his finishing time he refused to get in the car, reminding me that he had said he would walk home.

Looking back to those past times, I have to admit it was a special and I feel privileged to have such precious memories floating around in my head