Days long gone

[Andrew V]

I reach my 60th Birthday next month and was reminiscing of times gone by from my early days living in Bradley road in shard end until my mom and dad split up and money became short, my next home was a back to back house in Peel street Winson green my mom moved here with four kids in tow and worked 3 jobs to keep us all together and fed,I loved growing up here and spent many a day dipping in and out of the Canal that ran alongside the prison, we would come out of there and pop into the cafe oppressive the prison for our teas, mom worked behind the counter on her own there. From here we ended up moving to Crompton road of the Heathfield road as the back to backs were being demolished in peel street, we lived here for a very short period before moving to bankdale road in ward end to stay with friends this was due to mom running up rent arrears and the inevitable happened,we ended up moving again to live with friends in Dovdale road near stockland green, I remember loving living here as well there were around a group of 10 kids who hung around together, summer holidays were long and hot we would leave the house around 9 in the morning and walk all the way through to Aston Park armed with a bottle of diluted squash a jam sandwich and a packet of cheap biscuits, happy happy days we had nothing in the financial terms but we had everything in regards to being happy kids, once my mom got sorted out we ended up getting another council house of our own, it even had 3 bedrooms, this was in Hawkesyard road Erdington where mom still lives to this day, I left home in 1981 and moved to London where I got married, have 3 kids of my own and 8 wonderful grandchildren, I look at what kids have today and wonder if I had my childhood again would I live it in todays climate of unsafe streets, very little if any respect for their orders,,,,, not a cat in hells chance my childhood in the 70s was special and it was spent with special friends, we had nothing but we had everything if that makes serve.

 

[Astoness]

what a great post andrew and one i am sure a lot of our members will identify with...i certainly do...eldest of 6 children..we never had much in the way of money but none the less we all faired pretty well in life and i would not have swapped my childhood for anything...as you say we had nothing but in many ways we had everything..we must have done because if we had not we would not be talking about of childhood with such fondness

lyn

 

[Andrew V]

what a great post andrew and one i am sure a lot of our members will identify with...i certainly do...eldest of 6 children..we never had much in the way of money but none the less we all faired pretty well in life and i would not have swapped my childhood for anything...as you say we had nothing but in many ways we had everything..we must have done because if we had not we would not be talking about of childhood with such fondness

lyn

Hi Astoness, I took 3 things from my parents that they instilled in us as kids, they were always treat people with respect, always respect your elders and politeness costs nothing as dose please and thank you, I taught my 3 kids the same values and I’m happy to say they are now teaching them to my 8 grandchildren, bring the kids up right and they in turn will do the same to their kids,

 

[Fashionz]

I reach my 60th Birthday next month and was reminiscing of times gone by from my early days living in Bradley road in shard end until my mom and dad split up and money became short, my next home was a back to back house in Peel street Winson green my mom moved here with four kids in tow and worked 3 jobs to keep us all together and fed,I loved growing up here and spent many a day dipping in and out of the Canal that ran alongside the prison, we would come out of there and pop into the cafe oppressive the prison for our teas, mom worked behind the counter on her own there. From here we ended up moving to Crompton road of the Heathfield road as the back to backs were being demolished in peel street, we lived here for a very short period before moving to bankdale road in ward end to stay with friends this was due to mom running up rent arrears and the inevitable happened,we ended up moving again to live with friends in Dovdale road near stockland green, I remember loving living here as well there were around a group of 10 kids who hung around together, summer holidays were long and hot we would leave the house around 9 in the morning and walk all the way through to Aston Park armed with a bottle of diluted squash a jam sandwich and a packet of cheap biscuits, happy happy days we had nothing in the financial terms but we had everything in regards to being happy kids, once my mom got sorted out we ended up getting another council house of our own, it even had 3 bedrooms, this was in Hawkesyard road Erdington where mom still lives to this day, I left home in 1981 and moved to London where I got married, have 3 kids of my own and 8 wonderful grandchildren, I look at what kids have today and wonder if I had my childhood again would I live it in todays climate of unsafe streets, very little if any respect for their orders,,,,, not a cat in hells chance my childhood in the 70s was special and it was spent with special friends, we had nothing but we had everything if that makes serve.

My husband lived in Bradley Road, the family moved there when the houses were newly built, about 1951, he lived at no. 39. His parents lived there until around 1990.

 

[Andrew V]

We lived at number 25 we moved in around 1970 my dad used to drink in the pub on the corner I believe it was called the trident, we went to the school on Bradley road and the playing fields ran along our back garden, unfortunately my mom passed away last September so all my links to Bradley road have now gone as my dad passed in 2010,