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THE HOME MADE STREET TROLLEY. I don't think that there was anything more enjoyable than the times that the kids spent with their home-made Trolleys. Every angle was explored and tried out with these proudly owned " Plank and four wheeled " concoctions. One-upmanship was always in the mix...

PLANNING FOR " BONFIRE " NIGHT. Period : Early Post-war. Another exciting event for the kids to build up to. The main objective of the children was the collection of bits for their Bonfire. Worth bearing in mind that this was in the era of " make-do-and- mend " and therefore there was very...

WHO ? HOW ? WHAT ? The natural curiosity of the kids. Going back a ways I think of the times when we klds asked our parents questions which seemed perfectly straight forward to US but seemed to throw THEM into a rapid state of muddle and confusion. For some types of questions there were many...

CONKER TIME. ( Very much a look forward to moment in the year ). Over the years many of the kids would be out, about this time, looking for their first collection of Conkers. It was sensible to ' get in first ' , if you could , before any other ' groups ' might have already cleared up the fallen...

MIMICKING and IMITATING. There were countless children, I recall, who could imitate or mimic with a fair degree of accuracy and talent. The range that I remember included the kids mimicking : DONALD DUCK and POPEYE. Some of the girls did a fair old job of imitating SHIRLEY TEMPLE. The CHARLIE...

WASN'T QUITE READY YET. I recall at one time when our Dad advised my younger brother and myself that it would be a good thing and a good experience if we were to start helping out around the house with jobs other than just running errands. I think that this sounded good to us because here was...

The old school Vaulting Horse. ( Some could, some couldn't ). Sketch :

" EXPOSED ". ( Tidemarks and holes in those socks ). 1940's. Most days it would be a bit of a rush after getting out of bed to get ready for school. Quick on with the clothes and a dash downstairs to have a ' splash ' wash in the kitchen sink ( needed to get that done pretty quickly, the...

Got to learn how to take your come-uppers. Mom did her best but Dad found out anyway. I will try and keep your Dad out of it this time young lady.

MOMS TO THE RESCUE. ( Camouflage and repair ) It was a sure thing for some kids that sooner or later they would find that during their games and adventures the " accident " occurred. Cuts and scrapes to Elbows, Knees and Shins, torn jacket pockets, lost buttons, torn sleeves, paint or oil on...

POSH and RICH. I mind how occassionally we kids would discuss how some local families seemed to be ' posher ' or ' richer ' than we were. On reflection there were items that we took into account that were quite comical. I recall some of the things that we used as a measure of posher or richer...

Early Autumn, Sunny day, the kids are out at play. A typical fun venture that some kids would experiment with would possibly take place when they had just finished a run around in the street and were now gathered on the street corner or the alleyway whilst they got their breath back. Time to...

TRYING TO TELL THAT JOKE. Anyone remember, particularly as a young kid, when you had just heard or just been told a decidedly funny joke and you couldn't wait to tell it to your other friends. You were now looking forward to performing it to your mates and getting some good laughs and the...

TRIBAL TIMES. The football ' local derby ' that took place last night brings back many memories right through from childhood and on through adulthood. As kids I recall there were ' splits ' in who supported who within our gang or group. Some were simply influenced by which football team that...

Maria Magenta, had a look around the Internet and that linked arm spinning game you mention appeared to be called " Snap the Whip ". You are absolutely right, the person or persons at the end of the line were expected to take a tumble as the line turned ever faster. Photo : Snap the Whip.

The Spin Around experience. As carolina describes, I think that the girls, in general , participated in this activity to demonstrate their nice dresses flowing around them. The lads on the other hand, doing their spins, went flat out for the ' giddy ' sensation. Photo (1) : The more gentle (...

CHANGING TIMES. I think, as kids, that most of us did a bit of this. Remember that little ' experience ' that we tested ourselves out with whereby we would spread our arms out and have a good ' whirl-around ' to the point that we became ' giddy '. Then it was a case of trying to stay on your...

oldbrit. That's impressive, sounds like you had a lot of potential .

Did somebody say " MODERATION AND DECORUM IN ALL THINGS ". A pat on the back, a wink, and a " Well done kid " used to be a typical accolade bestowed on you or your young friends as an expression of acknowledgment for an achievement during games and sport. For the lads a handshake might have been...

THE MISSING PART OF THE LESSON. Looking back on our school education period,as kids,I think that we were all pretty much of the same mind when it came to trying to figure out what some of the school lessons were all about and to what use they were really, I think we were all appreciative of...