Fun Monday -Pictorial view of growing up after the war

Having enjoyed last week's 'fun monday' I decided to join in with Erik's (The Electronic Firefly) suggestion of posting pictures from our childhood. Being a post war baby there was very little money available for luxuries such as photos and, of course, back then they were mainly black and white. I remember being thrilled when at around the age of twelve an aunt gave me an old 'Box Brownie' camera and this was my faithful friend until I was in my 20's.

Some of you may have seen this in my post last Wednesday. Very contented at 3 months must have just been fed.





At nine months I was ready to pose for the camera. Taken in a studio, although its hard to see the photo is in colour but back then it was coloured afterwards and looks very artificial. My hair was not really yellow!!










Aged 1 year 2 months and beginning to look more like a little girl.












I was just beginning to walk and I loved my bright red shoes and had to show them off by striding down the street outside my granny's house. I won't mention showing my knickers!! Probaby 15-18 months.










Starting school is a big step and I was around 5 when this was taken.












At about 7 years I was loosing the blond look and my hair had grown.












This is me with my brother photographed at my grandparent's small holding (very rural in the middle of a wood). Shortly after this was taken my brother was chasing the cats in an area where we told not to go. I remember it well as he suddenly screamed as I heard a crash and he had put his foot through a glass window hidden by the long grass. His leg sustained a deep cut and my mum had to give him a piggy back to the Drs in the village. It was so bad they debated whether to do skin grafting. Something else we did that my mother didn't know about at the time was ride on the pigs. We were forbidden to go into the pen but would you refuse if your grampy offered you a ride and lifted you on. It was such excitment and I remember it clearly.



I think I was around 12-14 when this was taken, as it is the summer uniform. A shapeless blue dress, beret with school badge (detention if not worn), navy cardigan knitted by my granny (rarely had anything that was shop bought) and the obligatory Clarks sandals. I had luckily passed my 11+ exam and went to the Grammar School which was about five or six miles away from home. We went by coach and picked up children around all the county lanes so had to start fairly early.







When I was growing up we did not have holidays. My parents ran a confectioners shop so they were tied to the business. So during the long summer holidays we had several treats with my granny, and this is one of them. A day out at Weston-Super-Mare, which is a seaside town and although only about 50 miles away from the small town where we lived, it took for ever (or so it seemed) to get there on the bus (no motorways back then). It was always windy and cold but for us one of the highlights of the holiday. I was able to take a friend (Judy Moss) whom I have lost touch with and I often wonder what she is doing now. I did try and find her on 'Friends United" web site but no luck.





Beccy insisted that I put in a swim wear picture. Aged 16 on the first ever holiday I had with my parents at Wembury in Devon.










At end of final school year they held a school dance. My mother bought this hideous pink nylon flock dress, which I hated. I had an awful time at the dance as I felt frumpy and being over weight and having a "perm' did not help. You might ask why I did not throw this dress out but for some reason I kept it and years later I was able to use the under skirt to make an Angel costume for a Christmas play when my eldest daughter, Sam was at playschool. So it had its uses.






Around the age of 18 also in the picture cute little "Breezy" our dog at the time.











I left home January 1962 to train as a nurse and this was taken sometime during the following year so was 18-19 at the time.










Skipping quite a few years I wanted to add this photo of me with Beccy (15yrs) and Sam (19 yrs) taken in 1985 when we all played tennis together in the local league. This was just before Sam went off to university.

I am now looking forward to seeing eveyone else's post.