I keep saying that I would like to write something about my
life for my kids. My mother has told me
plenty about her growing up but I don’t have it written down. I’m an older Mum and I’m not sure I will have
time to do it in the future. I’m 44 now so
I thought if I spent a day on each year and just write about things I remember
from those years – I’d complete a reasonably big chunk of memories for them and
possibly motivate myself to write more.
My parents were British and had both gone over to Canada
separately. My Mum had wanted to go to
the states but apparently didn't have enough credentials to be accepted. As a skilled stenographer, Canada was more
than happy to have her. She went over on
the ten pound passage.
My dad was a navy man who had travelled the world after
doing his national service. He decided
that Bournemouth was simply too small a place for him and he liked the
anonymity that Canada provided.
So without further ado – What I remember about being 5
My family were living in Mississauga where they still live
now. We lived on W- Road in a
semi-detached house. There was my mum,
my dad and older brother Bill who was twelve years older than me. Due to this age gap – I rather suspected I
was an accident and I was later to learn that my hunch was correct.
I had my own room which was upstairs next to my parents
room. They had wanted to move me
downstairs but apparently I kicked up such a fuss that they decided to leave me
in there. I can remember my curtains
which were yellow and had little girls with black hair all over them. The carpet was a rather hideous shade of
green. I had some cheap furniture and a
single bed.
My best friend at the time was Michelle who lived across the
street. She was a little younger than me
but her mother Sandra was Irish and got along well with my mother who was
Scottish. I also had another friend – a little
boy named Andrew who was the same age as me.
He was the youngest of six kids and he too I suspect was an “accident.”
Michelle’s mum didn’t work outside the home and it was
always flawlessly spotless. She made her
own clothes and curtains. Surprisingly
she smoked which didn't fit the rest of her personality as it is a dirty habit
but I never recall seeing any dirty ashtrays around their house.
Andrew’s house was far more fun to play in. Apart from the lounge (which we called “the
living room”) – his mother let us run riot all over the house and didn't tidy
up after us so I much preferred going over there to play. I remember melting crayons on the vapouriser! His
dad also had a big green truck which we went driving in on a few occasions. His dad was really lovely. He once took us to the Ex and I can still remember
how excited Andrew and I were when he pulled all the tickets out and showed us
how many he had. I remember wanting to
go on the “Love Bug” ride with Andrew.
Not sure what my intentions were at the time!
His back garden had a low fence which was easy to
climb. So easy that I once followed my
mother to the supermarket after having been left there to play while my Mum did
the shopping.
I can remember starting school that year and getting my
picture taken in a caravan outside the school in a yellow dress. I can also remember the first day of
school. My teacher was Mrs. Lebfevre and
I remember going in a curtsying to the class.
We all had little cubby holes to put our things in. We had a nap every morning for twenty minutes
and I can remember we all got changed together for p.e. classes. I can remember some of the kids in my
class. Laurie Anderson was one of twins
and she was very clever. As was Janice
Ting who was a little Asian girl. Kuljit
Plaha was a little Indian girl who was in my classes a lot over the years. I didn’t make any life-long friends in my
kindergarten class but I remember it as a happy time.
I can also remember that at some point that year, I went to
England and Scotland for the first time.
I recall that my mother said that my Gran had been there for my birth. I can remember staying at my Aunt Margaret’s
house and playing with the little boy across the way. I also remember going to my Aunt Rena’s house
in Jersey and my grandfather getting drunk at the time. I didn’t realise it at the time but he and my
grandmother separated for about four years or so sometime in the seventies but
I don’t know if they were together at this time or not.
We also saw my Uncle Roy and Aunt Marjorie who had a son David
who gave me loads of toys. They had a
dog named Pip and I took it for a walk and let go of the lead. I was not very popular that day!
I can remember visiting my great aunt Gertrude. My brother at one point used to call me “young
Gertie” but I don’t know if that had anything to do with Gertie or not. I would have only met her the one time as she
died about three years later. We also
saw my Gran during that trip although I think that was in Jersey.
That year for Christmas I got a Barbie Camper. I still have it sitting in the attic of a
friend’s house. It was the coolest gift
and I played with it for many years. I
think I also got a baby alive which you could feed and food came out the other
end. When I bought my own daughter one
many years later – I threw out that bit!
