Growing up…

Posted on October 14, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1960's, facilities, History, Memories, programmes, Question, Radio, telephone, Thoughts, Time, TV1 Comment

Someone asked if I grew up with 3 TV channels and no smartphone? My answer:

We watched 1 channel, on black and white TV. God save the queen played when the station closed and then a high tone would play to get you to switch off your TV.

We listened to Radio 1 and the light programme, with Jimmy Clitheroe on at the weekends. My mom got the thunderbird theme tune played on the radio for our birthday.

We had rotary phone (eventually) after we moved house. Then we had spin dryer, boiler/top loading washer with a ringer.

In the old house we had a toilet at the end of the yard but we had one downstairs in the new house. In the old house we had a tin bath. In the new house we had a brand new bathroom. And my parents bought an electric shower. Shall I go on… Memories.

I didn’t post yesterday…

Posted on October 14, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Caring, Cat, Choir, Memories, Music, Singing, Sleeping, TiredLeave a comment

I forgot to post and now it’s 1.04am so I’ve lost my number of days of posting consistently. I have been busy looking after my cat and I went to choir practice. I then fell asleep and I only just woke up. I should really have gone to bed, but the armchair is comfortable and warm. Upstairs is a lot colder because I am trying to save on the energy bill. Anyway, boring post! Goodnight!

The Autumn

Posted on October 12, 2025 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Autumn, autumn puddle, Fine Art, Memories, Painting, Poem, Poetry, seasonsLeave a comment

Leaves Fall in Autumn

Flowers spring up in Spring

Summer sums the year up

Winter does what? Wint?

Seasons they are all….

Never know what words mean

They are only sounds,

What is the word Autumn

Two syllables round.

It’s more interesting to say

Than a bland word like fall.

A remnant of history

That our ancient world recalls.

TV memory

Posted on October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Coal fire, hot water, Letter, licence, Memories, student, Television, TV, Years agoLeave a comment

When I was a student we didn’t have much money. The heating was a coal fire in the living room, no central heating and an old hot water boiler in the kitchen that dribbled a bit of warm water out of the spout occasionally.

Once we had a letter from TV licencing asking if we had a TV. We were students and didn’t. My boyfriend sent the letter back and wrote ‘you can come and park your van outside our house for as long as you want, we don’t have a TV’ signed transistor sisters in anarchy! Later we got a black and white TV. They came and checked, black and white licence, black and white TV. No problem!

It’s strange how these memories come back in the middle of the night. My mind has turned to the distant past and I’m remembering a lot of things that are probably not important but that mean a lot to me.

Singing about the cut (canal).

Posted on October 9, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Blank verse, Boats, Canal boats, Canals, Ceramics, Cuts, Life, Middleport pottery, Poem, Poetry, WaterLeave a comment

We sang about the boats and pots

Of horses pulling barges.

Before the cuts were built and dug.

The plates broke on the carts

A third of pottery destroyed

Because of mud and ruts

For a hundred years the canals enjoyed

The busy work of transport

Then motorways and rail roads were built

And ware shifted to “faster” ways.

The cuts were clogged with water weeds

The towpaths overgrown.

Until the leisure cruisers came

And cleaned the weeds away.

Now British waterways they rule

And you can moor your boat

Anglers dip their rods in water

And catch all sorts of course fish.

The canals are better than before

No shopping trolleys in them.

A resource for walkers, boaters, folk,

To enjoy and rest and play.

Old poster

Posted on October 7, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged 1970's, Books, Francis Bacon, Hubby, Library, Memories, Poster, Quote, TimeLeave a comment

I don’t know how old this poster is, it was my hubby’s. It says “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” Francis Bacon.

I think hubby got this before we met, in the 1970’s when he was at college. He always loved books and probably 3/4 of our books were his. We both had an eclectic taste in books. I need to declutter, but they are all old friends. X

Glass

Posted on October 7, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bottles, cataract surgery, Colours, Glass, Greyhound Inn, Penkhull, Sparkle, VisionLeave a comment

Glass bottles on a windowsill, crinkled glass window panes behind.

Seen last night at the Greyhound inn at Penkhull. Such a simple idea but effective. Now I’m seeing colours better, I’m noticing things like this. Everything seems to sparkle and shine. I’m so lucky to have had cataract surgery. I hope people who need it get it too.

Middleport

Posted on October 6, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged barrels, Boats, Bottle ovens, Canals, Cauldon canal, Chair, Choir, eras, Memories, Middleport pottery, Seat, Singing, Trent and mersey canalLeave a comment

This weekend I went to Middleport pottery to sing with a choir to accompany a play called “Boats, Barrels and Bottle ovens”.

We sang seven songs. From different years over the time when the Trent and Mersey canal and the Caldon canal that is an offshoot of it were built by Josiah Wedgwood and James Brindley. Each era was represented by the cast acting out scenes, first by the side of the Dane, a working narrow boat, then inside a bottle oven to represent the Harecastle tunnel in Kidsgrove. A scene at a boat club in the 1960’s where they discussed reopening the cauldron canal that was full of rubbish and weeds at that time and finally we sang in a scene from the 1980s and then up to date.

I’m not fit or well and this was challenging with freezing cold, wet and windy weather, uneven cobbles and slippery surfaces. I can only thank the people who placed chairs for me so I could sit down in safety when I needed to. Without them I could never have done it. X

Blurry photo

Posted on October 5, 2025 Posted in Fine Art, Memories, UncategorizedTagged Anniversary, Fine Art, Hubby, Loss, Love, Me, Memories, Oil on canvas, Painting, Portrait, Sad, Time, YoungLeave a comment

It would have been our anniversary today. We lived together for years before we married. I painted him when I was about 20 and he still sits in this painting looking out at me. I did a lot of drawings and portraits of him over the years, I am glad there are visible memories of him.

What will happen when I go? Who knows what my relatives will want to do with all my art? Will a local museum take them, or will they just get skipped? I don’t know, I won’t be here but I would like to have some recognition. The trouble is I’m very eclectic, I paint for my self in these images. Ah well, more questions…

Tomorrow is today

Posted on October 4, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Anniversary, caving, Gone, Life, Memory, problems shared, Sadness, Thinking, Time2 Comments

On our honeymoon we went caving! Today would have been our anniversary. When I thought of writing this it was our anniversary eve but I fell asleep and only just remembered to post something….

Time flies when you’re feeling sad. It rolls along leaving you behind. I keep imagining what things would have been like if he was still alive. Being on your own means having no one to discuss problems with. Yes I’ve got friends but it’s not the same. We went through a lot together. I wish we still could.

Mallaband-Brown

Category: Memories