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.

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

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…

Random photos,

Posted on October 2, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged Bradford, food festival, Gallery, Memories, Photos, Random, Saltaire, WhatsApp, YorkshireLeave a comment

My friend often sends me photos on WhatsApp. I don’t know what is going to pop up in my messages until they appear. This time he sent me a series of pictures from Saltaire Food festival. Saltaire is near Bradford in Yorkshire. It’s got small, stone built terraced houses, mostly a living room and small kitchen and two bedrooms and a bathroom. I think they filmed the new version of “The Railway Children ” movie there.

At the end of summer it puts on a great market full of food stalls from all over the world. We went a few years ago and discovered Churos from Spain. Like a mixture of sponge fingers and doughnuts crossed with each other. We tried curries and paella. There was a giant lobster balloon. It was very busy when we went. If you are in the area it’s worth a visit.

Worried about him

Posted on September 30, 2025 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Black and white cat, Cat, Fear, Garden, Ill cat, Memories, Outside, Time, Tuxedo cat, Worries4 Comments

Stressed! My old cat went out while I was shopping, I realised he was not around and I’ve just been calling him for an hour. I left the back door wide open, I kept whistling, it cuts through traffic noise. I also put messages on WhatsApp and got lots of support – one person even offered to come to look for him, he is not eating much except cat soups and drinking a lot of water. It’s such a worrying time.

I thought he was in the garden but its very overgrown and if I went out looking for him I could easily fall over. BUT thank goodness… He’s back! I feel like the boy who cried wolf!

Glasses

Posted on September 20, 2025 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged cataract, double vision, eye operation, Eyes, Glasses, Health, Life, Memories, opticianLeave a comment

I keep reaching for my glasses even though I no longer need them!

Is this muscle memory or cognitive dissonance? For 58 years the first thing I have done in the morning is reach for my glasses.. My face feels empty now. Like going out without a coat on. Most things are very clear but because one eye wanders I have to consciously focus to reduce double vision. I will need reading glasses and possibly distance ones too but at a lot smaller diopter (strength). In the meantime I’m nervous of going outside. I don’t fancy wind blown eyeballs!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Memories