Christmas reflections 2005

It's Christmas and I am sat next to this rather old computer my brother assembled a few years back as he gets through PC's like some folk get through cars - he has to update every 12 months or so - while I keep them until they drop pieces on me.

It's hard to believe my Nan has been dead for just over a year and this time of year is difficult as Christmas for me always meant having family around, talking and playing with you as well as obviously sharing food so it all comes back to me.

This year though although I've had some more groan up things like an organizer, it's really been the small gifts like toy bears and cute socks I've really enjoyed and that makes sense to me because what makes me feel secure.

While I only recall the tail end of that era, the characters of the Dandy and Beano I grew up with as a boy in the early Seventies were set by that point  and having this compilation has been a godsend, taking me back to those grey short trousered days.

This years been a rollercoaster for me, feeling like screaming at all the hours I've been expected to do losing so much of my time that it's the child like things I've been craving for increasingly. I'm having my childhood back and I am thinking about making a space on this internet thing to jot it all down.

Christmas is almost here!

 In six day's time everything we've been working through Advent for will be fully realized when upon Christmas morn we awake fully excited about who will be coming to see us later on and just what delightful presents we may have.

That's before we consider the super yummy christmas meal that between them Mummy and Daddy have prepared for us all and watching our favourite Christmas Day special shows on tv.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Jackanory

 Tv played a part in my childhood and this was one show I loved.

Although this photograph is black and white it would of been taken around the late 1980′s, early 1990′s showing a group of Boys and Girls watching intently the story reading show Jackanory that run from 1965 through 1996 on BBC tv.

The idea of spoken word show  on a visual medium may seem odd but well read stories with illustrations shown occasionally did hold the interest of children during that era not unlike story time at junior school and also promote the idea of reading for pleasure.

Alan Bennett appeared reading The House at Pooh Corner as did a good number of British actors and actresses three days a week on this BBC just before tea time show

Bernard Cribbins reads The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien on BBC Tv’s Jackanory 1979

A photo montage from various editions of Jackanory showing Kenneth Williams together with other actors and actresses reading on this much missed BBC tv show.

UK Independant Prep school 3

 

UK Independent day and boarding prep school for boys aged 7 - 13  (PHOTO SET No 3)  Even dressed for golf the boys still look smart and wear shorts, as can been seen in this last photo.

The winter glow

For a long time wherever we lived had a 'real' fire that burnt either wood or coal brought every week by the coalman that was put in concrete bunker at the rear of the house.

We'd take it in turns to bring it in using a strong thick coal bucket into the front room before putting the firelighters and wooden sticks on to get it lit and then adding the coal.

There was always a battle for who got to sit near it in those days without central heating and we did toast things on it like the Marshmallows in this picture.

Saint Saens

Well I normally talk about me on this blog but a part of me is my love of music so that's what we're doing today.

In with my presents that included a couple of annuals was this compact disc of Cello Music by the French composer Camille Saint-Saens who wrote rather more music than's given credit for.

Most people know his Organ Symphony which I bought in the mid 80's a cd of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim recording from 1976 which I loved on record and of his Samson et Delila.

He wrote a number of pieces for the Cello such as a concerto for cello and this disc adds some marvellous performances recorded ten years ago by the master Cellist Mischa Maisky with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra extremely well recorded to my collection of French music. 

UK Independant Prep school 2

 

Teamwork

Boys win prizes!

Taking some pictures.

UK Independent day and boarding prep school for boys aged 7 - 13 ( PHOTO SET No 2)

Tending the soil

Gardening was very much a thing Grandad liked, probaby with him originating from the Marches of Shropshire right on the Welsh border before he moved to Stoke on Trent and marrying Grandma.

He introduced me to gardening and at my boarding school we did some gardening, growing things and landscaping, learning to build an outdoor pond so it's no suprise I have a real affinity with nature.

Our district centre had many floral displays on roundabouts, in our parks and indeed the meeting up place their is called the Floral Hall which was sometimes used for indoor exhibitions.

Grandma liked to see me as more of a young boy and often knitted me sleeveless jersey and jumpers.
 

Being that boy again,maybe?

Just thinking about Alice In Wonderland and why you don't see many pictures of boys playing croquet cos that's what I'd of love to had done and to just go right back to that time in my shorts and leather sandals is what I'm so wanting.

The Days I loved Part II

One memorable trip was in a sunny day in October 1982 in the Sixth Form  to Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire where we did a tour of the building as part for our GCE A level Tudor history course.

Apart from the building and the story of Bess of Hardwick, one thing I liked about the place was the grounds and the Herb Gardens which were used for both medical treatment and cooking then.

This is the nearby Hardwick Country Park with the hall in the background.

It was a highy enjoyable day out with my class.

UK Independant Prep school 1

    

The winter uniform is different and more traditional, in which the older boys can wear longs. 

The younger boys wear school shorts it seems depending on their age and form year. 

The traditional version of the uniform is the last photo of this set with the blue school long sleeve jumpers and traditional school shorts.  

They also wear school blazers

A Trip out from the past

There are old bits of notes in diaries and this is one from late September 1995

I went out to Llangollen in North Wales on what was  a very sunny Sunday morning by car.

I saw a lot of motorcyclists ant it transpired a metting of drivers of vintage motorcyles was under way so as I've had a facination with them from my teens I strolled along to see them and talk with the owners.

Also there was a railway steaming event on  at the rail station which needless to say my Dad insisted on seeing which also likeing them I didn't just not mind but really felt excited over.

That's the station. Afterward we went on a narrow boat along the Canal with a horse towing it which was rather fun before we set home

Beanos of the past

I always loved reading comics, it was a staple of childhood  although today I don't have a regular comic in the way I did although I do from time to time buy the Beano which was one I had in the 1970's and 80's.

A year of the Beano, as it happens 1953 carefully bound which is unusual for a childs publication of anytime. Note Minnie the Minx makes here debut originally in black dress and Biffo the Bear is the front comic strip as it wasn’t until 1974 that Dennis got top billing.

I love seeing how comics and for that matter the other things in my boyhood were for previous generations.

Eyes on the prize

There was a style of writing which was very much aimed at boys centring on action and adventure that I loved back then rather than so-called "gender neutral" attempts that end up neither satisfying boys nor girls.

Here we have a story based around something most boys would love, a summer camp with lots of activities taking place, some physical feats of endurance, some pure fun such as playing games like football as I loved or swimming some of which you could win a prize at while you formed new friendships with other boys.

Most boys love things with an element of competitiveness in them and the opportunity to show their real abilities off.

Dealing with the curse of the longs

I'm away this week in Wales and I think Mummy made a pretty big mistake in my past even if in some ways now she's almost making up for it, that is she tried getting me into long trousers in my teens.

Really she should of chosen this instead:

Putting me in it as that's really much more me and sending me to school in traditional boys uniform with grey shorts and long socks.

She's starting to accept this change and reversion to a kind of childhood revisited now.

Things are the same like reading comics  both home and while we're away such as this special.

I do the same sorts of things really.

I dress while away more like this except I do have long socks on with trainers or shoes, more like teenage boys do on their hols.

What's new?

Casting ones mind back...

I can easily see a eight to ten and a half year old me in that picture cos fun, adventure and smart uniform were and are things that appealed to me as does having a sense of belonging together but a within a six in your pack so it's still small enough to make relating  to others easy.

That's always been difficult being autistic while very noisy backgrounds make it hard for me to concentrate and pay attention in.

One suspects the boy on the front far right is a new potential member who in a short period of time will be be inducted into the Pack and the Scout Group.
 

Give me a school day

You know, that last entry has had an effect on me, making me think. You see I've been ill for a month now with stress from this groan up work, working from home loads of ours surrounded by emails and reports to read and respond to. 

Surrounded by them I have bought myself schoolboy shirts to wear at home because I've realized something and it is being at school with its rules, homework and so on actually was less stressful for me and I'd gladly swap places for all of that because I know the time afterwards is mine. 

While I'll ill, I'm going try to wear a uniform and follow some rules as I was happy to follow school rules because they kept me safe and I felt secure. 

 At the moment I've been working on things up to 10 o clock at night and this I know: I want out of the groan up world.

The days I loved

Summer for me includes the memory of school residential visits which in some ways was a home from home given I was at boarding school anyway.

I wasn't much cop at fishing I have to say lacking the co-ordination to cast off independently but that feeling of boyhood innocence where to just spend time doing something like that without a care in the world, free from concerns of adult life is well captured for me in photograph.

I just loved being that boy outside in his shorts, grey socks and jumper.

Staying fit

 

I really need to work on being the strongest boy I can so going back to what we tought back then will help and boys health does matter.

I might of been wobbly on my feet but I loved playing footie with the lads as it didn't just help keep me fit but it gave me a place in with all the boys and I loved it.

Some favourite early classical lps IV

 Sometimes you may be taken with a composer and this group of records is a good example of that.

Maurice Ravel is the leading Modernist/Impressionist composer and his Bolero a well known composion of his.

Subtitled Orchestral Works, this lp covers his longer orchestral ouput well with excellent performances.

Daphnis Et Chloe is an opera of his and this recording is one the finest ever of it.

These recordings from the early age of digital are supurb sounding and the playing byOrchestre Symphonique de Montréal conducted by Charles Dutoit little short of amazing.