I had piano lessons as a child. I remember observing, week on week for a period of time, the growth and development of a set of knitted clothes and accessories for a doll that my piano teacher's mother had bought for the "name the doll" game at the church fair. There were yellow and white knitted tops, trousers, mittens, booties, a hat and a shawl. And eventually the doll was to be seen adorning this beautiful attire, snuggly presented in a gift-wrapped shoe-box. Oh how I longed for that doll - to nurse her, care for her, introduce her to my Tiny Tears and Sindy - welcome her into my nylon-haired family of plastic lovables. (I'm sure that if a child today yearned for a doll as much as I yearned for that one, someone would nip out and buy the thing as a "home from school treat". It just didn't happen in the '70s, did it? (or am I sounding as if I'm in my 70s?).
Anyhow, I don't remember trying my luck at the "name the doll" on the great day of the fair, but I must have done because I remember as if t'were only yesterday the moment when my father (who was the vicar) opened the envelope and announced that the name of the doll was..... Lucy. Time stood still; I had a "kelly Holmes winning the 400 meters at the last olympics" moment; "I had.... hadn't I? I think I ..... Didn't I choose Lucy??! I did! yes I did!!! I DID!!!!!" And Lucy was mine.
And this Monday I'm in charge of the children's stalls at our Church Fair. They've never had a "name the doll" at our church fair before and, boy, are they in for a treat: one doll, two outfits, two toy "body lotions", one bottle, one teddy, one dummy, one nappy, one changing mat and a fold-up buggy, all lovingly presented in the box it came in when I bought it.
I really hope my son wins it (and he's desperate to)! I have had to stop myself on several occasions from buying him a replica as a "home-from-school treat".
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I'd forgotten we grew up in the '70s... Old age. Do you remember wearing underskirts on the back of our heads, as 'long hair'? Singing to Abba and The Sound of Music? If only children were so easily pleased today and we had such a good time! The '70s, those were the days...
I remember wanting a doll when I was about 4 or 5. It was a 'my first love' doll - its eyes opened and shut and you could give it a bottle of water and it would wee. I wanted it so much. My parents are not spontaneous present givers by a long way, but my mum bought me the doll. I still remember the feeling of wanting something and being given it. And I still love wanting something, waiting for it, and getting it!
Oh wow! I know someone who won Name the Doll - I NEVER won Name the Doll!
I do remember the year we spent Christmas with my older cousins though - they are 7 and 4 years older than me - I was about 10 at the time - so they were very sophisticated, with very sophisticated friends, and a large pile of very sophisticated presents under the tree. I spent hours looking at one particular perfect gift - it was a largish square box, beautifully wrapped. Had we been at home I would definitely have read the label and given it a good shake, but there was no point, as it clearly wasn't for me... Sigh...
But then on Christmas morning IT WAS MINE!!! (And it was a paper-making kit, and I made a right mess with it on my aunt's dining room table!)
Pippa dolls I remember. Always a sad day when you finally succumbed to temptation and cut their beautiful long locks!
A paper making kit? Did it contain bits of wood shavings and what-have-you so that you could make paper from scratch?? (Did you know anyone at UMIST who did paper science?). I did and I wish I'd taken the time to ask him more about it. Talking of UMIST, do you remember two innocent young ladies being chatted up in the bar by "blokes with mates who had sawn-off shot guns", lest we feel afraid whilst walking through Moss Side after dark....?
Yes - underskirts were frequently on our short-haired heads - wonderful, wonderful long hair they made too. And I remember playing horses with skipping ropes, french skipping (yes, skipping) and two-ball. I remember a certain little "Flower Power" covering her bedside lamp up in her bedroom with a red cloth so that it looked like a camp-fire (all part and parcel of whatever story we were acting out at the time (almost certainly with underskirts on our heads)). And then "putting the fire out" with a glass of water.
Bang.
Funny, but not as funny as two nine year old girls "blow-painting": suck paint half way up a straw and blow it onto paper. I literally wet my pants (sorry but it's true) laughing when aforementioned Flo-Pow looked up at me with a mouth full of navy ink. Still laughing now!!
And here's another Manchester memory for you Anne - rehearsing for the Gates of Greenham and you came in too soon with a v. loud, high note (beautifully sung, just a tad too soon). The conductor looked, you "oopsed" and everyone chuckled, all no doubt sharing my thoughts: "(1) blimey, I wish I could sing as well as that and (2) I'm glad people didn't get to hear my attempt at a v.loud high note, solo" (unlikely in my case - I always mimed tricky notes)!!
I wasn't aware of "Flo-Pow". Mmm, if you weren't my oldest friend...! Thanks for reminding me of those two incidents. Again, age had got the better of me.
those Horse Chestnut tree leaves mad fab dens, but the best ones were in the trees over the fence.
I remember running down a hill at the back of Cleobury V early one morning and paddling along a stream with wellies too short!
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