Thursday 28 April 2011

Childhood books

I get very nostalgic in my old age (36 in September, some days I feel more like 86) and nothing takes me back to my childhood more than the retro Ladybird books I have been collecting from charity shops.

My obsession started four years ago when a friend invited me and the Princess round for a playdate and I came across two old books which reminded me of growing up. The Magic Porridge Pot and The Enormous Turnip.

I will talk more about the books in my next post (and include pics as I bet you will regress too!) but in this post I wanted to celebrate the memories my charity shop books have given me.

I love the way they take me back to my youth. I loved my childhood, I loved the little safe cul-de-sac we lived in, built on the land of a farmhouse in Somerset (and I remember once unearthing a cow tooth which thrilled me. As much as digging up a dinosaur bone would thrill an archaeologist).

Our houses backed onto fields and I had a really happy time with my brother and sister. Actually that's not strictly true, we often fought like cats and dogs but now we all get on like a dream.

Here we are as youngsters (like butter wouldn't melt!)






 








This is my favourite family photo ever (below)


And here are the three of us kids more recently!

















My dad converted the loft into a playroom when we were young. We used to climb up the ladder into the attic and I would do my homework, my brother would play with his Hornby train set and my little sister would play with her dolls and Speak 'n' Spell (remember that?!)

Sometimes when we were naughty, my brother and I would race down the ladder and remove it so my sister was stuck up there. Poor mite, she was only five or six at the time.

It's funny how a few charity shop books take me back to those times so easily.

Would love to hear from any of you who remember books from your childhood. I can't ever part with these  ones I have - they are worth so much to me. The Princess loves them and the Prince is already showing an interest.

1 comment:

Cuckoo said...

Lady Agrippa's Carbadoodle Box