Dad
38 stories, organized by theme.
Beginnings
I think that this is the easiest question that I have had because I remember asking my mother why I was called James Frederick.…
BeginningsWell, this question is easy as it happens to have been an interest of mine for many years. It goes back close on 60…
BeginningsCan't say that there was, at least I don't remember being told about anything. What I do know is that my mother was overjoyed…
Family
The simple answer is a yes, but it is much more complicated than that. I was born in 1941 and my brother, Philip, was…
FamilyTraditions can mean different things to different people. Sometimes it is a fancy way of saying "I've always done it that way". In my…
FamilyMy Dad was always known as Pop. As a small child I have few memories of him. We lived in Corsham, a small village…
FamilyMy memories of my grandparents are very mixed as both my grandfathers had died before I was born. Fred Burslem had died in 1939…
FamilyI have thought about this for few weeks now and the answer is no-one. The fact is that you are constrained by the systems…
FamilyLike many questions that are posed, any answer has to be prefaced by "It all depends". So it depends on what sort of cooking.…
School Days
The quick answer to that is "No". But, to understand the reason for that, you have to understand the education system as it was…
School DaysMy first experience of school was in Corsham, Wiltshire where we were living during the war. I must have been five years old and…
School DaysThe grammar school that I attended was a very old one, in fact it had its 500 years birthday last year, in 2012. The…
School DaysIn previous stories I have talked about the educational system in place in Britain in the 1950s with the eleven plus exam being taken…
Growing Up
My first job was as teenager and was with the family clothing business, Burslem & Sons. At that point I was the great grandson…
Growing UpMy fIrst car was a Morris Mini and I bought it in about 1963 crashing in all my savings to do so. It cost…
Growing UpI think that it was in 1962. I turned 21 in that year which was when one was legally recognized as an adult. It…
Raising a Family
Over the years my favorites changed. When I was 7 to 10 years old my favorites were two series by a children's author called…
Raising a FamilyTwo things come to mind immediately. The first is to treat each child equally. Unfortunately it is all too easy for a parent to…
Home & Place
My home town, the place where I was born and brought up, is Wolverhampton. This is an industrial town in the West Midlands area…
Home & PlaceIt was in 1948 that we moved from our home in Hanbury Crescent to what became our new home and the house where I…
Travel & Adventure
I have no recollection of being lost although my mother did recount about the one time that I did get lost. The incident must…
Travel & AdventureIt seems a funny question to ask because it has various meanings. The answers could be safely, in comfort, on time, cheaply or many…
Travel & AdventureAs usual there is no one answer to this. If I think exotic then some of the islands in Thailand that we have visited…
Travel & AdventureIt happened in the early 1960s, probably 1965. Certainly I had qualified as a Chartered Accountant and had my first good paying job at…
Travel & AdventureFor many years our family holidays were spent at Prestatyn in North Wales. This was covenient for two reasons. Prestatyn was, and is, a…
Food & Traditions
Now here's a question that I can really get my teeth into! I have always loved to cook since a child and I remember…
Food & TraditionsHave these changed over time? This is an easy one to answer. Junket! I don't think that anyone under the age of fifty has…
Food & TraditionsMy first reaction is that this is perhaps the easiest question yet, but then as I sit down to reply it is becoming more…
Food & TraditionsI have no recollections at all about having a favorite candy. My childhood years were impacted by food rationing and that included candies or…
Hobbies & Joys
This is the easiest question yet! There is absolutely no question that I am an introvert. Just to be sure I went on line…
Hobbies & JoysThinking about this immediately brings up thoughts of camping on Hornby Island. It seems to be the only place where I feel comfortable doing…
Hobbies & JoysThe world was a very different place then.The two sports that were being played at a professional level were football, or soccer, and cricket.…
Hobbies & JoysAs a very young child I do remember my mother reading A.A.Milne to me. Bear in mind that there was little or no new…
Hobbies & JoysI guess that the easy answer would be our house followed by our car but the more that I think about it the answer…
Hobbies & JoysGiven the availability of toys for children now it seems odd to say that we did not have many toys. Being born in 1941,…
Hobbies & JoysI do remember as teenager aged 16 going to the Gaumont Theatre in my home town of Wolverhampton to see Bill Haley and the…
Hobbies & JoysI don't have any favourite artists but what I do have are favourite types of painting. What captures my interest is looking at paintings…
Reflections & Wisdom