Rain Rain Go Away Come Back On Mother's Washing Day
I've kept the heading because it is so apt for the weather we've been having. 3 seasons in one day It's a good job we were Blue Peter boys and girls (I'm talking to Granny and Granddad's now) Do you sometimes think you've lost the plot in fact not only lost but you don't remember ever seeing it?

But wait a minute you Baby Boomers wasn't that you who took it in your stride (well more of a crawl) the nightly visits to the air raid shelters? Your Mom went to work so into the nursery you went, your Dad worked shifts so you had your tea at 11 oclock at night. No computer games for the boys to play at ruling the galaxy by the click of a switch. No you had bomb sites to play on and if you were lucky all the excitment of finding an unexploded bomb not pretend the real thing.

EPISODE TWO GOING TO SCHOOL
Different people remember different things but my first memory was playing marbles in the street outside my house. We used to scrape the tar from between the cobble stones to make holes . The most difficult holes were the ones that sloped towards the gutter . It was like playing golf only on a much smaller scale.Out I went armed with my bag of marbles it didn't take long for me to lose all of my marbles ( stop laughing) but along came the local hard man called Jimmy he was about 6 years old. "Give er matbles back "he shouted
and they did. He stood with clenched fists his thin legs covered in bruises he had a den on the local bomb site but my mother said I couldn't go there. His boots well when I say his boots they had obviously belonged to a few boys before he got them. Where at least 3 sizes too large with the toe cap of one of them flapping off . I wonder what happened to Jimmy??
EPISODE 3 FIRST LOVE
Friday night was dance night a local church had dancing classes a lovely couple tried to teach us the Foxtrot, Waltz,Tango, Gay Gordans etc etc. Now at this time of my life I just washed the middle of my face never splashing water anywhere near my neck. I brushed my hair and tied a chiffon scar knotted behind my left ear, Then the final touch my aunt had bought me a very very small bottle of Evening in Paris Perfune. A dab behind each ear and I was ready. Oh not quite I stopped off for 2 ounces of Pear Drops. The boys sat on one side of the room the girls the other. The teachers took it in turn to take us a twirl around the room and then we danced with each other. Would he ask me to dance? the object of my desire was called Michael Gavins (we were both 10 at the time) Yes he did and I went home via the tram on my own personal cloud still hearing the music in my head. A line from a poem keeps running round my head.
"One never can re-capture that first careless rapture"

EPISODE 4 ANOTHER ONE OF MY MOTHER'S IDEAS
I didn't pass the eleven plus as most of my school life had been spent with my good eye having a patch over it. Many children born in the forties had this problemThe reason well in those days it was thought this would make a lazy eye work. It didn't it just made me unable to spell the word cat at 10. So what was my mothers brainwave I was sent to a private school to this day I don't know were she found the money. Now my mother maybe due to the rationing she had lived through had a theory that you should grow into your clothes so that was why on my first day my dress and coat touched my ankles. My shoes well I didn't walk in them I more threw my shoe forward and somewhere in this 3 sizes too big shoe my foot tried to direct the said shoe in the direction I needed to go. In fact the only thing that fitted was my Panama hat I suppose I should have been grateful it could have down over my ears.
The nuns (oh did I forget to say the private school was a convent) were wonderful my teacher a Sister Cannis a 6ft Irish nun used to say to us putting her hands in her large sleeves. Girls I can but do my almighty best for you.
My claim to fame whilst being there I was running down the corrider as usual having told a thousand times "Ladies do not run or wear their hats on the back of their heads and never ride upstaurs on a bus.I took a short cut through the hall charging at the door and I nearly got to the door opposite when I heard a strange sound. I turned there was the Mother Superior crumpled on the floor. Many Hail Mary's were said for her recovery. Oh the other thing we had a drama teacher come in once a week a very talented lady and years later I went to her for private acting lessons and so did Sean Bean. But more of that later.
EPISODE 5 ON THE MOVE
Now everyone thinks that it was Maggie Thatcher that got us "On The Move" but after the war ( it was now 1954) my mother certainly got a "Bee in her bonnet" she wanted to get away from those back to back terrace houses. She used to stand at the sink in the kitchen looking out on the wall facing and say "One day I'm going to get over that wall" I used to look at her coat hanging on the kirchen door and wonder why she did't put her coat on and open the door. Well one day she did just that and she never stopped moving always looking for the next place that would solve all her problems. We had a system in our house my mother found the next place and my father and I packed up our belongings and followed on. It sounds like that old Cockney song " My Old Man Said Follow The Van"
EPISODE 6 LONDON HERE I COME
I have an apology to make my dates for the about were wrong I went to London first time in 1952. This is important because the tale to tell for today is about The Metropolitan Theatre Edgeware Road Paddington, To learn more about this wonderful theatre which is now demolished go to www.arthurlloyd.co.uk
How come as a young girl I went to this legendary theatre? Well my aunt who owned a small hotel in Bayswater ( next to Paddington) she had a charlady called Mrs Collis. Now Mrs Collis was Irish and a charactor in every sense of the word. My aunt paid for us both to go to Old Time Music Hall at The Met. Mrs Collis seemed to know everyone and in the interval she would sit me in a corner of the bar and I could listen as they all chatted chat about the state of the world or at least their world. She liked a drop of Guinness and when we walked down Praed Street on our way home we would sing. Sometimes as a treat my aunt would take any of her relatives that had come down from Sheffield to the Palladium followed by a meal in Soho. It was great but not as good as going to The Met here you felt as if the clock was being turned back and I liked that
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Episode 7 I BECOME A WORKING GIRL
We Baby Boomers will remember going for our first job interview and our mothers came too. I applied to be a filing clerk for The Irontrades Federation ( when you went up on the second floor you could see into the back of Buckingham Palace) We went into a large room beautifully furnished with a man sat at a desk. He shook my mothers hand and then went into what would be expected of me and what I could expect in terms of advancement. He and my mother got on very well he finally turned to me and asked if I had any questions. I thought for a moment and then asked if I get the job will I be able to go on holiday next month as planned. He smiled and said of course but my mother wasn't smiling, When we got outside she said I had showed her up so no tea and cakes but straight home on the tube. Another point to mention I had finished school that week and I got the job so started work the following Monday. My first pay packet I took home unopened and my mother gave it back to me I was allowed to have my first wage all for myself. But after that I took my pay packet home unopened and my mother gave me back my spending money.
The man who managed all us girls in the filing room had of course been in the war he had a very bad limp. Tea was brought round on large trolley's with what ever cakes were left over and we listened as he told us about his experiences in the war.I realise now why there were so many women working there and who didn't laugh a lot. Their husbands and sweethearts will have been killed. My uncle used to go out onto the nearby bombsites ( he was a bit like Del Boy) it was amazing what he cam back with.
One day one of the girls said I've been down to Woolworths and I've heard this new singer you must come down and have a listen. Yes you've guessed it was Elvis.

Chapter 9 Rock and Roll and I did just that
A pony tail, black flat shoes a skirt with a layered stiff net petticoat. We practised all the latest moves when we went into the basement to file away all the unwanted files. Having said all that about being in the fashion I didn't wear any makeup and often went to work in ankle socks.
Though I drooled when I listen to Elvis and went to see Love me Tender and Loving You so many times that the local picture house let me have an enormous Poster they took down at the end of Loving You. The Rock and Roll Star I saw in person was Bill Haley when he came to London in Feb 1957.

I know you will not believe this but yes I took my mother with me. She sat like a stone through the whole performance and my boy friend who had paid for both our tickets was not amused.

Chapter 10 Good Old GPO
Now surely you remember The Good Old GPO? For the life of me I can't htink what that stands for but it is now British Telecom. So I toddled off for my interview to be a GPO trained telephonist. I was told at the interview that once you had the training you would be able to get a job any where in the world because you would be the best.
The next induction was not for a few weeks and as it was begining Dec I applied for a Temporary Christmas job at M&S Oxford Street. The tills were so large and the keys like stones to push down. I was on men's sweaters and my claim to fame was I sold a sweater to Johnnie Dankworth we had a long chat about jazz as I had been to a club in Soho and heard him play ( can't remember the name am I getting old?) However a supervisor came along and said my sweaters were untidy and would I please fold them neatly and place in rows as I had been shown. I was very surprised when my time as a temp was over they offered me a job. I didn't take it as my legs ached from standing and of course I was off to be trained for a job that would change my life
Chapter 11
I was a little previous when I said my next job would change my life I had one more turn of the wheel. Near where I lived was a company that built train carriages I think it was called Cravens. I had come back to Sheffield and had lost my direction in life my cousin worked at Cravens and said " I can get you a job".
She was a s good as her word the following Monday morning I presented myself at the gate. "THis way" said the guard and I saw the inside of a factory for the first time. What struck me was the cheerful atmosphere lots of singing as they worked. he took me to the foreman who I can say with certainty took a liking to me. I learned from my cousin that he gave me all the best jobs the ones where I should have made some extra money but of course I didn't. You had to paint things with resin I got more resin on me than the carriage so I was taken to the upholstery department and they made me an apron. Up to my chin and down to the floor "Now" said the foreman "You will be alright . "Come with me I've got the best job in the factory for you" He took me where a carriage was stood, women were up ladders doing something to the roof. "Go on" he said Now I don't have a head for heights but I sensed this was my last chance.
Once at the top I opened my eyes to behold women with a pot of resin in their left hand throwing it up the sloping carriage roof and brushing it madly as it ran down towards them. Well I'm sure you can imagin what happened next. I threw my pot of resin up the slope it galloped down at an alarming rate towards me. I screamed the factory buzzer went off I don't remember how they got me down. It took them ages to crack open my apron when I left the managing director came down to say goodby. "There will always be a job here for you" he said. NOw I moved onto the job that would change my life forever.