Tuesday, May 02, 2006

ILLUSTRATED RETROSPECTIVE

Born in Aylesbury ,

a small market town( then )

of some 17k population

1940's ENGLAND

the square
   was packed
& the high street full
meat&veg seemed plentiful

market barkers
  drew the queues
with jokes
         impromptu

shoppers filed
     neat& formal
in sainsburys greggs
  & home colonial

the bacon slicer
  shuttled back& forth
rashers scaled
 in halves&fourths

bread mealed smooth&strong
   butter patted shaped oblong
cheese cut with twangy wire
 toasted later on an open fire

ham sliced from the bone
 spuds bagged    weighed in stones
tea from open square tins
 packet-served with a welcome grin

'woollies' snackbar smells
  'elevenses'  hunger time to quell
one mug of ovaltine must'nt dally

so shortcut thru' market alley

over the bridge
  to 'western street
&parminters for savoury
    sausage meat

along by
            the slaughterhouse
in silver lane
pop into jones&cocks
  out of the rain

pass the fire-house
   to aylesbury news
glance the photos
of the weeks   who's&who's


to adams tobacco,corner 
   of the market square

pass mcilroys
hear the traders shout
   their wares

my favoured table
 at the ancient 'old beams'
tea ,scones & 
    local churned creams

thru ' bullshead ' alley
to upper high street

&nurricks,for a dental 'date'
    then swiftly retreat
window-shop spraggs  hermons,
& hepworths selections
into hopcrafts 
    for enticing confections

on to  adkins
keeps me fit

   for an inner-tube kit

the walk uphill


shop for groceries
 at pearks,greggs&maypole
stopping  at the co-op
to order the coal

    for an inner-tube kit
the walk uphill

for north&randall tizer


into to kingsbury
for ashfords linctus
best not delay
 in hasberrys ,seventy-eights
to spin and play

collect mum's hat 
     from the bonnet-box
next,bradfords
 for those needed locks

     fresh breadrolls 
from baker page
&quick back&sides
styling,not yet the rage

box of nails from
   ironmonger jowett
calling at sayers
for my lyons cornet

over the railway bridge
  to west bros shop

Cattle Market saturday

auctioneers tones rise&fall above the sheep&cattle stalls then off homewards at a trot last pennies spent in feaseys sweetshop

TRAIN SPOTTING (@Aylesbury LNER station)

on the train bridge 'spotted' numbers new

waited whilst the 'cutler' raced thru'

& from LMS( high street )station

FIVE MILES TO CHEDDINGTON

Clutching sandwiches, pencil and pop

we awaited the eight  forty-five,tickets

in hand;we scrambled aboard the

LMS, carriage, with engine and van;

from the High Street, ‘ere long smoke

billowed over the vale ,as we chugged along

Non stop, five miles the grimy coach rocked

and swayed. ’All change, All change’ loudly,

the Station-master barked out his refrain,

we trainspotting lads so quickly de-trained, all day to remain; Crossing, noting and recording each London-bound train. Misty, episodic those days of pre-puberty,

free of care, so fleeting to me

BREAD PUDDING DAY

three thirty, exact
the bell
        jangled
gathered my coat
foregoing
  the afterschool
match

TUESDAY
  my weekly treat
   awaited on gran's
baking tray


I opened
   the back door
a spicy aroma
  fiiled the air
there
  it was freshly baked
my 
      weekly share

pipng hot
   drizzled with honey
moreish&
           yummy
a moist
     mouthwatering
             confection
succulent

 sultana delectation

home -baked
  by she
especially
for
   me

THOSE WERE THE DAYS now long gone

 40's

Five stones closing times 

    radiograms & seventy-eights
 school caps      sticklebacks
 saturday flicks    pooh sticks
 
 Dripping     coal fires 
                antimacassars
 nylons suspenders 
crumpets &toast 
Brown &mild        barrelled beer
 conkers
school milk 

     blackboard rubbers & liftup desk lids
 times-tabled school-kids
Draughts & allotments
 rusty bikes     roller skates
 satchels &scrumping 
with mates
hence
no
pounds  shillings or        pence

Candles and nightlights flickering bright,
blackout curtains shutting out the moonlight.
Snuggle down cosy with blankets tight,
perhaps the war will end to-night.

Dripping setting from Sunday's roast,
spread so thick on Monday's toast.
Meat bones simmer on the old gas ring,
Pa's homemade soup,the 'real thing'.

Paper chains cut and glued,
beer in glass bottles brewed.
Christmas puddings with threepenny bits,
the Meccano present made to fit.

A weekly soak in a round tin bath,
towelling off by a fire in the hearth.

 viewpoints from childhood scene,
 growing up at sixteen,Beech green.

Sunday school outings upto Coombe hill,
my first ever train ride,so quite a thrill.
Walks over corn fields  to the Bugle Horn,
crisps and lemonade upon their lawn. 

Trde-off
in he school yard-occer

TRADITIONS

Each Christmas we all gathered there,
‘Aunt Clare, has more room ,after all’ with
her trestled tables and chair.
Grown-ups swigging their brown bottled ale,
young-uns, lemonade with paper straw,
VE style parties, once more.
Lunch over, the voice decibels rose,
raucus laughter oiled by the beer
brought forth more plates of festive cheer.
Cards slid noiselessly over the American
cloth, copper coins switching from pot to pot,
enthralled children watching on, ‘til
banished with a special treat, to the cold
stairs, or now bare front room, or to play
out in the deserted  twilight street.
Every year the ritual was much the same
School was out,
vacation touched our gate,
long days,bedtimes late;
time,routines we relegate

AN ORGANIC CHILDHOOD

Bird nesting,climbing trees,
building dens,adults unseen,
picnics and make-believe;
imagination-filled dreams

Unsupervised,wandering free,
adventures sans boundary,
no cares,no chores;
natural boyhood to the core

 when my life had just begun,

climbing trees,cricket on the green, the first time I made the school team; Football with coats and tennis ball, bonfire night fireworks in the Fall, carol singing through silent streets,

paper chains and Christmas treats.

FOOTBALL

each day,when school was out

off to a green,hereabout-

the teams often numbered seventeen! with our jumpers as posts,

no boots ,referee or

coaches ,you'd see back and forth we'd be

& of course in Ceeley Road Infant School breaks

I learnt my footie there you see

Growing up was not so bad;
Summer evenings,lengthened long,
Clambered tree,with birds in full song.

Across nearby fields,over the brook
Studying in nature's real-tim book;
Scaled branches for my egg collection,
Wild flowers then pressed to perfection.

Fishing for sticklback with jamjar and net,
Oftimes slipping and getting wet;
Boys' club,in the pld school hall,
Indoor hockey with a ragged ball.

Gathering conkers on Chestnut Crescent
For nnual contests,adolescent;
Blue-paper fireworks,In November,
Baked spuds in glowing embers.

Around the streets,carol singing,
Boxes rattling,lanterns swinging;
Indelible ,magic memoir-
Remembered scenes from afar.

POCKET  MONEY  DAY
Pockets tinkling full of brass;

Nose pressed flat upto the glass,
Oblong jars,row on row
Candy -filled,to over flow.

Mintoes,chews and Pontefract cakes,
Limes and milk chocolate flakes;
Jelly beans and sweet love-hearts,
A few of each ,just to start.

Toffee whirls and butterscotch,
Long liquorice laces,all top-notch;
Aniseed balls,French bonbons,
Available now without coupons.

Sugared almonds and white mice,
Vanilla fudge,a penny a slice!
Just for starters a chocolate ice,
As it's going at half-price.

Barley sugar and a sherbert straw,
The shop bell tinkles as I close the door;
Is that th time! I'll have to skate,
Back into school,I can't be late.course

& of course

Comics home  to take
Wizard Beano & Hotspur 

with Wilson & Sexton  Blake

WINTER '47

woke, icicles frozen to the window pane melting as I looked out; Snow, drifts deep on the lawn. Still crunching my toast chilled toes wriggled into damp wellies, school cap askew, I slam the back door- Sinking to my bare knees, I stumble to the gate. Along the school lane, boys snowballed shouted and slid. At Auntie’s house I stopped, my eyes seeking the upstairs window- In that room, last night, another sister new born, lay. Encore, no fraternal

Jumpers, darned with wool
Trousers, patched for school;
Shoes scuffed,left unlaced
Teeth framed in metal brace;
Dripping noses and chilblains,
Scarfs and finger mitts
Ears muffled against the chill
Free milk solid on the sill.

those were the days

SATURDAY FLICKS

Tales amongst natives of the plains
Of a shepherd dog's near human brain-
Adventures of two, close as twins
Rusty a lad,with  boyish grin
And his Alsation...Rin-Rin-Tin

saturday flicks,

a regular event included a choir 

conducted mr Cocks (Headmaster

of Ceely Road junior school).This choir

competed in regional Odeon contests

in outskirts of London each year .

One notable Christmas the choir entertained

with carols at the interval of the panto

at Market Theatre(your truly having a solo part.

in Good king Wincelas)

Charabancs
              steam trains
linoleum
              oil clot
mangles
              fish paste
sandwich spread

Hot towel shaves
        cut-throat razor
shopping baskets
          paper bags
braces,plimsoles
short,back
          and sides

            
Dripping
          coal fires
antimacassars
nylons,suspenders
crumpets
          and toast

Brown and mild
        barrelled beer
conkers,school milk
blackboard rubbers
          and liftup desk lids
times-tabled
                school-kids

Draughts
        and allotments
rusty bikes
        roller skates
satchels and scrumping
pounds,shillings
            and pence

A BUCKS BOY (in local Vale dialect ) 


Aye 'ee is fierce and hale.
Four mile to work,across the vale;
No slommakin' slattern 'ee,
Okkard as an itching flea.

Eee'd fetch hosses to boss's yard,
Garmed with mud,as thick as lard,
Cla'holt of 'em wiv a rope,
On is own,allus could cope.

Niver sees 'im vexed,or aggled,
Even if drenched and bedraggled;
In lightning 'e wore niver frit,
Though the whole sky wore fork-lit.

Grew peas that kidded well,
Allus 'ad a tale to tell.

MEMORY LANE RECOLLECTIONS

School - Ceeley Rd infant/junior Mr Cocks - Headmaster & Miss Lowe-football in  playground at break time.Free milk,orange juice,& school dinners of stew,(no chips) rice & tapioca.

Vale Park -Sunday brass band   (the place to be)&then queuing for pool in school hols  .

Chestnut Crescent - waiting for the bus to 'town' & conker collection in Autumn

Oak Green- (round the corner from Grans,just a farm field then)hay making for the day for 1/6d

Paterson Road- Barnes shop for  fresh bread. Penn Road queuing for Friday  night's fish&chips.

Beech Green- tin-can tommy in Autum evenings,-breaking my left lower arm in play with Ralph( Uncle Fred's of Chelsea fame brother)& a visit to Royal Bucks

Dad's home soups slow cooking on gas at 46 Beech Green iniated a life-long love of soup