Monday, June 09, 2008

Fun Monday # 70 Childhood Memory

This week Molly is stirring the old grey matter and asking us to think back to our childhood. Our assignment is to....

'tell everyone about a happy memory from your childhood. If you have pictures, please show us your pictures'.

I have a lot of happy memories from my childhood and I wasn't sure which to choose so having left it to the last minute I looked through some old photos and chose a few to highlight memories:

On my 5th birthday I was bought a dog and it's a whole story in itself but this dog was not destined to stay with me and ended up with my granny! Although I accepted the situation several years later I was still craving a dog ~ both my brother and I were bought cats and they were OK but we wanted a dog!
So you can imagine how excited we were when our parents caved in and we went to a dogs home in Cheltenham and chose a Welsh terrior who we called Taffy. We loved him from the word go and he settled into our lives so easily. He let us do anything with him and needed very little encouragement to sit on our father's motorbike. It was often my job to clean that bike. No this is not a happy memory but it was quite funny really. My mother used to get me to clean the bike because she knew my father wouldn't trust me and would then come and help. He was very lazy so she cleverly used tatics that worked!
Do you see that wall in the background...Taffy could scale that wall no trouble and he would do this quite often (he might have been encouraged at first!) and he would then trot around to the entrance to our shop to be let in. I think it drove my mother mad but he thought it was a great game!
Taffy would happily sit in a box....... He also loved sitting on my mother's knee when she settled down for a nap. My mother would sit under this old eiderdown, that my father brought back from India after the war, even when temperatures were really high. We could never understand it, but she has always felt cold! A lot of my childhood memories surround my grandmother and I could write at length about her, but I won't. I will say she was a lovely lady who always had knitting with her, even on a day out.... My grandmother was the person who made sure we had picnics in the summer, even hiring a car to take and collect us. Once booked we had to go and even if it rained we stuck it out. My father had to have onions and sausages cooked on a fire, and we had to play cricket or football. I was less keen on this as I always seemed to be the one doing all the fielding!

I think I'll leave it there for today...the link below includes some other pictures of fun times.

Early Fun Monday Post 'Pictorial view of growing up after the war'

Hop over to Molly to see who else is sharing happy childhood memories.

Archives:
2007: Whose your inner European and others just for fun

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42 Comments:

At 9/6/08 11:57, Blogger Barbara said...

Nice post Chris. I have wonderful memories of my grandparents.

 
At 9/6/08 12:13, Blogger Hootin Anni said...

Excellent Chris. I loved the whole thing. The one with your mom and the dog...sweet. True devotion for the furbaby if you ask me. Sweet dog.

And your grandmother's photo reminds me of my own.

I'm gonna love this week's theme.


My Fun Monday is shared too, I hope you can stop by and read it, if you haven't already --since I'm just now going through the Mr. Linky's at Mollys before I get to my own comments to read who has visited!! Take care, have a great day. [PS --you have to scroll below my 'walk in the park' photos to reach my F M entry!!]

 
At 9/6/08 12:43, Blogger Molly said...

Chris, Thank you for your Fun Monday stories and pictures. I have enjoyed reading these memories that include your dog and your family, the very people that help shape our memories. I loved your pictorial history too. Your post was before I joined Fun Monday. The nurse's uniform looks very much like my sister's student nurse uniform that she wore in Indianapolis in the late fifties.

 
At 9/6/08 12:43, Blogger FH said...

Beautiful photo of your mum and Taffy! We are dog lovers too. I grew up with 2 German Shepherds, now we have Bichon Frise, my first lap dog! You can see him here, he is 10yrs old!:)

http://aromahope.blogspot.com/2008/05/gobi-alootamatar-
masala-mufuletta.html

Happy Monday, great post Chris.

 
At 9/6/08 12:53, Blogger Anvilcloud said...

Great memories and nostalgia-filled photos.

 
At 9/6/08 12:57, Blogger frannie said...

I really like that little glimpse into your life as a child. very nice. I'm glad that you did it that way instead of just one memory.

and I can't beleive taffy could scale that wall. It looks really tall!

 
At 9/6/08 13:07, Blogger ChrisB said...

Molly that link was to the 2nd ever fun monday.

frannie the wall was over 6 ft high. We only had a really small back yard and he used to put his rear end against the wall of the house to get a run up. I recall my mother would not believe he could do it and she thought me and my brother used to let him out the gate~ that is until he did it when we were at school!!

 
At 9/6/08 13:08, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What a lovely post, I remember getting my first dog too after about 5 years of begging and wishing.
The photos and your memories were beautiful. The picnics sound fun even in the rain.

 
At 9/6/08 13:32, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wonder how many of the Fun Mondays will include a dog and a grandmother?
Great story and wonderful photos.

 
At 9/6/08 14:22, Blogger IamwhoIam said...

Every kid needs a dog to teach them love, fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. (parfrased from a Robert Benchley quote) But there is just something special about a dog. I never got to know any of my own G'Moms, but yours looks as if she was the type full of stories ready for the telling.

 
At 9/6/08 15:04, Blogger Beckie said...

Great post! I had a dog named Taffy also. I loved the pictures!

 
At 9/6/08 16:10, Blogger Gattina said...

This dog was really part of your childhood ! I never was allowed to have a pet. My grandma too was a very special lady to me.

 
At 9/6/08 16:22, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Fun memories and great photos! It's great that you have that photo memory of your mom under that quilt and your grandmother knitting. When we were in England in 2004 we stayed in Cheltenham a couple nights...
have a great Monday...

 
At 9/6/08 16:55, Blogger Faye said...

Your boy Taffy seems like he had great self esteem, Chris. I love the way he made a place for himself in the family. You did a good deed to adopt him from a dogs' home.

Your grandmother looks like a great organizer. No wonder that the party went on rain or shine!

 
At 9/6/08 17:22, Blogger Unknown said...

That brings back memories of my Grandparents! Thanks Chris. xx

 
At 9/6/08 17:33, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh, I love the photos. Great memories. Thank you for sharing.

 
At 9/6/08 17:42, Blogger Steffi said...

Really nice and sweet post ,Chris!I love your pictures and it´s always interesting to read stories about the childhood!

 
At 9/6/08 18:12, Blogger Jan said...

What great memories of Taffy. We've had many dogs, and terriers are the best.

 
At 9/6/08 18:27, Blogger daddy d said...

You are right. Dogs were a big part of back then. I did have several over time as a kid. They were great pets. Our kids had cats and not dogs.

 
At 9/6/08 18:48, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I so love the photos, wonderful post

 
At 9/6/08 18:54, Blogger Hula Girl at Heart said...

What fabulous pictues! I loved this post, and Taffy is a great name for a kid's dog.

 
At 9/6/08 19:50, Blogger Melanie said...

I also have wonderful memories of my grandmother- both of them actually.

And what a great present- a dog and a friend!

Our Happy Happenings

 
At 9/6/08 19:51, Blogger Heather said...

Those pictures of Taffy are priceless! Thanks for sharing your stories and pictures! I really enjoyed it today!

 
At 9/6/08 20:04, Blogger Alison said...

great memories Chris...Taffy was adorable. I never had grandparents and always felt I was missing out on something as a child....now that my children have grandparents I realize that I did miss out as a child!

 
At 9/6/08 20:37, Blogger Beccy said...

So I take after granny always wanting to sunggle under a blanket. I did that today even though it's been the hottest day of the year so far!

 
At 9/6/08 20:58, Blogger Jo Beaufoix said...

I loved this chris, and the photos are wonderful. It's so good you still have them all, especially the one of your Gran.

 
At 9/6/08 22:08, Blogger Grand Life said...

Great Memory Post. I apologize for linking everyone to your blog this morning. I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing. I think I've got it corrected. I love the photo of your Mom and the sleeping bag/blanket and the one of your grandmom. My Grandmothers like yours were the best-- so good to me and alway feeding me.
Have a good week.
Judy

 
At 9/6/08 22:17, Blogger the planet of janet said...

wow! awesome. love the photos to go along with your memories of taffy and your family!

 
At 9/6/08 22:35, Blogger Rose said...

Aren't you lucky to have so many pictures! Loved the dog and the stories. Thanks for visiting.

 
At 9/6/08 22:49, Blogger Betty said...

Very good job on your Fun Monday post for today, Chris. You Mom looks so much like my sister, and your Grandmother looks a lot like my own Mom. I felt I was looking at my own family.

 
At 9/6/08 23:36, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading it, my Daughter has a doll called Taffy and it is named after one of my best friends at work. Grannies are special!!

 
At 10/6/08 00:49, Blogger PAT said...

I loved this post, Chris! Thank you so much for sharing these happy childhood memories!

Pat

 
At 10/6/08 03:54, Blogger Pamela said...

I watdh TV and Blog. Do you suppose that is how my grandchildren will remember me.. Oh dear (:

Have you posted more about your dad? He sounds like an unsual person.

 
At 10/6/08 03:54, Blogger Pamela said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At 10/6/08 05:28, Blogger Peter said...

A lot of the posts have featured grandparents, only natural I suppose.

 
At 10/6/08 09:07, Blogger my4kids said...

Great post Chris and the one of Taffy sitting on the motorbike made me laugh!
Your Grandmother sounds like a great lady.

 
At 10/6/08 14:01, Blogger wakeupandsmellthecoffee said...

I just love this post and the photos.

 
At 10/6/08 18:06, Blogger ChrisB said...

betty oh I wonder if there are any skeletons in either of our cupboards!!

pamela I haven't written much about my father he died march 1969, just after his 50th birthday. He was very strict and we rarely saw eye to eye!

 
At 10/6/08 20:34, Blogger Sandy said...

Wonderful pictures, Chris. I also begged for a dog when I was a child but never got one. I suppose that explains the 4 I have now....lol.

 
At 11/6/08 00:19, Blogger karisma said...

Very nice memories indeed! Thinking of your washing the motor bike puts me in mind of a time when we asked Cameragirl to wash our new car! (She was after some pocket money!) She washed it alright with a scourer!

Pocket Money $10
Paint Job $500

Needless to say she did not wash the car again!

 
At 11/6/08 02:10, Blogger Jill said...

cute pictures. sorry i can't visit as often, but i like to see what you've got going anyway!

 
At 12/6/08 18:31, Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh that's lovely....and the photos are wonderful...:)

 

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