I remember it vividly as though it was yesterday - it was actually about 70 years ago! I started at a Kindergarten in York at the age of 4. Can`t remember what it was called - can recall the school uniform and one of my fellow pupils that I struck up a friendship; with (she is now a very well-known and honoured actress). Most of all - I remember that first day.
Mother must have taken me - don`t remember the journey there - it couldn`t have been very far away from where we lived. What I can remember is going out into the garden at the back to play - perching myself in the fork of a very low apple tree - and bawling my eyes out. I couldn`t find my hankie and my nose was running - that made me cry even more! A very bossy girl came up to me and told me to stop crying and wipe my nose - I cried even harder.
It was during World War II - I wanted a black doll (?) - dolls were not available - mother made me a `Mammy doll` out of a black stocking with a spotted bandanna and curtain rings for her ear-rings. She had black darning wool (do people darn these days? I doubt it!) for her hair and a snowy white apron over her green dress. I loved her. Proudly I took her to school only to have my beloved doll picked up by one of the mistresses (can`t remember her name - something like `Miss Blinkem` - I do know that she wore a lot of makeup) - she held my doll up high and said `Where did you get this funny thing?` I was heartbroken.
Coo! reading this I am beginning to feel sorry for myself. Must have been a female equivalent of Dotheboys Hall - and it was in Yorkshire too!!!
The uniform was a red check dress and panama hat in the summer and felt hat, gym slip and brown woollen stockings for the winter. As I was always climbing trees and falling over, my stockings had very neat darns in both knees! I do remember that they were held up by cloth buttons attached to my Liberty bodice (now who remember Liberty bodices?) - a misnomer if ever there was one! No central heating in most houses those days so one had to put on `winter warmers`.
Talking of winter I can remember the agony of chilblains - oh they did throb and itch - a regular winter visitor - they were treated with a soothing cream in a pretty round tin - `Snowfire` it was called.
Right now off to see how the stuff I`ve put on E-Bay is doing ...
Yours aye,
Anne
