Today I will discuss some of my earlier memories. Some people may not believe thuis but some situations are still there in my mind from when I was living in the first home I knew. My family left thia house when I was three so my memory appears to be able to recall from when I was even younger.

I was born in that house, a two up two down terrace in a mining village in west yorkshire. I can remeber things like, the old iron framed bed, and the gas lights in the bedrooms. Yes actual town gas run gas lights, with 'mantles' that would need periodic replacement.

The bath was an old time 'tin' bath that when not in use was hung from a nail on the back wall of the house and it would be filled by heating water on the 'york' style fire in the kitchen, which had a hob and oven. To this day I swear I have never eaten Yorkshire puddings as good as the one cooked in that coal fired kitchen range. Back to bathing, the water had to be heated in large pans and carrried to the bath which was placed in the kitchen in front of that roaring hot fire. In some houses Dad got the first bath, then mum then the kids were placed in the water that was left as it had colled enough for them by then. Not in our house though, we had seperate bath nights, and a bath in front of that chererful coal fire on a winters evening was a pleasure that remains with me to this day.

The toilet was built seperate to the house, at the far end of the yard, next door to the coal store (or coal-house as we called them). this was not a pleasure to use, especially in winter and I clearly remember having to break the ice in the toilet bowl before using it. Brrrrrr!

I also remember being one of the first families in our street to own a tv set. Younger people will not believe how wonderful this magic box was. Brainy black and white picture, that often went in 'loops# from the bottom of the approximately 12 inch screen to the top. Programmes did not start till tea time, but I distinctly remember family friends and neighbours coming to our house for some shows. I also remember that people used to clap at the end of tv plays and dramas!

It was safe to play on the road in front of the house too, cars were a rarity, and did not travel as fast as they do today. besides, everyone knew each other and kept an eye on each others kids, I thought all the people on that street were my aunties and uncles. People took great pride in their homes, sweeping the pavements outside at least weekly and using 'donkey stones' to clean the front steps. it was a game I loved to play helping mam to do ours.

I also enjoyed helping her to dust and polish the furniture, most of which was of polished wood construction. No Pledge in those days, just dusters, elbow grease and beeswax. That smell still sends me back to those happy days. That house still stands, and is lived in by people that I am related to.

Our next house was a 'council house', newly built and a world away from the previous one in the facilities it offered. It had three bedrooms, a bathroom and seperate toilet upstairs and a toilet downstairs. There was a living room, dining room and a huge kitchen and pantry.

Best of all to me, it had what at the time seemed like massive gardens front and rear. When I pass that house nowadays, the gardens look tiny, but to a 3 or 4 year old they were the place of adventure, where many a dragon or monster met it's end at the point of my sword. Where wild beasts from africa walked along side exotic creatures from asia and the americas and australia, not to mention those that would probably be more at home in the childrens books I first heard about them in. Cowboys proved their bravery against massed hordes of red indians in full war paint. Castles were there in abundance as were rivers and oceans and galleons pushed across the foaming waves on the breathe of the wind provided by that young boys very vivid imagination.

As I got older the brick built 'out-house' (actually a purpose built storgae shed) became my den. It was cramped in there and full of spiders, but I didn't mind squeezing in between my dads gardening tools, and besides, to a young lad spiders make great pets!

Whilst I lived in this house an entire new estate was built joining the one I lived on. This was built specifically to house the scots miners displaced to England by pit closures in their home country. This was a real bonus for me as the building site provided a wonderful (though looking back on it very dangerous) play ground. It also when it was finished, provided an influx of new friends. The down side to this was that the land it was built on had been a wilderness for years, thick with thorn bushes, long grasses, ferns and even a stream. This was lost as the place where my friends and I used to gather and fill our school summer holidays with adventure and fun.

More to follow......