Step back in time

A text comes through late yesterday afternoon just as i was about to leave work for the weekend. It was from Wee Bri. "you should come up to ours later, we've cleared out the loft and found some of your old toys!" I headed up to my Auntie Tricia's after I got home (it's only about 5 doors away from us). When I got there Ryan, Kelly Anne and Megan were playing on the trampoline and in an old dinghy boat of my Uncle Brian's. A tent was pitched and inside was like a cavalcade of stuff from our childhood. It was wonderful. They'd found my old Jack in the Box (above). Bri was a bit put out to find out that it hadn't been his but was in fact mine! There was also my old boot (the old woman who lived in a shoe!) who's contents were nowhere to be found. It did have furniture and little figures to go with it at one point.

Then there were the Sticklebricks. These were fantastic when we were kiddies. I think it's where I learned to build things and thus my love of architecture came from - weird I know.

Anyway that's how we spent our Friday evening. Reminiscing over the good old days when everything was much more simpler and all you had to think about was whether to play with Sticklebricks or read a book. Speaking of books, Wee Bri had piles and piles of Ladybird books of all flavours: Disney ones, Thomas the Tank Engine (from the first time he came out), Read it Yourself books like Billy Groat's Gruff and various others. Also in his book pile are loads of Dr Who books and magazines. He was a big fan when he was a wee boy. Now that he's nearly 28 he's not such a fan, well he won't admit to it anyway! Amongst other things in the pile to be dumped is an old Commodore C64 computer. Complete with the separate tape device thing that you used to need to use to play games etc. Them were the days right enough...

It all got me thinking about when Ryan turns thi.... well, when Ryan's a big boy what will he be looking back on with fondness about his childhood? I have vowed that he won't be getting a PSP or Playstation or laptop until he is at least 15! No need for kids to be stuck in the house playing 'puters at such a young age. He's 3 just now and plays football, loves bouncing on the trampoline, playing in the dirt and digging, drives his tractor and absolutely loves to pretend he's Bob the Builder fixing things around the house (with me being Wendy!). Thank goodness it looks like he's going to be really practical, a good footballer (left-footer) and play guitar (left-handed) and bagpipes (I know!!). He's walking about with anything from a coat-hanger to a tiny wee stool with 4 legs which he turns upside down and blows in whilst moving his arms in and out like he's blowing real bagpipes. Honestly. It's funny. Anyway yeah I want him to be really active and not a couch potato or worst still, another statistic about obese children. Really is no need.

So that was the start to my weekend. An evening with a lot of the family, Chinese take-away, old records playing on a record-player (yes people it still worked!!), wading through mounds of old toys and bringing back wonderful memories of my childhood. Magic!!

For those listeners, readers, followers (what do you call people who read blogs??) anyway I plan to restore posts on mountain activity soon!! I haven't been out for a few weeks but will hopefully will get out sooner rather than later.

Ange xx