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Post by cheerypeabrain on Oct 29, 2008 22:52:54 GMT 1
I always liked drawing, (and still like to get out my pencils when I have a spare moment). My parents encouraged the hobby and supplied me with lots of scrap paper, pencils and crayons. From the age of 9 I was crazy about Egyptology. I read everything I could lay my hands on about the subject and loved visiting the Egyptology gallery in the British museum (we could get to London from our village for 5 bob on the bus!) believing that one day I would be a great Egyptologist! I liked to make stuff as a child, Mum was an excellent seamstress and made all her daughters' dresses...also made doll's clothes and soft toys for us and for the school/church fetes. I was allowed to have offcuts of material to play with and sometimes made things to sell at the fetes too. When I was a teenager my parents bought me a cheap guitar, which I played with more enthusiasm than talent, singing in a folk group from when I was 16 (we were awful) I used to read a lot too....but I was never interested in gardening! Then I discovered boys... :  |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 30, 2008 8:21:53 GMT 1
She did.....................  I was always sitting somewhere with my head in a book as a child - I had a favourite spot up a tree in our garden. It used to drive my Mum mad as I never heard anything whilst reading apparently... I also spent a lot of time roaming all over the countryside. As my parents and grandparents were avid vegetable growers, I spent a lot of time in their gardens doing stuff with them - mainly holding gigantic bowls which they filled up with produce. My beloved Grandad had a massive (to me) workshop with all the machinery run off a huge leather belt and I spent hours in there every weekend with him sitting under the machinery collecting sawdust and bits of wood which I would nail into peculiar creations. I used to take them home and paint them all. And as a special treat my Nan would let me open up her rolltop organ (she was the church organist) and let me have a play. It was then I discovered that I loved music but hadn't an iota of talent! I made a dreadful din........but I loved pulling out all the stops and pumping the pedals with my feet! (Don't believe Cheery - she was a good player and singer). Gosh, this is bringing back the memories.........my Grandad was a farmer, a steam engine enthusiast and a blacksmith too and he was always doing stuff in the workshop, and I was in there at every opportunity I got. He was a huge influence on me and I worshipped the ground he walked on...I still miss him and he died when I was 11!  It broke my heart......but he definitely shaped my future interests - gardening, animals, drawing, books and all the practical interest in the natural world. Then I turned into a teenager and discovered boys...but sadly they never discovered me! ;D Still read and did loads of drawing etc then and even had a little flower patch in my parent's garden but spent most of my teenage years being miserable and pining for a boyfriend........coo, what fun we had! Cheery, Valerie and myself were fairly alternative I recall (or thought we were...).......square pegs in round holes....but we did have a laugh! ;D |
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Post by elsie on Oct 30, 2008 8:36:25 GMT 1
I loved art ,history and domestic science at school.I hated needlework with a passion - didn't like the teacher much! Mum would let me bake and cook at the weekends and my Auntie Marj had a pretty cottage garden which i loved to visit.She was so enthusiastic about plants she got me interested to then I met Barry when I was 14 and we were married when I was 18 ;D I had the 3 boys by the time I was 22 - I wouldn't change a second ;D I have been very lucky |
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Post by 4pygmies on Oct 30, 2008 9:04:53 GMT 1
Aw..that's so nice to here Elsie - it's lovely to hear of a love story like that - but then I'm quite sure you both deserve each other! I am envious of you having such a shared love of gardening and such a wonderful marriage... |
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Post by bogmyrtle on Oct 30, 2008 9:29:45 GMT 1
I loved art ,history and domestic science at school.I hated needlework with a passion - didn't like the teacher much! Mum would let me bake and cook at the weekends and my Auntie Marj had a pretty cottage garden which i loved to visit.She was so enthusiastic about plants she got me interested to then I met Barry when I was 14 and we were married when I was 18 ;D I had the 3 boys by the time I was 22 - I wouldn't change a second ;D I have been very lucky Elsie, a girl after my own heart - I too hated needlework, my one report read 'works very slowly, does not like the subject' How true! And a lovely love story, how wonderful. My hobbies were reading (used to go to the library every Saturday with my Dad), dancing - from about 8 I took up ballroom & latin american dancing, swimming. I was always quite sporty - badminton was my game, playing for the school, then college and was actually chosen to play for the county! Not much good at it now though - just play in the garden. My treat as a child in the school holidays was always on a Monday. Mom worked full time and my two youngest brothers (one is 12 years older and the other 15 years older than me) were both hairdressers at the time, one ladies and one gents. Monday was their day off and they would take me out in their MGB Midgets - I sat on the parcel shelf! I was the envy of my friends! |
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Post by elsie on Oct 30, 2008 9:42:31 GMT 1
Aw..that's so nice to here Elsie - it's lovely to hear of a love story like that - but then I'm quite sure you both deserve each other! I am envious of you having such a shared love of gardening and such a wonderful marriage... There have been a few times when I would have cheerfully knocked his block off ;D |
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Post by elsie on Oct 30, 2008 9:45:38 GMT 1
I loved art ,history and domestic science at school.I hated needlework with a passion - didn't like the teacher much! Mum would let me bake and cook at the weekends and my Auntie Marj had a pretty cottage garden which i loved to visit.She was so enthusiastic about plants she got me interested to then I met Barry when I was 14 and we were married when I was 18 ;D I had the 3 boys by the time I was 22 - I wouldn't change a second ;D I have been very lucky Elsie, a girl after my own heart - I too hated needlework, my one report read 'works very slowly, does not like the subject' How true! And a lovely love story, how wonderful. My hobbies were reading (used to go to the library every Saturday with my Dad), dancing - from about 8 I took up ballroom & latin american dancing, swimming. I was always quite sporty - badminton was my game, playing for the school, then college and was actually chosen to play for the county! Not much good at it now though - just play in the garden. My treat as a child in the school holidays was always on a Monday. Mom worked full time and my two youngest brothers (one is 12 years older and the other 15 years older than me) were both hairdressers at the time, one ladies and one gents. Monday was their day off and they would take me out in their MGB Midgets - I sat on the parcel shelf! I was the envy of my friends! I would have loved to have learnt to dance I used to get out of doing P.E. if I could |
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Post by bogmyrtle on Oct 30, 2008 9:50:11 GMT 1
The only sport I didn't like elsie was hockey - hated it! My friend and I would go for a cross country run instead - yes in those days our school had green fields and a farm next to it, now a housing estate!
I never wanted to do ballet as a child - too delicate for me! I did take up tap dancing at the age of just over 20 though!
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Post by elsie on Oct 30, 2008 9:54:29 GMT 1
The only sport I didn't like elsie was hockey - hated it! My friend and I would go for a cross country run instead - yes in those days our school had green fields and a farm next to it, now a housing estate! I never wanted to do ballet as a child - too delicate for me! I did take up tap dancing at the age of just over 20 though! I wouldn't have made a very good ballerina - I am big - boned ;D I was lucky enough to pass the 11 plus and went to a brand new Grammar school which was great.30 years later the school was bulldozed and a housing estate put in it's place  |
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Post by mickthecactus on Oct 30, 2008 10:05:46 GMT 1
4P, your Grandad would have been my hero too.
Cricket, football, Lego kits for me. Oh, and reading. I had an aquarium too.
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Nov 10, 2008 20:43:56 GMT 1
I began my life as a social outcast and did solitary things. I was a collector of schtuff ... rocks, fossils, Indian arrow heads, postage stamps and stuffed animals. Freshwater fishies galore. At one point I had ten aquariums and about 200 jars ... each jar had its own Betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) so they wouldn't damage each other as they grew. I sold them to a pet store and kept getting more reproducing. As training for future Domestic Goddess status I loved embroidery and can still do the most intricate of traditional Ukranian patterns for tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases. Along with that is the painting of eggs for Easter with those same kind of patterns. Knitting, crochet and needlepoint was / is fun too. Gardening began at a very young age as well. I liked to draw and paint but was never good at it. I was forever reading everything in the house too which alarmed my Mum when she saw I was reading a book titled something like Updates in Forensic Medicine and Death Investigation. My father was a physician and had all kinds of books laying around.  |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 10, 2008 22:21:56 GMT 1
I always loved reading too....my Dad used to have to go to London quite a lot, he had a go at running his own business when I was around 12-18...he designed and made telescopes (unfortunately the business folded in1976) Whenever he went to London he'd pop into Foyles bookshop and buy me a book, mostly about Ancient Egypt but a few fiction ones too, like The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Hobbit etc.  I mostly read science fiction for pleasure as a youngster, preferring that genre to the stuff we read at school. But I did love going to the theatre on school trips. We were lucky living in so near to London...we went to the Young Vic and the Old Vic regularly, and the Cambridge Arts theatre...saw lots of good productions of Shakespeare as well as more modern stuff like Rosencranz and Gildenstern are Dead, Waiting for Godot and Scapino...what larks. I started reading 'Fantasy' novels when 4P moved to Stevenage when we were both in our twenties, she lent me some Anne McCaffery, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Stephen Donaldson and I'm still reading Fantasy now...although I do read other stuff as well. For a couple of happy summers 4P and I would sally forth on our trusty bikes as well....riding miles out into the countryside with gangs of friends...I've never been so fit since! My parents wouldn't allow me any pets, my brother had a dog when I was very young, but when it had to be put to sleep the family upset was so bad that Mum said NO MORE. (OH has tried that...but we got another cat when Mabel died because I was pining...) |
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Post by goth on Nov 10, 2008 22:57:41 GMT 1
When I was a child, I loved reading the most. I would spend hours in my room armed with banana on toast and a glass of milk ;D
My favourite author was Enid Blyton and I loved the Beano and the Dandy. As I got older, I became interested in the occult. Not as in devil worshipping or anything [LOL], but things like UFO's, ghosts, spontaneous human combustion, psychic phenomenon, telepathy...things like that. I used to buy 'The Unexplained' magazine every month.
In my late teens, I got into music in a big way. My favourite bands were Saxon, Motorhead, Rush, Genesis, Gillan, Samson, Whitesnake and Deep Purple.
I used to spend a lot of my time in my room...I loved my privacy...still do to some extent.
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Post by floweringcherry on Nov 13, 2008 23:54:04 GMT 1
Music and sport were my main hobbies. I was given a wooden recorder at age 4 and could play songs I knew by ear very quickly. I went on to play clarinet and flute and taught myself to play the keyboard. I played in the school orchestra and was invited to play in the county orchestra but declined. (At 14/15 it didn't seem cool). I no longer play any instruments although I still have my clarinet that I got aged 9. I played in all of the school sport teams until I left school and enjoyed athletics too. I really got into reading in my teens and would often stay up all night reading and fall asleep at school the following day. |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 9:27:22 GMT 1
Ooh FC! I was a percussionist in the school and county orchestras....Timpani Queen, me! And Bedfordshire Senior Xylophone Champion 1975 too.....  (Only because the really good players were showing off and went too fast, while I was terrified and did it exactly as scored...they were all gobsmacked..as was I!)..I used to love percussioning...I haven't done it for years either... |
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Post by Sleepy on Nov 14, 2008 9:29:48 GMT 1
Ooh FC! I was a percussionist in the school and county orchestras....Timpani Queen, me! And Bedfordshire Senior Xylophone Champion 1975 too..... (Only because the really good players were showing off and went too fast, while I was terrified and did it exactly as scored...they were all gobsmacked..as was I!)..I used to love percussioning...I haven't done it for years either... And me. I played lead bass triangle in the school rock band. |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 10:06:19 GMT 1
Don't take the mick, you!  I had years of being told I wasn't a 'proper' musician by the nobby string players in the county orchestra.....I wonder if Dame Evelyn Glennie would agree with them? It takes courage to play percussion as you are a solo player all the time and EVERYONE in the audience watches you..  There's no place to hide if you get it wrong......humph |
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 14, 2008 10:06:29 GMT 1
I always loved reading too....my Dad used to have to go to London quite a lot, he had a go at running his own business when I was around 12-18...he designed and made telescopes (unfortunately the business folded in1976) Whenever he went to London he'd pop into Foyles bookshop and buy me a book, mostly about Ancient Egypt but a few fiction ones too, like The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Hobbit etc. I mostly read science fiction for pleasure as a youngster, preferring that genre to the stuff we read at school. But I did love going to the theatre on school trips. We were lucky living in so near to London...we went to the Young Vic and the Old Vic regularly, and the Cambridge Arts theatre...saw lots of good productions of Shakespeare as well as more modern stuff like Rosencranz and Gildenstern are Dead, Waiting for Godot and Scapino...what larks. I started reading 'Fantasy' novels when 4P moved to Stevenage when we were both in our twenties, she lent me some Anne McCaffery, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Stephen Donaldson and I'm still reading Fantasy now...although I do read other stuff as well. For a couple of happy summers 4P and I would sally forth on our trusty bikes as well....riding miles out into the countryside with gangs of friends...I've never been so fit since! My parents wouldn't allow me any pets, my brother had a dog when I was very young, but when it had to be put to sleep the family upset was so bad that Mum said NO MORE. (OH has tried that...but we got another cat when Mabel died because I was pining...) Stevenage! That's only just up the road from me. |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 10:09:28 GMT 1
Cheery and I lived there in the early 80s, Mick....then she moved up to the Midlands and I went to Biggleswade...eeh, I could've popped down to see your cacti.... |
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Post by Sleepy on Nov 14, 2008 10:09:49 GMT 1
Don't take the mick, you! I had years of being told I wasn't a 'proper' musician by the nobby string players in the county orchestra.....I wonder if Dame Evelyn Glennie would agree with them? It takes courage to play percussion as you are a solo player all the time and EVERYONE in the audience watches you.. There's no place to hide if you get it wrong......humph Me? Take the Mick??? As if! I'll have you know my 'boogie' triangle was famed in it's time, and I regularly had a solo spot! |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 10:12:08 GMT 1
Yeah yeah yeah........do you remember that Bonzo Dog Doodah Band record? Who was on triangle? I can't remember.....sigh...
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Post by mickthecactus on Nov 14, 2008 10:14:25 GMT 1
Yeah yeah yeah........do you remember that Bonzo Dog Doodah Band record? Who was on triangle? I can't remember.....sigh... Lord Snooty and his pals? |
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 10:15:53 GMT 1
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Post by 4pygmies on Nov 14, 2008 10:17:53 GMT 1
It was Count Basie! ;D I tell you..it's all in my head....somewhere.....Lord Snooty and his pals were tap dancing... |
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Post by Sleepy on Nov 14, 2008 10:20:04 GMT 1
Yeah yeah yeah........do you remember that Bonzo Dog Doodah Band record? Who was on triangle? I can't remember.....sigh... Lord Snooty and his pals? Nah... Lord Snooty and his pals were tap dancing Count Bassey and his orchestra were on triangle |
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It broke my heart......but he definitely shaped my future interests - gardening, animals, drawing, books and all the practical interest in the natural world. Then I turned into a teenager and discovered boys...but sadly they never discovered me! ;D Still read and did loads of drawing etc then and even had a little flower patch in my parent's garden but spent most of my teenage years being miserable and pining for a boyfriend........coo, what fun we had! Cheery, Valerie and myself were fairly alternative I recall (or thought we were...).......square pegs in round holes....but we did have a laugh! ;D
There's no place to hide if you get it wrong......humph