Childhood Memories

I was listening to a bit of Jezza Vine in the car the other day and it was a story that I related to very well. I am now living back in the village I grew up in and shared so many amazing memories, despite my childhood being a dysfunctional and difficult one, i still cherish my memories of living in the village, we were a family of 5, until my youngest sister passed away, my dad bought a 2 up 2 down house and made it into a 5 bed house. I remember the building works and how fun it was living in a building site ( i wouldnt agree with that now having done it as an adult with OCD) I remember when gas was installed in our street and the huge yellow pipes were sat outside our house and we all played in them, i remember the foundations of new houses being built at the bottom of our road and how we all used to play in them too, Im sure a huge health and safety hazzard nowadays. I remember the Huge oak tree that I climbed with my first boyfriend Kevin Brown for my first snog with my sister counting to 60 to see how long it could last for.... I was 7 I loved school, I loved how safe it was to play out, I had loads of friends and was out in all weathers, summers were the best, rounders in the fields, picnics, we used to knock on peoples doors for "jumble" and sell it on our front garden, (always the entreprenaeur) we used to have clubs as I loved the secret7.. Anyway, the topic was about should you re visit your childhood home, your past? It was interestimg listening to the callers responses. My response is absolutley, Just before Jezza came onto the radio I had visited my old primary school to deliver a parcel, I had to go past the toilet block that still had the GIRLS in the brickwork, i walked past the canteen and the smell coming out of the window took me back 30 years and I was awash with so many memories all at once, I walked through the playground where I used to play with my skipping rope, handstands and cartwheels ( i wish i could now) and all the lovely childhood games and songs we played and sang... I saw the door that had CARETAKER again in the brickwork, Mr Hedge's room, how I remember him fondly, with his cup of tea and rich tea biscuits. It made me beam from ear to ear rememebring it all.. Then later that day I deliveered another parcel to the house next door to my family home that dad built, this was a bungalow built on our old garden, that we sold, I was talking to the guy that lived there about my house next door and I had a good old look at it, I have a new job now which is delivering parcels for a courier company, it takes me around my lovely village every day to each nook and cranny and in every single one of them, is a differemt memory and all of them are good. I went past where my oak tree used to be to find new houses have been built on it now, which made me feel so sad, but I still smiled when I looked at them. I love my village and all the memories it holds from my childhood and all the ones Iv created with my own little family since. Another childhood place i revisited the other day was Hightown, (the Orthandontist) It was so sad looking out of the window seeing the demise of that street, my grandparents and great grandparents before them, owned a shop & flat further down the street it was a very popular bakery "Parkers" and I stayed there with them all the time, we used to love Carnival time as we got a prime FREE seat in the window we watched all the procession as it went past with all the colourful floats on it. Now its all boarded up looking like it needs demolishing and probably will be for houses.... One of the things discussed was also should you ever go back to any of your childhood homes if you have the chance and how would it make you feel... I would love to re isit the house my dad built and am waiting for the day it goes up for sale, because I will go and have a nosey, how it will make me feel , i have no idea. I re visited my school a few years ago when Josh was starting primary school (gosh actually quite a few years ago given he is nearly 17) and i was amazed at how small everything was, it was huge when i was a tiny tot.... I also re vist occasionally a Pub in Shropshire that we lived in for a year (another one of my dads bright ideas) and my sister and I loved it there, playing in the fields, walking by the river (the pub backed on to the river 7) the barns that we had on our land, it was a great exploratory place to live. It looks very different now to when we had it, which was a shame. Its not healthy to live in your past, but when you have lovely memories from it, it does no harm to go back for a dip ....