Part Three

School Days

I loved my primary school, the back of it was opposite my paternal grandparents house. It was a very old building with concrete stairs and wooden boards on the floor. There was no carpet in those days. It was called Bannerman Road Primary School and it was built in 1877!

The area where I lived then, was very much a concrete jungle. I was not aware of it at the time, but it contrasted very sharply to the suburbs where I lived later on after I married. The school was no different, there was no grass at all and only a small area where flowers and shrubs grew; very unlike the lovely schools attended by my grandchildren, where there is lots and lots of grass and trees and general greenery.

The children were well behaved. I can't remember any of them bullying the others or saying nasty things, neither did I hear them swear. Perhaps this is incorrect, but that is how I remember it. There was generally a lovely atmosphere in the school.

The teachers at my school were very kind and very patient. Because I excelled in English (well, it was my best subject so not sure if excelled is the right word here) I went with two other children to spend time in the Head Masters office writing different things. I'm not sure why. It's just a vague memory, but we had been singled out for some reason.

I can remember when the whole class had to write a story about cocoa and chocolate for a Cadbury's writing competition and we all won a box of Cadbury's chocolate and received a certificate. I kept it for years and years and then thought 'how ridiculous' and I threw it away. I wish I hadn't now. I still have photographs (in black and white) of my school classes.

We used to have a break mid morning and we could buy drinks, biscuits and snacks. There were chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, Jammie Dodgers (biscuits with cream filling and jam in the middle) and also potato puffs. I loved all of it. It was the highlight of my day! If they sold fruit I can't remember and I wouldn't have been interested anyway. I think they did sell apples.

The teacher's names I remember are Mrs Parrot, Miss Shirley, Mr Lansdown and Mr Jay who was the Head Teacher for some of the time. Miss Shirley and Mr Lansdown were my favourites.

Most of the children were well dressed and clean, but there was one family who were very poor and the children looked grubby and ragged. It seemed very sad to me. I can still remember their surname, but I wouldn't tell you. I do hope the years have been kind to them all.

I never stayed for school dinners. I tried it once, but didn't like it so I always came home for lunch, my mother coming to collect me and walk me home when I was small. When I went to the senior school I still went home for lunch as it was only a 15 minutes walk each way, so I had half an hour to eat, before I went back to school. To me it was a little Oasis of quiet in the middle of the day!

I didn't know it then, but I really do have a writer's temperament. I am happy to be by myself, don't like the limelight and like to beaver away on my own. I think most writer's are the same. Not that knowing this will do me any good now!