By R. M. Sheridan (Rona Wall)
Events which took place in our household in October were not conducive to letter writing. A well known cable company sent a couple of juniors to re-route their previous installation and managed to drill into our water storage tank! Geoff and myself being nimble of foot and quick of thought managed to stop most of the sixty gallons pouring into our lounge. I wonder why some young people will not listen to advice.
The council have also installed double glazing – what a joy!
More Memories of Rye
Looking back to our time at 2, Old Cottages, Military Road, Rye. As I remember we were a happy little community. Life was certainly not dull in those days and most events, according to my Mum, happened on Monday Washday.
On one occasion the milkman’s cart went into the ditch opposite and all hands were needed to pull it out. I don’t remember a horse. Doff, my middle sister, managed to also ride her bike into the same ditch. A car frightened her and I can still see her walking up the path – her hair covered in duck weed!
Freddie decided to try rock climbing but fell down into masses of nettles. Very painful!
Nine Lives
One Monday washday Leslie Cottrell and me were trying to pick plums from Suren’s tree. We forgot about the open well and down I went. Our Mum’s soon hauled me out.
Not content with that I was helping Ted Magrath with air rifle target practise one day and got in the way. The result was getting shot across the top of my head but I survived!
Another of my nine lives went by choking on a crust. Mr. Clarke who was I think in the St. John’s Ambulance brought me round.
Enterprise loomed early in my life and caused my poor mother some embarrassment. She was making marrow jam one evening and gave me all the seeds to play with. Dad jokingly suggested I could sell them so the next day I did just that! Needless to say all of the money went back.!
Wyn and Joe Vincent lived next door to us and I remember pushing their son Robert around the houses in his pram. We were very happy to meet Wyn again not too long ago.
The Camber Tram
Camber in the Summer played a big part in our lives in those days. We went on the tram week after week. Us kids had a great time. Mum however revealed that she hated it -“Packing up all those sandwiches”! She was, by the way, one of fourteen children of which only five survived. Nanny Mushett had two sets of twins, one set of triplets, one born with one leg who was sent to a Liverpool medical museum and the last child when she was fifty four. What a woman!
I will close wishing you all a Merry Christmas and I know that we will all wish for a better New Year.
“Rye’s Own” December 2001
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