From a young age, we lived in a house across the road from the family home where Dad, his brothers and sister grew up and where our paternal grandparents and uncle lived.
Our mother was very sick when we were young and some nights after milking dad would go to town to visit her. As often as not, it was our grandfather, always called “Danny” who babysat for us and we were all very fond of him.
I can still remember on some summer nights he would line us up, put his beret on, tuck a stick under his arm and he became Monty (General Montgomery of the Desert Rats) carrying out an inspection. Now whether this was a game or whether he was checking that we were clean before we went to bed I don’t remember but he was great fun to play with.
He would sometimes hide things for us to find in the “monkey puzzle tree” we liked to climb (an elm maybe at the end of the Kinfalloch driveway in those days). Of course, he was strict as well, and I recall being sent to the bathroom to fetch the razor-strop at their house when I had been naughty. I think the fetching of it was most of the punishment – certainly any hitting was very soft.
Very often on a Sunday afternoon we would go over the road and he would read us a chapter from Pilgrim’s Progress. There were probably other books that I’ve forgotten, but I still remember the black & white stick figure drawings of the man with the “black thing” on his back (his burden I believe). Of the story I recall very little, but I well remember the three chocolate coated sultanas we were all given afterwards!
to be continued…
Save as PDF