London - the last instalment!

It seems so long ago now! The final day began with a hearty breakfast, only this morning, the 28 discovered they were allowed the hot chocolate. To be honest the FF had kinda reached *that* point of not giving a flying hoot about healthy eating and sugar consumption!! 

I think a world record was broken for hot chocolate consumption that morning. 

When we set off on the five minute walk to the train station, I could hear swishing. 

Swishing X 28. Swishing, blipping, sloshing and splashing. It was the 28. And their hot chocolate submerged stomachs! 

You can only imagine the effect on their bladders!! 

Once at Canada Water it was just one train to our destination. About thirty minutes. That was just enough time for all 28 to go to the loo. 

We arrived at our final sight seeing place of the trip. 

The Olympic Park. 

What a massive place! 

It's a HUGE train station. It was a ten minute walk from platform to civilisation. Then, due to workmen doing construction stuff we had to walk even further to get where we were going. The route took us through a very posh shopping centre. Had we not had 28 mini hi vis companions or heavy rucksacks, then the FF would have probably had a relaxing stroll browsing the posh shops, maybe stopping for a leisurely latte and then lunching in a swanky bistro. 

But no, we headed to the gardens betwixt the Olympic Arena and the Olympic Aquatic Centre. In the photo you see a ridiculous monument that looks like a roller coaster/helter skelter. If you look closely enough you migh just see two abseiler types. And according to the giant hoardings, for mega bucks you can go up the top for a drinks party. Er, not for me thanks!! 

We picnic lunched in lovely surroundings and the 28 were able to take advantage of the safe vast space to have a play. The FF also took advantage of the little coffee shop and had a comfy seat to watch the play. 

We met a rather scrumptious young man who was part of the Rugby World Cup stuff and had we had time I could have had a Welsh dragon face painted on my cheek! 

All too soon we had to make our way back as our train was at 3.30pm. We'd pre arranged pre seating when we'd pre booked. I say 'we' , I had absolutely nowt to do with the logistics of this trip. It was all down to our amazing school bursar. 

Once again as we entered the stunningly beautiful beshopped area, the FF could only dream of even window shopping. 

Instead 

We ruthlessly marched straight through the beshopped pedestrian zone, hunting for the toilets! 

The lunchtime water had topped up the hot chocolate reservoirs. 

We looked on the fancy pants shopping centre maps for the loos. They were not where we reckoned! 

They must have been hidden very well behind the great smoked glass wi does and doors that surrounded us. 

We asked the nice lady at the station who directed us to where we needed to be. 

Only the *very desperate* were allowed this toilet stop because time ( and patience ) was fast running out! 

We embarked on our final journey on the train back to London and then the last tube back to Euston. I said to my magnificent seven that they'd to make the most of this last tube ride. Cue hanging like chimpanzees from the ceiling straps and bars! I didn't say a word, we were in an empty carriage save for one person who I was chatting to. A third year teacher trainee student! She was praising our 'monkeys' good behaviour! 

Ohh I just remembered that on the tube back from Matilda, I was chatting to a random bloke who'd complimented our 28 on their excellent behaviour. He asked where we were from. He knows it well...his mother lives here!! Of all the tube carriages in the world..... 

Once back at Euston, we waited in the shade near the Sainsbury's. The 28 collapsed in heaps on their bags and the designated one of the FF was sent to look for a Virgin. Two were brought back! The lovely Virgin Train staff took us straight down onto the platform and we were able to board the train and get sorted and comfy before we set off! A few of the 28 were disgruntled about having to wait til we set off to go to the toilet!

It was a much calmer journey homeward bound. Approximately 16 of the 28 fell asleep! The rest were content to sit and talk/chat quietly till we finally arrived home. 

The parents were thronged together. There were many tears and we were so surprised by the hugs and gratitude that we were getting!! It added to the worthwhileness of the trip!

Once I got home, we had a takeaway for tea and I sat down, not getting up off my bum unless absolutely necessary. I had a four hour nanna nap in bed on the Sunday afternoon!!  I was still knackered the week after at work! I think maybe next year, I think it should be booked for the end of term!

There you made it! Through my 'almost

as long as the trip itself' blogposts! 

Normal service will now resume ( posts about my daily non adventures ) you lucky things!  

Lots of love from 

Rachel *back to reality* Radiostar! 

Oh ps. I sent the frock to my friend ( 95p for a first class stamp ) and her 4 yo loved it! 

The one where I admit to pilfering the family silver and I got away with it!

Toys.

 It's coming up to the season of insane TV advertising and I recently read and instantly fell in love with a new blog. The post in question discussed stereotypical toys for girls and boys. ( Read it and my "frankly hilarious" comments *here* ).

Memory wise, I seem to have the ability to dredge up lots of facts from t'black n white days when I were a lass, growing up in the 1970s. But telling you what happened last week can be a major struggle! Sometimes I do get muddled up somewhere between the two. However, I am pretty sure what follows is mostly accurate. It's hard to type, by the light of an energy saving lightbulb, with these rose tinted glasses on!

In the 1970's I remember an idyllic childhood. Mum and Dad didn't have any spare cash. Dad worked long, hard hours to barely meet the mortgage etc. Please put down that violin! I'm not after sympathy- it was just like that for us and millions of working class folks.

Mum has said that she didn't get milk tokens or help as she only had three children under five for a couple of months.( I spoiled all that by turning five when Baby Sister was just three months old.)  I'm not sure how Child Allowance worked back then either. I know she only worked part time when I was in the Juniors.  Even so, we never seemed to be visibly any wealthier! BUT I know she went without so we could have. I know she scrimped, saved, knitted and ran catalogues for the commission to be able to afford a fabulous Christmas morning for us. They were fabulous. Every single one.
It was magical. I don't recall ever writing a list.  We didn't pester. We knew there was no point.

Besides, our next door neighbour got EVERYTHING,  so we used to just go round and play loads!
The only time at Christmas I  recall being  desperate  for something, was for a ''Muppet Show Shopping bag, just like my mum's grown up canvas bag with a ZIP ( oh the technology ). I nearly died from excitement when I got one! There is a photo somewhere of me, in a long pink nightie clutching my precious. I think I used to take it to bed!!

Other beloved toys I remember getting include a Fisher Price school desk.It had a green chalk slanted board to write on and it was magnetic so all the letters stored in the drawers could be used to write words on the little picture cards! I was so jealous of my little sister when she got an actual real blackboard/easel!, But I loved that desk, It did me, till I got my own real life proper type writer. I also had a pegboard and pegs that I adored.

Then came Sindy.

Think my dark haired one came in jodpurs with the horse.

I had two Sindy Dolls- just like the ones in the photograph, one with black hair like me. I drew eyeshadow on her pretty face with biro. Think I got a smack for that!  With the next few birthdays and December 25ths I started accrueing accessories for my Sindy. 

I had one of these. 

I found this photo on Ebay. This sold for £67!! I wish I still had mine! It opened out and had a bed, a shower and a wardrobe for Sindy. Just what every cosmopolitan travelling  plastic girl needed! £67 Oh my stars!

I had ( please don't let me down google images ) ( It didn't !)  a travel case, like the one above.

A camper tent and a horse. ( Both photos from Google Images. I bloody love Google Images!)

Now, there was a girl in my class, who's dad worked on the oil rigs. Therefore they were MILLIONAIRES. It's what we thought. We were all invited to her birthday party one year, her house was like a MANSION to me. Fitted kitchen, thick fluffy carpets, big leather sofa and a big COLOUR REMOTE CONTROLLED TV. Her room was MAHOOSIVE ( I was in a box room approx 2ft square ) ( That last bracket was a lie, but I was in the adequately sized box room ). In their bathroom they had a bath AND omg a SHOWER. Not a head connected to the taps shower, that dripped cold water onto you when you were in the bath, one  like ours. Oh no, a walk in CUBICLE one . To a girl who lived in a simply but comfortable furnished home with no frills this was like walking onto the set of Dallas! She was a Ewing whereas I was an Ingalls!! All the girls in my class went to traditional birthday parties at each other's houses. 

Ya know girls, long dresses and side ponytails 

Her party/disco was in the cellar, with the lights off,  with full on disco lights!!
I'm also pretty convinced that ( gasp ) boys were invited. That. Was. Unheard. Of to us 10 year olds. She was sooo cool! But for me, 
It was her bedroom that held the main attraction.


No, it wasn't her fancy pants bed.  The first cabin bed I had ever seen.

No, it wasn't the fact that she had a hamster in her bedroom. 

 It wasn't even the fact that she had a black and white portable TV in her room. 

AND a record player. 

No, she had something so amazing . It was this....

Look at the advertising - It was MY dream! I was impressionable back then! My career as a marketing man's dream surely began in the 70s! Look at the HOOVER!

She had The Full Sized 5ft Tall Sindy House.  Complete with roof top garden.The kitchen was to die for girls.  Stainless steel sink ( OK shiny silver plastic.) Complete with cooker that made cooking noises when you put the pans on the hob - bubbled and blipped like thick pea n ham soup does. 

Bathroom- matching suite with, blew my mind, a cubicle WORKING shower.  ( Just like HER Mum and Dad's! ) Little teeny dark brown towels. 

Sindy's bedroom was exquisite. 

Simply elegant. 

Solid white plastic, gilded with gold filigree bed,  with matching  darling blue cover and valence. Oh the poshness! The dressing table WITH mirror and stool - with cabinet table legs, again all beautifully carved. The lounge had a Chesterfieldesque leather suite all in top quality plastic. . . I WANTED IT ALL!!

Now I bet you all 10p, that it is this part of my tale,  where by you are linking the title in.
Well you are wrong!

I am getting to it, but most of you who are regular here know by know how I'll waffle round the houses to get to my point.

A while ago I wrote about Deathscalators and being in London.
On that school trip we were taken to Harrods. We all had £10 spending money I think it was - saved up throughout the school year - correct me if  I'm writing  , lovely old school chums, if you are reading.
There were these cute darling little 'Carrie' and 'Christopher' dolls. I distinctly remember Christopher because he had proper 'boy bits'!!
After researching, he did have the bits - as did she!

I think they were a fiver each. And then there were outfits for them. I'm pretty sure in remembering that ALL the girls in my class bought a Carrie/Christopher doll with an outfit. They came in a darling little terry towelling baby grow fastened with Velcro , she in pink, he in blue, natch. I bought a wee lemon sundress complete with matching knickers for my Carrie.


I'm pretty sure ALL the boys bought Slime. And one of those octopuses that walked down walls and windows.

So with the money that was left I think en masse us girls bought ;( cue remembering gasp of joy ) BABY WILLIAMS.
Look at all the Baby Williams photos I found!

I'm sure mine was like this one.

Hands up if you had a Baby William ??!! Strange but Oh so cute  little plastic headed babies with beany bodies sold in match boxes!!!
This created a kind of weird phase at school. We had those lift up lid desks, with a shelf at the top. On this shelf we ( and I know it wasn't just me ) created little apartments for our Carries, Christopher's and Baby Williams!

Again, if you are waiting for me to admit to stealing from Harrods.
You are quite wrong.

Think back to where I said we had no money back then. Entertainment was often going visiting and playing with our numerous cousins. Twelve Grandchildren on each side meant there were tons of us to go round!
I used to love to go to one house because there lived my glamorous older cousin. She had  proper blonde hair, cut in a jaunty style.  I loved her hand me downs ( though my favourite hand me downs always came from my Dad's side of the family - Maria was more bohemian whereas Diane was more M&S ) but I idolised her! Even though she was pretty mean to me sometimes!! ( Sherry trifle,  Diane, just in case you are reading! )
BUT

any meanness was completely forgiven if she 'let' me LOOK AT, not play with, but LOOK AT her Sindy stuff. 

She had the Dining Room stuff. God it was gorgeous. The same handcrafted white plastic as the bedroom stuff. The carved high back chairs, the large table with carved legs, the table mats, the plates , the tiny, perfect beautiful silver cutlery. The silver cruet set. Le sigh. Be still my beating ten years old heart.

Just Exquisite

Diane and her friend Maxine had run away from me when we were playing hide and seek or something outside.

I went back to Auntie Pat's. All forlorn. For something to do I went to the toilet.

 Diane's bedroom door was open.

 There, on the floor,  ON THE FLOOR  was the clearly unloved, unwanted, neglected spoon from Sindy's dining room.  Did I mention it was ON. THE. ACTUAL. FLOOR?  Not on the table in Sindy's dining room. Not put away carefully like I would have. Just carelessly abandoned. 


 It was just laying there, twinkling at me in all it's lovely silvery shininess.




Now MY Carrie needed a spoon in order to feed Baby William.

 So I permanently borrowed it!!

 It had a much happier life with me.  I never left it on the floor. I slept easy. No guilty conscience at all! She can't have missed it because there was nothing on Newsround about it!

So, Diane, I'd like to apologise! Firstly for you having to be saddled with a young brat following you round all the time! And for stealing the family silver! I hope you can forgive me!!

So... What toys were YOU desperate to have when you were small? What did YOUR friends have that you didn't. What family heirlooms did YOU steal?!!

I'm sure it wasn't just me. Was it?