Down at the excercise yard

Continuing in an oblique way at where discipline came in, the one other option outside of your home was school and for many of us a frequent flash point was PT which had its own part of the uniform and rules were enforced b the PT or Games Mistress

One common rule was we wore gym knickers for exercise in, taking off our regular ones because it was healthier and no shorts.

For a very long time the rule for boys was similar except they were to wear their cotton shorts without any underpants which given the muddy games they played made sense. Anyone who didn't got slippered and that jolly well stung!.
You also HAD to shower afterwards and reapply your regular uniform, often subject to inspection and yet more opportunity to administer swats to your behind.

Jennings Goes To School

It's getting toward the end of August and almost by magic my mind starts slipping back to what this time in the past meant for me.

Part of it meant getting ones equipment and uniform ready to return to school with a  mad dash to the stores and this leads really on to this which I do so miss all of that and one of things I did was read books.
Anthony Buckerridge's creation Jennings and his side kick, Darbishire was the only boys series I read as to a very large extent I read stories about and for girls but what I liked about the series was they did feature memorable characters in situations I could relate to.
This was the first published story although Jennings was inflicted on the Britishers in nineteen forty-eight  on the BBC Children's Hour program, garnering a following.

In the first story we are introduced to the two new boys of Linbury Court School for boys, Jennings and Darbishire, their initial meeting with Mr. Carter just seeing a very average boy in his suit and short pants but it is not long before her realizes his well meant but impetuous nature coupled with an overdeveloped sense of initiative soon leads trouble dispite his more erudite mild mannered companion  attempts at moderating him as they both start to learn the ropes  in their first term.
My copy is a nineteen sixty-two Collins hardback where I'm sure the one I had at school would of been  from the mid seventies edition.

Missed opportunities

One thing I had always wanted to do as a child was to be in scouting because in my muddled up way I had long felt I 'needed' to belong to something and to be be subject to the rules of some group to help me as inarticulate as I was and being in a Brownies or Guilds pack would I feel of helped in my life not least for dealing with my isolation never mind discipline.
Strangely my siblings did join cubs and scouts but my folks never got me into something that was potentially very good for me.
If there was a Guides for Adult but Child like people like me I'd would love to join even now.

Vacationing middle

This time of year is one where my sense of middleness is at it's strongest as I recall the long summer vacations and great anticipation of the family seaside vacation where I'd play most days for hours on the beach only interrupted  by going into cafes and seaside shops for toys and summer comic special editions.
For me even now, my vacations are similar lacking the 'adult' sophistication in many ways a recreation of those from my childhood being a self created 'age-play' situation I feel most comfortable in.

Alice Rose

Here's Alice Rose in red and yellow livery. Notice the floral decor.

Caught just after the passengers had disembarked to stock up on food and other provisions.