Oh pleeeeeease let me have one!!!

It was a dog - my parents didn't want pets and my pleadings had no effect till I was 16 and they agreed on condition I paid for its upkeep and took it for walks. Don't know how I managed it at first but I did and he lived long enough to meet my first child 11 years later.

I had one of those hats, but I am sure DM must have knitted it, as everything was home-crafted!

What I longed for was a fringe, and I wasn't allowed one. So I snipped off a few strands of hair every night, until DM said 'Don't think I don't know what you're doing!'

Bellanonna, you've just reminded me! When I was about six I wrote to Chester Zoo asking them to send me a baby monkey - I stole the stamp to send the letter from my Granny's stamp book...

Apparently they wrote back explaining why they couldn't do that, but I never got to see the letter, I was in disgrace for ages...(still don't know why, I was only six )

I can imagine your dad,s reaction to the winklepickers !

What month anno ? I'm September '40

I bought my first bike out of my savings, aged 11. All those birthday and Ch....... postal orders had mounted up. I was off to grammar school and cycling was the only practical way to get there.
Forgetting clothes, and as we have moved on to other things, I asked every Ch....... for a monkey. Someone in a children's book had one as a pet and I would have loved one. Failing that, a dog like Timmy in Famouus Five. But we had 2 cats and dogs, apparently , were a nuisance. I got my way with the dog in the end, some 40 years later and he lived for 17 years. Still miss him.

Born in 1940, I was, as a child, used to the 'make do and mend' habits developed during the war. The only thing I yearned for and requested from Santa was a black doll. On Christmas morning I woke up to find her on the end of my bed, dressed in a pretty spotted dress made by my Mum who enjoyed dressing dolls. She adapted hand-me-downs from my cousins and knitted cardigans and jumpers. Clothes rationing ended in 1949 but the habit of economy lasted right into the 50s and I never pestered my parents for items of dress. When I was a student, I bought myself a pair of white winkle-picker stilettos and my father reacted as if I was selling myself on the street!

sunseeker my first bike was a second hand one that dad hand painted. I was about 8 at the time.

I always wanted a bike - my brother got 3 but not one for me!! To this day it is a family joke that when anyone complains about anything everyone says "your lucky - S never got her bike". I am visiting my Mum in December for her 90th birthday and she says she has a surprise for me - when I asked my brother what it was he joked that perhaps it was my bike at long last!!

I always wanted a pet, didn't really care what. DF would have more than happy for us to have a dog. DM couldn't stand the thought of the mess.
I too longed for slip on shoes. I did have jellies but they were only for playing. It was red T-bar Kilty sandals otherwise.

Did all this wishing for things make us shopaholics?

aren't you all lucky, I didn't get anything for passing the 11 + [ well, praise of course.]I do remember those bonnets I think [or some sort of bonnets]
but always hated any kind of hat.What I yearned for was a bubble perm {my friend had one and she was aged 10!}I also hankered after a little case with a small umbrella threaded through it at the side.Needless to say, didn't get that either.

I desperately wanted a bra! I lived with my grandma from being 12 till I got married at 20, and she was a firm believer in NOT wering a bra, testified to by her attributes hanging down over where her waist should have been! My auntie came to the rescue, and took me to buy 2 lovely new bras.
When I was much younger, I always wanted one of those Easter eggs made of icing sugar (I think), they had an opening at one end, and there was a colourful scene inside. I never had one, because my mother said they cost the earth. Haven`t seen them for donkeys years, or I`d have treated myself.

My mum must have been known what it felt like to SO want something. I don't remember wanting specific things before I was about ten. Then I asked for some trews (with the under instep strap), which I got for a birthday, and a sweater dress. She bought me one of those too. Turquoise it was and I got shoe polish on it before going to a party wearing it . Had to sponge it like mad. And since then I've put an apron on before polishing shoes.

My mum made me a fabulous mini dress when I was twelve. I'd wear it now if I still had it and if it fitted, which it wouldn't.

shysal - like you, I have such horrible memories of Liberty bodices. Why did the other girls get away with not wearing them ? I don't wear vests either despite the menacing thought That I might catch my death of cold, or pneumonia. Well it's avoided me so far. Yes I had knitted cozzies when I was quite young. I think my mother just enjoyed knitting though she wasn't particularly good at it. Yes, elastic garters on knee length socks too. They made itchy red marks on my legs.

I wanted NOT to have to wear a liberty bodice to school when all the other girls had pretty underwear! To this day I never wear a vest, just to spite my late mother.

I also hated the home-made clothes, especially the knitted swimming costume, which drooped to my knees when wet, and oh how it itched!

And I still managed to develop a bunion despite the sensible shoes.

I had a pink witch!! I loved it! Sorry trisher. My bike, which I was promised for passing my 11+ but got at Christmas for passing, Christmas and my birthday was what you might call 'serviceable'!

I wanted a Pink Witch bicycle. My bike bought to celebrate passing the 11 plus was plain ordinary and BORING. I also wanted slip on shoes which my mother informed me would "ruin my feet". I didn't get any until I was 15 by which time I wanted a pair of white stilettos!

I wanted a tu tu and a mohair jumper!

Tights??? They weren't even invented until I was a teenager!

I had one of those hats, Indinana!
Around 5 years old, I longed for black patent leather shoes but couldn't get my Mum to understand (hmmm) and ended up with black plimsolls instead.
For a long time, about 8-9 years old, I thought that red or blue tights were absolutely wonderful and used to gaze at them in a local shop window. I did eventually get a pair of blue ones, hooray

I don't think so Bellanonna. I've never heard the term jelly bag hats before, but a quick search on google comes up with several styles, none of which are anything like the very specific design I'm talking about. These were shaped like a traditional baby's bonnet, with a flat back.
I too had to have all hand knitted jumpers and cardigans - even winter knee length socks were hand knitted . They always fell down so mum would make us garters out of bits of elastic. The shame of it. She even knitted a navy blue V-neck pullover and matching A-line skirt for my sister instead of the usual gymslip. It was passed down to me in turn. We both hated the outfit and longed for a proper gymslip, but to no avail.
Thank Heavens, then, for the strict regulation uniform of our grammar school, available only from the official outfitters. Handknits strictly forbidden. Oh we thought we'd struck gold at last!

I think they were jelly bag hats Indinana? I had a pixie hood during the 40s as described by POGS but I'm sure they were around later, too. I wanted decent shop bought clothes but had to make do with homemade skirts and hand knitted cardies. Thank goodness the school skirts were pleated (considered more modest by the dreaded nuns) so my Mother couldn't do those. All my shoes were chosen for me, of the lace-up, practical, brown variety, and sandals equally dull. I had to beg to be allowed stockings - the ones with seams - I felt so proud of my first pair.

Oh, I would love a navy blue gaberdine mac again. Not sure I would wear it out, just put it on now and again.

I don't remember those bonnets. I remember having the ones POGS mentions that came to a point at the top back. They called them pixie hats. Not sure why.

I also remember longing for a duffle coat with real wooden toggles. I had to have a navy blue gaberdine, with hood which came down over my eyes, and was so long that it was mid calf length. I hated it. My mother's argument was that a duffle coat wasn't waterproof. The gaberdine wasn't either!