Childhood heirlooms

We weren't desperately poor as children, but there were four of us and we had to share round whatever toys we had. My dollies and teddies were often shot and hung by my brothers when we played cowboys and indians! And my younger sister ruined my dolls pram using it as a chariot with the boy next door sitting in it!

When I had my first child, my Dad rescued some good wood from a local skip and made her a rocking horse. It was a very modern design, flat bodied and with a string tail but every stroke of the wood plane and brush of varnish was done with love. I still have it in our loft and it is about to be resurrected for our third grandchild (the other two loved it as well!)

It brings a lump to my throat every time one of the little ones rocks on it and smiles...

I love the old fashioned toys like teddies, dolls houses and rocking horses.

Our childhood teddies live in our display cabinet. They are well loved so chunks of fur missing. We call the display cabinet Teddy's Care Home.

What a wonderful toy foxglove, and what a splendid restoration.

He's beautiful Foxglove! I have a stuffed Teddy somewhere is a box in the attic. His fur is worn and his mouth became unstitched, but he was well loved.

What a wonderful horse! My father made one for me and, 70 years later, it's still the best Christmas present I ever had. Sadly when we moved a few years later there was no room for him and he was consigned to the garage. I always hoped to renovate him but a lot of him was papier mache and he didn't survive life in the garage.

Thank you for your kind comments. Here is a before photo. He looked very different!

What a beauty - the rocking horse !!

Oh Foxglove, French knitting - that brings back memories. I used to love doing that. I think in amongst all my junk mementoes there’s an old wooden cotton reel. I must look for it 😀

Beautiful rocking horse!

Well you've certainly done him proud as he looks splendid now.

Redrobin51 thank you. We weren't well off either. He never had a stand, tack or mane and tail when I was a child. I French knitted his bridle!

It is beautiful. Unfortunately, we weren't very well off so I had only a few cheap presents. The one thing I had always wanted was a rocking horse.