Childhood disappointments

My 53 year old son claims to be still traumatised because at age 7 Santa brought him he fire engine he wanted - without any batteries!

Christmas time back then all shops were closed.

He still blames me..............oh dear.

Oh dear, did you tell him Rudolph accidentally knocked all the batteries off the sleigh?

I learnt to ride on an incredible horse -a beautiful dapple grey stallion .
I was eight years old and he was 18.2 hands high .
In those days because I did so much ballet my core and sense of balance were excellent .He was such a joy to ride-so quiet and gentle .

When we returned to London I was so excited about going to the local riding school.
Then I was acutely disappointed with my ride .
The poor old boy was very old and really needed to retire.
His mouth was hard and it was difficult to control him .
He basically just followed at the back of the line snatching grass whenever he could.
When we galloped I could hardly get a canter out of him .
Later I was entrusted with riding the thoroughbred livery horses - both beautiful but not a patch on the stallion .
I'd take apples for my old pony -food was the only thing that stimulated him .

I was frequently disappointed by not getting exactly what I wanted. Perhaps my parents couldn’t get what I had specified but it seemed they didn’t think it mattered if my name tapes had full name on instead of initials, if my pencil box was green (I hated green), if my homemade uniform was different from everyone else’s.
I wasn’t a greedy child, just very fussy!

Maggiemaybe

I’d be around 8 when Ski yoghurts appeared in our local Co-op. After much ardent begging from me, my mother gave in and bought me one. Well, it was foul. A horribly sickly thick pink strawberry crust with the sourest yoghurt underneath. And because I’d been warned of course that I wouldn’t like it and it was expensive, apparently, I’d to force it down, pretending to enjoy it.

Another letdown was when the beautifully wrapped Easter chocolates I’d saved for last turned out to be bath cubes.

The first yogurt I ever had was hazelnut flavour, and smelled like sick, Put me off yogurt for years.

My first pay packet 15/- , - I worked in the invoice office at Peter Jones in Sloane Square on Saturday mornings from age 15 for about a year- was spent immediately at the new supermarket in the King's Road. (Safeway? Gardeners?) 1962
I was starving and bought ski yoghurt with that real fruit, and granary bread. It probably cost me half my wage.

Grammaretto You got 15 bob to work a morning ? I had to do a whole day 8.30 - 5.30 for that when I started full time work in 1963.
I can remember ski yoghurt! It was new to us . I worked in the Strand and used to buy one for my lunch from a shop opposite. Coukdnt afford any bread

On thinking about it I didn’t really like them because they tasted ‘odd’ but there was littke in the way of snacks in those far off days.

I desperately wanted a pair of proper levi jeans. I pestered my mother and she said she would get some for my birthday.

Come the day and I unwrapped my present excitedly only to find a baggy pair of elastic waisted trousers in thin, blue denim that looked pyjama trousers. My aunt had very kindly run them up for me on her Singer sewing machine.

I see the funny side of it now but at the time........

1954 and I was due to go to grammar school. Wonderful uniform. A dark green, box pleated gymslop, with a woven yellow and green belt. Loved it. We moved . The uniform at the new grammar school was navy. I was so disappointed

I prefer the sound of navy. Always smart. Yellow and green doesn’t do it for me, but the grey and maize yellow at my sec mod in 1959, was very trendy. still is. Pity I only had part of the uniform . Mow that was disappointing. As well as failing my 11 plus of course

I’d have loved the dark green uniform. Ours was also navy with a pale blue blouse. Very boring.

I disliked our bottle green blazers but the gym slips were navy, at least, although they were awful, unflattering garments.