Day 11: Childhood

I remember odd things from my childhood (which I cut off at 12yrs - because you're a teenager at 13 right?!).  Here's some of the odd things I'm thinking off:

* My first memory is at my Grandpa's wake when I hugged my Gran's leg to stop her crying. I was 3yrs.

* My cousin Ben was born when I was 8yrs.

* One day at Kindy I got upset because I couldn't find "my" sink. They all had peoples names on them, but I didn't know that they were actually the brand names.

* At Kindy I signed my paintings with "H4"

* I shared a room with Lee until I was 16yrs. I used to annoy her by keeping my bedside light on when she was trying to sleep.

* I was teased at primary school for not being Catholic.

* I tried to run away one day, got half way down the street, a dog barked at me and I ran home again.

* We used to go to Waiheke Island for family vacations. It was soooooooo far away.

* Once us kids were so irriating in the back seat of the car that Mum & Dad made us get out at the school (about 2kms away) and walk home.

* We used to have babysitters each school holidays.

* We went to 'Friday Club' every week (or was it fortnightly?). The adults had some sort of cheap-to-produce meal and the kids had fish n' chips. The adults are all still friends today.

* We weren't allowed to watch TV in the morning and until about 5pm.

* I would always walk to school with my friend Camille.

* I loved to dance, but I don't think I was great at it. I went along for years.

* I went to Brownies.

* I almost drowned in the Johnsonville Pool when a 'big kid' flipped the floating mat over and I was stuck underneath.

* I had a great friend Linda that lived up the road until she moved to Australia when we were 8yrs.

* Every time I went to Grans house I watched "The Sound of Music".

* At Gran's house we would bake and pretend we were hosting our own cooking show.

* Gran had a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the dining room which we would pretend to order fish n' chips from. We'd sit patiently in the 'queue' while she made them for us.

* We always had pets, mostly cats and one really stupid dalmation.

* Mum and I went to Melbourne when I was 10yrs old. I loved the butterfly house, the markets and when we went on a picnic in the middle of a huge park and we left the cutlery behind, we used a credit card as a knife.

The more I write, the more I remember. While I think I don't remember much of my childhood, I guess I really do - I just have to actually take the time to sit and think about it.

I once typed out Gran's memoirs of her first 18yrs of life. I thought two things while doing this; 1. I don't think I have done nearly as many things or had nearly as many experiences in my first 18yrs as she did. And 2. I don't think I remember nearly as much as Gran seems too, and she's much older than I am! Her memoirs are a fascinating read. They need a little work, which I hope to do soon with Gran. It has made me think that I should try write my own, because while I haven't lived through a war, I have had a few interesting things happen, so why not? Perhaps one day my own grandchildren will be interested in reading about my childhood. Would yours?