Play is thirsty work

Play with your mates is thirsty work with all that running around, making things and inevitable a high proportion of horse play with rough housing as gentile it sure ain't being a tea party free setting and not always in places like parks.

We'd roam the nearby woods, semi deserted pathways and the like playing ball games when not playing war games dividing into sides with "The Enemy" if captured being "tortured" usually tickled or playfully slapped on the legs until we gave away "secrets" of that mission.

It was hardly suprising we formed tight bonds.

As rough by modern standards it was, we loved it.

A littles break

I was a way for a few days as a adult litttle boy  with a group of people I encoutered and this is a kind of an account of it.

Having packed my bags with a few days change of clothing and with my grey short trousers on I made my way to the venue to be met by the others.

The first part of Sunday having gotten up was a more do your own thing so I played with some Duplo, making buildings and did some colouring which I find very relaxing before midday. As well I  played with a Town and Country wooden train set and had my photograph taken outside. The lens didn't shatter!

In the afternoon we had the Colour Quiz, it maybe an invention of Sam's I'm not too sure but the theme was Disney Prince & Princesses and having gotten in teams you have to find in strict order pictures of them, each giving you a clue to next to find until you finish.

I teamed up with Martin as we ran around the building up and downstairs looking through every public space for them sometimes for what seemed like ages several times over.

Eventually we found ours and so had our Chocolate Egg.

We had a full-blown Chicken roast that night complete with 'Pigs in blankets' plus stuffing balls followed by either Raspberry or Strawberry vanilla ice cream which was scrumptious.

Later on that Evening, one member held her Big Quiz with lots of general knowledge questions and a name the person in the photo section and Paul's team (which also included Sam and I) came second in it.

There was an arts and crafts session where I didsome colouring and making things from felt.

I quite enjoyed myself  at the littles break  free from all adult stuff, just being a boy again.

The end of play?

One thing a good number of people in my neighbourhood have remarked upon is the quietness of the pavements during the local school half-term break this year with seldom a child been seen out of doors in the park, on the paths nor the local stores on their own.

This is particularly noticeable around of the Senior School age group and a number of parents put it to me that there children preferred to play games and socialize online even when they only be a few blocks away to physically venturing out to perform some shared activity together.

I just can't help but wonder how this is likely to effect how as grown ups they will relate to one another in the work place and the wider community, never mind any effects on their health.

Winter attire

 

Time was every Winter thinner coats like anoraks would be relegated to the back of the coat racks and I'd be but into a thick green or grey duffle coat for winter, bobble hats and gloves would come out too.

We'd still be in short trousers with long socks often with wellington boots on, it wasn't an era that moddycoddled boys in the slightest so unlike girls we never had ear muffs or be sent out with ointments.

It's perhaps hardly suprising a large chunk of me expects and prefers even to dress like this more during this season fighting talk of long trousers,  track suits and the like cos I'm no softie.

The longest running program I watch

 Bits of the world have changed for instance this isn't being typed onto a stencil and put in a duplicator to send to you but goes out via the Internet, some school rituals and rules have changed a lot since I formally left school and the political map of the world keeps on altering.

For me though somethings do remain the same as they did from my earliest days and that does including watching the children's magazine show Blue Peter on CBBC which is the swanky new BBC channel for children's programming.

I've always watched it from as soon as I was able to take in television.

It's hardly suprising I still have a high number of the annuals issued and often found in your Christmas Present stocking up to the early 1990's.

They stopped doing the annuals in 2011 saying the sales had dropped off and so it would not be economic.

The one pictured is Blue Peter Book Four which was published in 1967 and for 1968 which socially and politically a momentious year

Apart from the stories and cartoons which included Paddington Bear, they did have written accounts with pictures of the highlights of the show which make them useful when it comes to bringing the past back to life.

I'm glad to have my originals even if like this one it had some spine repairs.