Recalling the summer outdoor play 2020

Way back in September 2017 almost to the day on the other blog, I wrote a little about what the summer hols felt like as that boy, off from school for around 6 to 8 weeks where we'd be let loose for a period before returning to school.

That for most of us meant moving up a form or year group in September if not transfer to another school such as a high school so you could say that ritual was a pretty important one in our lives.

That was our time to explore our surroundings with mates, discover new places and things and play for hours or at least until our Mum's called us in for tea.

It was also the time that they, because in our era the best we got was a say, put us in t shirts and games shorts in part cos it was easier for them to wash and also because they recognized we needed to get as much sunlight on our bodies regulated by applications of suncream on our bodies to be healthy.

This for me it was different because I spent my time taken back in time to that routine and what is more I had shorts that were much shorter than any I had worn since then on just like I did then being new old stock 80's shorts.

I felt very different because while I always wore shorts they had tended to be the baggy Bermuda sort when not tailored school type ones.

I felt a lot healthier for being out in them getting my thigh's downwards well tanned  rather than looking very white and having those adventures again made me feel very much that boy all over again.

I really don't need longs or long shorts to be me.

The recollections of youth

I was going to write something yesterday but I fell asleep and only just remembered which is so me you wouldn't believe it but I can remember playing in junior football usually in defense trying to stay warm in my red football jersey with white cuffs and shorts in day football shorts were short not at as long as Bermuda shorts trying not to be distracted by the Jefferies furniture truck going on the road next to our school playing field which wasn't that big being hemmed in by houses.

If you hadn't moved for more than a few minutes you'd be yelled at by the team captain never mind if you somehow missed the other teams ball as it landed right in the corner of your goal mouth to the delight of that team and disgust of your own who you knew would talk about it for days later with younger boys coming up to you and saying "Did you really let that goal in?".

Schoolboy football who can ever forget it?

There are things that helped shape who I am and critically how I cope with my disabilities as if it's true you never had a book to help navigate life it's more true that navigating and having a childhood being severely disabled is not something you have help with as your experiences often are reduced because you can't get about or you need help that's not always around.