In July 1979 we moved from St Benedict's Close in Atherstone to Kings Avenue. I remember going to school from St Benedict's Close, and coming home to Kings Avenue. I really thought we had had a huge drop in standards, and in our fortune. I was wrong of course, but that's how it felt that day.
The house was nearer school, but further away from the Salvation Army hall. All this is relative of course since we were still quite close to the town centre, and Atherstone is a small town.
The back garden was full of soil and accumulated rubbish, and it took my father a good while just to ascertain how large the garden was. Over time, however, the house become very homely, and my father still lives there to this day.
There is a good deal to write about our time in Atherstone. Suffice to say that in 1980 I started at the Sixth Form at Atherstone School, taking my A levels in 1982. One of my A level options was Typewriting. The school tried to dissuade me, saying that it was designed for "under-achieving girls". However I am glad I did take typewriting, as now I can touch type and this has held me in good stead for my career. I got on well with my typing teacher, and the options were arranged so that in one session there were 6 of us, in another 4 girls and in another two of us, me and Sarah.
On one occasion I remember our typing teacher saying "Oh ...I do like educated pupils!". We were typing book titles from handwriting, and one of them was George Elliott's "The Mill on the Floss" - so me and Sarah duly typed "The Mill on the Floss". Apparently a good many of her pupils would have typed "The Hill on the Floss". One of regrets is that I didn't take typewriting in my O level options, because I got with it so well. In later life I was to spend a large part of my career as a secretary, and got up to speeds of 80 wpm. Certainly in the exam I had time to type the whole paper, and then re-type the whole paper. Sadly I only achieved RSA Grade 1, but had I taken up typewriting 2 years earlier I might have been Grade 2 or even Grade 3 by the time I finished school.
One of my happiest memories of my time in Atherstone was walking the lanes around Orton-on-the-Hill one sunny day. This was of course before the motorway was built which has changed the character of the area, in my opinion, detrimentally.
One of our rituals as a family was centred around Bonfire Night. We always had a bonfire, and we always had fireworks. Dad was in charge of the fireworks. Mum was in charge of the bonfire night fare. A particular favourite was Groaty Pudding, the main ingredient being white groats which could only be bought from Cradley Heath. Of course this necessitated a visit "home" to the Black Country - in which we would visit my nan, and possibly an Aunt or two - to get the groats. Mum also made her bread pudding - not the sweet sickly stuff you get in the shops, but a deep based slightly sweet affair. It was absolutely delicious. We used to polish it off with aplomb.
Another favourite of my Mum's cooking was her scones. There was always a bottle of milk souring on the kitchen windowsill.
They were good days.
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