Gran And Grandpa Lazenby's Shop

A Memory of Somerton.

Gran and Grandpa Lazenby had a grocery shop here. I believe they also had a café next door but I can’t remember that. I do remember looking through the window in the back of the shop and seeing my Mum slicing bacon on a big red machine.

Mum tells me her worst job was to turn the handle of the coffee roasting machine – she hated the smell of roasting coffee and to this day only ever drinks tea.

My other memory is having my lunch in the garden at the back… I used to sit in Grandpa’s lovely garden on a little flower pot and use a bigger one as a table.

I’m told Mum used to cycle out to all the farms to collect the grocery orders and then Grandpa Lazenby used to deliver them in his grey van. I can remember looking through the windows in the shop door and watching them leaving – I cried and cried (I must have been only two) I sat at the bottom of the big shiny stairs and was given a little dish of ice cream as a special treat. In those days ice creams came out of a big white cabinet with a black lift up lid. They were round with paper around the edge. If you were lucky you might have a few sprinkles (100’s and 1000’s) on the top.

Next door Mr and Mrs Harris had their outfitters shop. I remember a nice lady called Pearl worked there. She always wore nice lipstick and looked pretty.

Over the road in Cow Square there was a trough with a beautiful pink Cherry Tree. We always called it Valarie’s tree because it was planted when Valarie (my Aunty) was born.