Grand Dad Jabez Johnson

A Memory of Oakengates.

Family legend has it that Grandad took a small party of friends for a pint or two in Oakengates. At the end of the evening for a lark he undid the traces and when they set off the horses went and the cart tipped up, to great hilarity.
I also remember Mrs Hitchen, at the end house a few houses up from Gran, who's address was 61 Stafford Road; she would be sitting on a stool wearing a sack apron plucking chickens.

Other memories.
Running from tree to tree down the Cockshutt piece, sitting on the meadow below making daisy chains. Blackberry picking with Gran over the line at the bottom of the garden. Going round the back of Parks's (?) and looking in awe at the "rookery" and the cacophany of noise they made. Going to the Fountain pub for a bottle of Wrekin lemonade. 8.00 am listening to the "dodger" coming up from the Brick'l chugging very slowly uphill heavily laden. Staying a while with my honoury aunty Winnie in the Fighting Cox and being shown her beautiful petit point dressing table set, and wathcing her black cats in the pub yard, and standing outside the "Vic" ( next to the cinema?) while Gran and Grandad sang merrily away, leaving me with a bottle of Vimto and some Smiths crsips with a blue bag of salt. Believe me it was a life without fear. What are our kids missing.