School Holidays With My Aunt And Uncle In Village

A Memory of Melbourne.

I spent many years each Easter and summer staying with my aunt and uncle who lived at 52 Main Street, a bungalow known as Woodlands which was opposite the shop and post office. I used to play with children who lived with the sisters, Misses Mainwaring, and also children called Lazenby. We used to go for walks or play by the beck part of the canal. I used to go to chapel with the Mainwarings. My auntie was called Gertrude Wood and my uncle Davis Wood, they always had a dog which was walked frequently around the village. Next door neighbours in a bungalow were Mr and Mrs Bell, they were lovely and the Norris' lived in a house the other side. Next to that in a big house was Mrs Allison, whose husband had served in the army in Africa and her house was full of animal skins - quite scary. The well known farming families were called mostly Flloyd or Kidd, and there was a great big house owned by the Stubbs. There were when I was young, two pubs; the Cross Keys and the Melbourne Arms. Only one remains now. I used to visit Etty and Harry Burhman who were very well known and often had village fairs in their garden, which even in adulthood I attended and went for a cuppa with them - I loved them. The worst memory I have was packing up the bungalow as my aunt went into a nursing home and all my memories were lost. But one day I would love to come back to Melbourne and just be allowed to walk in the garden of the bungalow for five minutes, for wonderful memories to flood back. If anyone remembers me I would love to share your memories my name then was, Glennis Pickstock and I was from the Wirral.

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