Happy Days

A Memory of St Dennis.

Wonderful memories of a very happy childhood. I am St. Dennis born and bred, and for me there's no place like it. My father Stanley Grigg and his partner had a cycle shop and repair business and I remember well the American G.I's bringing my mother tins of fruit and meat during wartime.  I would get the odd packet of chewing gum too. The summers seemed much longer then and I can remember how I would wait for my father to come home from the quarry, we would take a jug and walk hand in hand down Prazy Hill to fetch cool sparkling water from the spring.
I first went to the infant school where Miss Curtis was in charge, and then onto the top school with Mr. Pellymounter and Miss. Kent. Miss. Williams my sewing teacher always shouted at me. I could'nt sew to save my life, still can't.  She always called my stitches cat's teeth. I think she was maybe the reason why I hate it so much today. Mr. Jacobs was the P.E. teacher. A really nice man. I used to love Sports Day and running. My friend Edna and I were rivals for the Victix Ludoram Trophy. Another happy memory was the class winning a Bird and Tree competition, I know I wrote essays of the beech tree and the kingfisher. I have a photograph of the class with the shield. Only three girls took part, myself, my cousin Maureen and my friend Edna.
My two sisters also went to St. Dennis schools. Brenda and Pauline are both younger than me. Unfortunately we have all moved away now, but for me it will always be home.