Family Glasper

Hello Family Glasper! 'Mary' was my auntie Mary and Grandad Johnstone was known as 'Alf' to me. I'm not sure who ormonde1947 but if it's the person I met at the services on the M1 a few years ago to exchange photos/info, hello again! I don't have a facebook account any more, I found it made me depressed so I closed it. Anyway onto memories, I too was only a visitor to Nanna and Alf in the late 1960's until Nanna died. 31 Derwent Cres had a down stairs loo and Nanna would leave a bucket in the bedroom for me to use in the night. She cooked on a range in the lounge and never got used to the electric cooker in Dene Court where she later moved to. Alf used to keep horses on a bit of waste ground at the top of Derwent Cresc and would enter them into shows or do silky racing with them. There was also a playground behind the houses that I used to play in. I used to get there by walking through someone's garden as Derwent Crescent was so steep, Nanna said don't walk down the road then up again. I did used to walk down the road and cross the A694 to get down to the River Derwent and play on the stepping stones. I also used to walk with dad in Chopwell Woods or along the old railway line at the top of Derwent Cres. I don't remember any shops in Hamsterley Cres but Nanna would buy meat/fish/veg etc off different vans that would come round. I also remember that Alf was a great gardener. He grew flowers in the front garden and the entire rear garden was given over to veg. There were lines of cabbages, cauli's etc and a huge mint bush outside the bag door. Nanna would make fresh mint sauce on Sundays and yorkshire puddings the size of dinner plates. When I slept in the back bedroom I was woken by the sound of rooks in the trees. I also remember going down to play pitch and putt just off the A694. Getting down to the green meant walking down a very steep path, it seemed to go on forever with my little legs. I think Alf had a little job down there looking after the green but I may have got that wrong. I hope that helps, all the best.