Happy Home

A Memory of Halfway Ho.

Halfway, with Uncle Idwal and Auntie Lal, was full time home from about 1951 to 1954 whilst mum was in hospital. She died in 1954 and I returned to live in Chester with Dad though I spent holidays at Halfway up to about 1964, including the long summer breaks. I always loved Halfway with Uncle Id and Auntie Lal, but is only when adulthood crept up on me that l began to appreciate fully my 'Swallows and Amazons' childhood, and the many things I learned courtesy of my surrogate parents (learning to swim in the icy Ogwen pools, how to 'whip' a fishing rod, about the use of slate in coffin making. Uncle Id was undertaker, postmaster at Halfway Bridge PO, carpenter, river bailiff for Penrhyn Estate (landlord of Halfway), and organist at Talybont church.

I began my school life at Llandegai village school in 1953 and still remember finding life difficult as a non-Welsh speaking 4 year old so much so that I have vivid memories of wetting myself, being too frightened to ask to leave the class. On arriving 'home' Uncle Id made me go to bed for being naughty, then later brought me a plate of rabbit stew, so all was OK.

I continued to visit, and sometimes stay, at Halfway into the 1980s with my wife Vikki and son Dan. We all loved Auntie Lal and Uncle Id.

Sadly neither Auntie Lal nor Uncle Idwal are with us any more, but I can never forget those happiest of times during my childhood. Above all else I felt loved there and know that I was as 'Cusha Bach', the little boy my mother left when she departed this world so prematurely.

I have so many memories of life at Halfway and will happily share more if anyone reading this is interested. By way of a bit more detail Uncle Idwal was Robert Idwal Hughes though I only ever knew my Auntie's name as Lal.

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