Living With Nanny

A Memory of Selling.

I remember well living with my nanny in Neames Forstell, she was Rose Beake, a formidable lady, but oh how I loved her. I remember going to Selling school, and if it rained or snowed being brought home in the police car by Sargeant Onions. I remember going to play "up round the ring", going to find uncle Harold and aunty Edie, oh so many memories. I was happiest staying with nanny, going to play in the garden of the Sondes Arms, feeding the chickens, except when the cockerel bit me, well I did poke my finger through the wire. I never wanted to go home, I loved it at nanny's, even when aunty Dot tried to make me try coffee, now I never drink anything else. My saddest moment was in November 1955 when we all piled into the removal van, to go and live in Stoke on Trent. It might have been the moon, I didn't want to go. That was where dad lived and I didn't like him much, and it was so far away from Selling and nanny. I can still picture it, and eating nanny's cooking. I am married now and a nanny myself, but I can't cook food like Nanny did, her brawn was superb. Oh I loved Selling, it was heaven, being there with Nanny. My name in those days was Pam Smytheman, and my mum was Joan. Looking back at old photos, I was skinny, ginger haired. But oh how I loved my nanny and Selling.

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