This is the fourth post in a WP challenge (“Bloganuary”) to write something every day throughout January with the aid of a prompt. The above title is the prompt.
I had an analogue, non-electronic, and gender-stereotypical childhood here in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s. It has been difficult to choose a favourite toy from this period, probably because of all the years that have passed since then. I know I was unhealthily attached to an old face flannel as a comfort object when I was an infant. I remember small plastic soldiers and farm animals. I am sure I had an interesting assortment of die-cast metal vehicles from the “Matchbox” range. I remember eagerly awaiting the arrival in the post of a Jack Brabham green metal racing car – after sending off several packet tops of a particular cereal brand.
My father constructed a lovely Hornby “00” railway set for me, nailed onto a large piece of green hardboard. The station had a classic canopy, of which I am often reminded when I go to the station at Kettering. I think I had hours of enjoyment with this set, although the frequent derailments and temperamental connections could be frustrating. I don’t think I ever wanted to be a train driver.
Similarly, I never had a desire to be an architect or to work in construction. The range of Lego pieces was very limited compared to what is available these days. There were the standard bricks, tiles for the roof, and I think window and door frames. I think the local council were called in to condemn my houses.
Meccano was another source of frustration, my clumsy fingers trying to manipulate those little nuts and bolts. I can’t remember if I ever made anything recognisable. And don’t even mention Airfix kits! I glued together a model of a Coldstream Guard, except I had put one leg on back to front. Well, that’s dyspraxia for you.
Well, I have wandered a little off-task with today’s prompt. But I guess that is what prompting is all about – it triggers a line of thought, activates some of the overgrown and tangled memory paths that weave around our brains. It has been interesting to note that when I first started to write this post I had very little recollection of my childhood toys, but then one memory led onto another. A nice illustration of the interplay between semantic and autobiographical memory networks – now, that would have been a good board game to have!
The Frothy Filosofer 