Sally's Galoshes Make Splishes and Sploshes!

Had a lot of time to think recently...lots of nights where every 15-20 minutes I have had to get up due to pain or coughing or some other such medical concern that I may not go into graphic detail of...I dont actually remember the last time I slept for more than an hour without waking in some discomfort or to a child who was. I am not grumbling just stating a fact lol!

So in those moments, minutes and hours between the respite of sleep my mind has wandered. Much of it back to my childhood. Partly whilst trying to keep memories of Dad alive and Now! And partly because I am very conscious that we need to remember to give Joshua and Christina Childhood whilst they are still children....they do so much grown up stuff! Last night Christina was changing Rosie's peg whilst Joshua was cooking tea, tonight Joshua is drilling countersinking and cutting timbers for shelf supports in my new Kitchen cupboards he and David are making. Christina has had tea more or less under control. Both have roles in the routine care and support of the family as a whole. So we have been plotting a few days away whilst the girls are at the Hospice and Jonathan is being spoilt rotten by Iris! Just what to plot to do really???? We are planning to visit Kids up North...the disability equipment show for childrens gear..Joshua and Christina love Naidex so we assume they will enjoy this too. But what else FUN can we do too...I am sure we will find stuff.

OK So then OI got to thinking about the spontaneous fun we had had as kids. I remember being told we were off out and not knowing where we were heading. Weymouth was a firm favourite...I remember burying Dad in the Sand and building speedboats, Knowing that if we got lost we were to meet under the huge Clock on the promenade. I remember camping trips to Wallinford.....we had the hugest tent there....when Frame Tents were still rare and most people had two or fourman ridge tents.....ours was a postive mansion and frequently filled with what seemed like hundreds of other kids whilst we sang choruses and munched on nibbles....We were not a rich family in money but boy were we rich in love and generosity of heart and spirit and any chattles we did have were there for sharing.

I remember going out for walks from the camp site picking sloes.... I can almost taste the bitter sharp not quite sweetness of them. I remember a car accident and Dad going to help and Mum taking the rest of us home.....I dont remember any of the details but I remember it not being one tiny it odd that Dad was in there dealing with it and Mum taking us all back to the campsite....It was what Dad did!

I remember another car incident....on our way home from shopping, Martin was tiny then still in a pushchair, we were just coming through Upper Stratton when we stilled lived in Lower Stratton and the car in front of us just stopped! Dad put his emergency blinjers on stopped a little way behind got out and went to see if all was well! The rain was lashing down there was thunder and lightening there was Mum and Dad in the front of our car and me and Martin in the back....dad came back and said the electrics had gone in the car in front and they had a very little baby, would we mind walking the rest of the way so he could drop the family home!
No question not a thought of grumbling about having to walk ion teeming rrain it was just natural...someone else needed what we had and it was there to share....meanwhile Me and Mum through Martin in his pushchair covered him with blankets and I think a plastic bag...and off we went....we were both wearing long but lightweight trousers and not particulalry stout shoes....but we were soon stomping in puddles splashing each other and racing Martin through the deepest puddles! We laughed till we cried and had some amazing squeals of laughter from Martin. We arrived home looking like bedraggled waterbuffalo! drenched through to the skin but so happy! Dad followed not long after and put his hadns on his hips as if about to really get cross then his eyes crinkled and twinkled and he through his head back and laughed! He got the fire going in the AGA and soon we were piling one after the other into a hot bubbly bath and then sipping coca in front of the open fire in the lounge!
Goodness if Martin must have been about 21/2 then that must have been well over 40 years ago and I can close my eyes and feel that rain and smell the AGA and see and hear my Dads loud howl of laughter!

I hope my kids can look back on their childhood and remember the fun and the laughter over the troubled difficult times.

A fair few years later when Luke was in Primrose Hill School I remember an action song they sang in class one. Sally's Galoshes!

Each child in turn took the part of Sally...those who could walk independantly would do this independantly but every child took part either independantly, with some help or with several staff members enabling them to do the part!

Sally's Galloshes Make Splishes and Sploshes
As Sally goes walking outside in the rain.
Sally's Galoshes Make Splishes and Sploshes
As Sally goes walking Along in the rain!

I can see the smiles and hear the squeals of glee as those not walking would splash in trays of water. And whilst seeing Luke and his friends smiling and laughing I remember the fun Me Mum and Martin had splshing in the rain that cold wet windy night when someone else needed Dad and our car more than we did!

Memories can be great cant they?