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buying shoes, child-hood memories, clarkes shoe shop, humour, lee enfield rifles, Lee-Enfield, Mothers, Mums, new shiny shoes, ray view, reflections, Skateboard
I thought I’d add a follow-up story of mother’s patience. Apparently I was born with a twisted ankle and to strengthen my ankles I needed to do some special exercises – like picking up marbles with my toes. It became useful as I got older and dropped things. But the doctor also prescribed wedges for my shoes for the first 7 or so years of my life. Buying shoes was interesting, we would go to the Clarkes shoe-shop in our local shopping centre. The best part was putting my feet, in their shoes, into the viewing machine and seeing the real-time x-ray view of my toes wriggling inside my shoes. Luckily we didn’t buy that many shoes or goodness knows what damage would have been done by this unnecessary x-ray exposure. Ah yes, the good old days.
Once we had chosen a pair and got the proper fit the shoes had to be sent away to have the wedges inserted. I still have no idea what they actually did. So I never got to take a pair home right away. The first time we went shoe-shopping after it was decided I no longer needed wedging, was wonderful. I got to take the new shiny shoes home in their box right away and put them on.
I don’t remember whether the incident I am about to tell was pre or post wedge-free times. I suspect it was post.
We lived on a hill (I think being born on the side of the hill had much to do with needing the wedges, but that’s another story). The hill was extremely steep at the top and just a fairly gentle slope by our house which was nearer the bottom. From the top of the hill we could see right across the Lee Valley and the great George VI reservoirs. To the east of them would often come the sounds of munition being fired from the Lee-Enfield munitions factory. I believe it was the place the famous Lee-Enfield rifles of the First World War were made.
Our hill was wonderful for all sorts of games. But one of my favourites was taking a roller skate (they used to be strapped to the bottom of shoes – they didn’t come already attached to boots) and lay a short plank of wood across the skate. These were the first skate-boards. We would ride the skate-boards by sitting on them with our feet out front, holding onto the edges of the planks for stability. I can remember the nasty grazes and cuts I received if the board tilted too far one way or the other – my knuckles would get pinched between the board and the sidewalk (pavement for the brits) and then scraped along until I could right the board.
We steered by leaning one way or the other and in emergencies applied the brakes (the heels of our shoes). It was great fun. As we became braver (that’s one word for it) we would start our ride from higher up the hill and the steeper parts. From the top we were pretty much out of control. But it was a lot of fun. Of course we all challenged each other to go higher.
I had a new pair of shoes (whether straight from the shop or after having been wedged I don’t know). One of my friends suggested we go skate-boarding.
We spent a wonderful afternoon climbing the hill – ever higher – and shooting down to the bottom, which ended at a t-junction with a fast road. It wasn’t possible to turn the ninety degree corner without the application of brakes.
After a happy afternoon of this I returned home for tea. I put my skate board away (that probably means I left the skate and the board on the back steps for my Dad to find when he came home in the dark).
I went in to see Mum. I stood in front of her, probably the first time I had been standing upright the whole afternoon. I found myself leaning backwards at quite a severe angle and actually would have toppled over if I hadn’t put one foot back. My lack of balance puzzled Mum. Then she looked down and said something like “look at your shoes!”. The heels of both shoes were worn down to a forty-five degree angle (notice I used the passive voice here and didn’t say ‘I had worn down the heels of my shoes…’). “Those are new shoes!”. Thank goodness the local cobbler used to do ‘soles and heals’.
I don’t remember if there were any consequences to this misadventure but I don’t remember going skate-boarding very much after that. Well, it was time to move on to go-carts anyway. “any old pram wheels you don’t want misses?”
Reading this has brought back memories. I remember those strap-on rollerskates and oh the fun that we had with old pram wheels. I spent most of my childhood outdoors or rather my mother would chuck us all out after breakfast and tell us that she didn’t want to see us till lunchtime. She had an old cast iron bell – like one of those ones in a church tower that she would ring when we were allowed to come back. It didn’t matter if it was blowing a gale, pouring with rain or sleeting..outside we had to go.
Shoes. It can’t have been a lot of fun having the wedges but it sounds like you are sorted out now. I got into all sorts of trouble with shoes when I was a kid. First off was the argument that I always had with my mum in the shop. She wanted me to have the brown clarks sandals and I wanted the red ones with the pattern and little heels. Of course I had to take the horrid brown ones which I hated. In revenge I’d scuff them to death, and squash down the backs by not bothering to undo the buckles. That didn’t go down very well as you can imagine!
I think we spent most of our time outdoors too “go outside and play”. I had to laugh about the school/church bell. My great Aunt had been headmistress at a school. I inherited the old school bell (a very loud hand-wringing bell made of brass. When we were bringing up our girls we lived opposite a school playground where the girls would go to have fun. Often they would go to the other side of the school where we couldn’t see them. So when it was time for them to come home we would stand on the steps of the house and ring the bell. The neighbourhood kids all knew “the bell” and would yell out Jen, Megan you have to go home.
I loved the look of sandals but couldn’t wear them till I was past the wedge stage. I am sure you have made up for your shoe deprivation in later life!
I too remember roller skates and go-karts with pram wheels. I wasn’t good with skates. I was much too tall and my centre of gravity was too high. But go-karts were different. I could “drive” those really rather well. I was rarely at home and nobody worried.
Clark’s shoes – oh yes and I remember the sandals. I think the brand is still around. My shoes were always ruined by kicking a football. Every day in the school yard.
Happy memories. Thanks Rod.
Glad it brought back happy memories. Go-carts were the best. My dog, Ming, loved to ride around in the go-cart with me.
Nice tale, Rod. Although I never did any skating or skateboarding, I ruined my fair share of new things. As kids our brains were not wired to plan for consequences were they?
You are absolutely right, Steve, consequences are not part of the equation for kids. Perhaps this is just as well as we probably wouldn’t try anything if we thought too much about possible consequences. In trying to live risk free we are in danger of raising a generation steeped in fear. Poor parents, so difficult to find the balance between safety and living a full life. Hopefully our parents help us learn through the thoughtless actions we take.
I remember ‘crying my eyes out’ (strange saying.. but very descriptive 😉 ) Rod, as a little ‘un, when my brother took my new dolls pram and used it as a type of sledge, downhill, once and once only, as I got it back, complete with a few ‘minor’ adjustments. I think my brother had a few of those to his backside too… methinks. It’s a wonder any kids are still alive to tell the tale xx.
That sounds like it would have been great fun – using the dolls pram as a sledge (sled or toboggan for non Brits) – unfortunately I didn’t have a sister and in the South of England where I grew up the snow rarely stayed long enough to go sledding. Your comment about ‘crying your eyes out’ being a strange saying made me laugh my head off – bonk. At least I didn’t split my sides 🙂
* Gee, Rod you have a real knack for writing about happenings from the past. This was so interesting. I can visualize those shoes. They might have been similar to what my children had to wear for the first 7-8 years. I took my kiddos to Paul’s Shoe Shop but their pediatrician examined their feetand write out the prescription. It was to correct “flat feet”a and “knock knees.” They both have good feet and straight legs now, so the shoes made a huge difference. My children had an electric go-cart and drove it every day until they were around thirteen to fourteen years old. Skate boards were not “going on” in our area and I am glad about that. Loved this story. Keep writing.
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Thanks Yvonne, as encouraging as ever! I think my foot problem may have been flat feet – that’s what I remembered but my Mother, in later years, said she didn’t know what I was talking about.
Electric go-cart – oh boy I would have loved that! When I was about three my Dad got me a peddle car – it was cream and red – and I really felt important driving it around.
This is wonderful, Rod! I loved the novel way of turning roller skates into a skate board.
I didn’t have the same foot problem that you did, but I remember doing exercises like picking up marbles with my toes and having a special arch added to all my shoes.
You have a lovely way of describing details from your childhood.
Thanks Marylin: I have been inspired to write some memory pieces by your blog ‘Things I Want to Tell My Mother’ http://warnerwriting.wordpress.com/
My children were always impressed when I could pick up small objects with my feet. It’s a strange party trick!
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Hi, Rod,
I love your blog and all your posts, especially this one. I’ve nominated this post for the BEST MOMENT AWARD. To receive the award, go to my blog for the rules to accept it. The logo to add to your site is available for download is at MomentMatters.com/Award. Congratulations, and keep up the good writing! Marylin
Coming from you I am very honoured. Thanks Marylin. I won’t have access to internet for several days but will follow up when back in coverage.
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I loved this – I remember those old roller skates but I was always too chicken to wear them. life was such fun before health and safety spoiled it all!
Congratulations on your award – fully deserved.
Thanks Jenny, I think somewhere along the line we have forgotten personal responsibility. The cost of trying to completely protect our children ( society’s children) is harming relationships and the ability to learn by our mistakes. We are supposed to be error free. If something goes wrong we need someone to blame instead of learning. When teachers are told not to hug a child who is upset and needing human comfort, we have clearly gone too far.
Thanks for your kind comments.
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