I have just returned from a walk with Tess. It's a beautiful, autumn afternoon and we dandered round the roads. The leaves are lying on the pavement - red, brown and yellow - and Tess loves walking and running through them. As she disturbed the leaves, a familiar scent arose; at the same time I detected the smell of woodsmoke from somewhere. I was immediately brought back to my childhood. I remembered coming home from school - I don't know if it was primary school or the Tech - but it must have been at this time of year because that was the scent I remembered from all those years ago. It reminded me of coming into the house and catching the aroma of warm food as soon as I entered the hall. For some reason, my mother always had a plate of hot food ready and in the oven for me. I remember the potatoes especially, mashed but with a golden brown skin on top. When I broke the skin with my fork, the hot steam rose and entered my nostrils. I don't know what accompanied the potatoes, but they are the thing I remember most from those daytime meals. I'm sure there were sausages, mince, veg roll or maybe a piece of stewed steak and onions, not all at once, but one of these pieces of meat with the meal. This was all that was affordable at that time with a family of 6 children. I'm sure everyone else was the same, maybe not even as fortunate. As I thought of these things, I wished that I was back at school again, walking home to the house where there would be warmth, safety, love and security. Bygone days, never to return. It's funny what memories a walk can bring.

Ann
I talk almost every night ( in my dreams ) with childhood and youth acquaintances and friends, Hilden mill, Hilden school and Hilden village appear almost every night. Time, to me is disappearing unbelievably quickly , someone once said " life is comparable to a roll of toilet paper = the nearer it gets to the end the quicker it goes"! Yesterday when clearing out old documents herself and I found a photo of Hilden school roll book class which Joe Sheridan sent me a few years ago. I would like to know how many still are alive today.
donald