Tuesday 22 January 2019

Using Stickum and Creating Memories


Using Stickum and Creating Memories

One of my favourite pastimes is creating scrapbooks with all sorts of mementoes - things that mean nothing to people outside the family, but evoke wonderful memories for those of us "In the know."

We moved up to London when Wendy was 11, and we became regular theatre-goers - the Half-Price Theatre ticket Booth in Leicester Square was well patronised by us! -and if Bob wasn't working, he would come with us. We loved seeing all the latest shows. If we were attending an evening performance, after buying our tickets, we would have lunch at Garfunkels Restaurant by Leicester Square, and then make our way to the theatre. It was a very happy time; I've kept all the programmes and tickets, and stuck them into scrapbooks as mementoes of the day.

Now that Mum is disabled, and we manage only very rarely to get up to town, it's lovely to leaf through the albums and remember all the dramas, musicals and comedies we saw.

One New Year's Eve, about 15-odd years ago - and when Mum was still very able to travel - and walk - quite well, Wendy booked tickets for us all to see a show. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but as we set off for home (we had never planned to see in the New Year in town), came the realisation that of course there would be hordes of people pouring into London - especially around Trafalgar Square. In order to control the crowds, the police were closing some Underground Stations.

Suddenly, this presented a real problem, as the station we were heading for, closed. We were advised another station further on was still open, so we started to head for that, and suddenly the idea of seeing a show on New Year's Eve began to be nightmarish.

I was worried about Mum - even though she was a good walker, it was getting very late at night and we were all tired. Although it wasn't actually freezing, it was a jolly sight colder than we liked, and we were being jostled by people who were becoming happily well-refreshed ahead of the midnight "bongs" by Big Ben. We really needed to get on the tube!

I had to take my hat off to Mum - she did have a justifiable grumble about the situation (we hadn't realised the police would stop people accessing various stations), but she kept going, walking a long way until at last we found a station that was still open, and could get on a train to take us home. It was not full - that night, most of LU's passengers were all travelling in the opposite direction!

I also have albums of press cuttings, including albums with Al's clippings from the time he acted in films and advertisements. I know he is now totally immersed in a paramedic career, but he was a very successful child actor, and I think it's lovely to look back at the publicity, and reviews he received.  I have also kept cuttings of shows I've been in, and of my poetry performances. Having a record like this makes you realise how much has been achieved over the years.

I also keep a second copy album for Mum, that she can look through whenever she likes. Photographs are brilliant for stimulating memories, and I make sure they are all happy ones.












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