When I was small we didn’t own land but we were ‘allotted’ a small garden to grow vegetables and flowers if we didn’t have a backyard. I have many fond memories of times planting and harvesting with my great-aunts and uncles. They grew most of their own vegetables. My job was to shell the peas. I giggled every time one popped!
‘Til next time–I hope you can recall some pleasant childhood memories.
My Parents as Teens in West Yorkshire in the 1950’s
– part 2 of my memoir “RESCUED. REDEEMED. RESTORED”
My parents were teenagers when they met. Two young kids from a small town in West Yorkshire, England. Theirs was a small town full of woollen mills and factories. Where most people eked out a small wage and dreams were even smaller. No one dared have lofty ideas of world travel and fame. Their thoughts were on paying rent and buying enough food for the day. Entertainment was a couple of beers at the local pub and, if they were fortunate enough to be able to save a few shillings, a bus trip to the seaside at Bank Holiday time.
Lyndon was seventeen. A young merchant seaman. The son of a coal merchant and a housekeeper. ‘Coal merchant’ may be a tad misleading if you envisioned a smart businessman in a suit, sitting behind a mahogany desk in a downtown office. My grandfather, Arthur, rode a horse and cart down the cobbled back streets, delivering coal to residents. He collected the coal from a depot in huge bags and tipped it into a hole at the back of the house (if there was a back of the house). The hole had a grate that he’d remove and replace when he’d done. The hole led to the cold, damp cellar. Then off he’d go to the next-door neighbour’s house to do the same. The horse dutifully stepping slowly down the tar-covered street. At the end of the day, they’d trot down to the field at the bottom of the row houses. The weary horse would be fed and patted, and told she was a ‘good lass’ before the weary old man shuffled home. It was a hard life, as were many in the small town in the Pennines.
photo by Terry Sayers on Pixabay
Grandad Calvert also owned many single-car garages and rented those to residents of the row houses. Quite often, there would be a row of houses followed by a row of toilets, followed by a row of garages as time progressed. The houses were attached, often without a back door because there was another row of houses attached at the back. These were often referred to as ‘one-up one-down’ homes. The row of toilets were the same, back to back. Not a lot of privacy, and newspapers for toilet paper. At least we had an advantage during the Covid pandemic. We remembered what we learned as children–use the stock market page!
My father didn’t live with Grandad Calvert. When he was home from his tour of duty he lived with his mother, Edith, a housekeeper, and her sister, Ada, who didn’t work at the time. I don’t know if Ada ever had a job. I know the women worked the factories during the war effort but I don’t know if she worked anywhere after that. Funny how children just don’t feel the need to ask. Now, as an older woman myself, I wish I’d asked more while I still could.
~read the first episode of RESCUED. REDEEMED. RESTORED here~
And you can find more photos of 1950s England on my Pinterest board including a photo of an outdoor loo!
Til next time, know you are loved by the One who created you in His image.
We all have a story to tell. Some write a story about a fictitious character or an historical person. Then there are those who write their own story, their autobiography about their own personal experiences, usually in hopes of their story helping someone else in some way. These are the writers of Memoirs and I have a new workbook for you if you’ve ever considered writing your own memoir.
From Muse To Memoir by Lynne Collier
Write Your Memoir in 4 Weeks
This is a downloadable/printable workbook (no physical product shipped) filled with easy-to-follow worksheets for writers who want to turn their memories into a published autobiography — in only 4 weeks!
It’s a 49-page PDF workbook that will show you the “From-To Method of Writing” which uses your own social media content to create a digital or print book. But you don’t need to already have a vast amount of online material. You can create that as you write your book and gain followers who will be interested in your book when you’re published!
Here’s a peek at what you’ll work on in From Muse To Memoir:
Scheduling time for your writing
Brainstorming and defining your book’s outline
Creating Social Media ‘Gems’ so you have something to promote online before, during and after your launch.
The White Rose Writer’s method of turning your memories into a book.
A look at some of the steps you need to take for publishing your book.
Guidance on how to create a noticeable author brand so you stand out from the crowd.
Marketing Ideas for your new book.
Worksheets for each of the above to keep all your ideas in one place.
Printable inspirational posters to spur you on …and more!
This is an easy way for you to divide your life experiences into single chapters for a series of ebooks or a collective full-length book spanning your entire life (so far).
If you follow my workbook to write your memoir I’d love to hear about it in the comments. And watch for my other 3 books coming early next month!
My Other Workbooks
Take a browse in White Rose Writers Etsy Shop where you’ll also find my first workbook From Blog To Book which shows you how to expand on your blog posts to write a book in just 10 hours!
From Blog To Book
And coming soon –
From Pin To Print — use your Pinterest boards to write an ebook
From Tweet To Tutorial — use Twitter to write a tutorial or workbook
From Post To Published — use Facebook to write a novel in 4 weeks! (Nano anyone?) 🙂
Til next time, remember you are loved by the One who created you in His image.
Lynne Collier 