…BEING ABOUT THREE OR FOUR AND LOOKING THROUGH MY MUM AND DAD’S LP COLLECTION,
which was in the corner of our sitting room. I particularly remember a Lena Horne live record but, more than the sound of her [voice], I remember the smell of the record. There was music playing around the house and my earliest memory is of music generally.
… GROWING UP IN BLACKHEATH STANDARD IN SOUTH EAST LONDON.
I still live near there. I was brought up in a council flat, as my parents separated. My mum, Mandy, had the council flat from 1954 until she died in 1997. It was security for her. I had an older brother who sadly died when he was 33. I’m sure I was an annoying little brother but we shared a bedroom until he left home at 16, so when I was 11 I had the room to myself.
…LOOKING BACK I REALISE THAT I WAS THE RECIPIENT OF A REALLY GOOD TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE WELFARE STATE.
We had the NHS, good hospitals and good housing that was maintained by the council. I think all the families in the flat where we grew up—there were six families per block—had been housed at the same time and they were all roughly the same age, so there were a lot of other kids around.
…OUR FLATS WERE BUILT ON AN OLD BOMBSITE.
The bottom of our road was entirely filled with rubble and there were several bombsites around us. It now seems incredible to me now, but at that point it was entirely natural. I must admit, they were dangerous places but if you were a kid it was lots of fun. It was the early Sixties, 20 years after the war, and they were still clearing up.
…I WAS QUITE A SHY LITTLE BOY, NOT VERY CONFIDENT, WHICH HAD ITS UPS AND DOWNS.
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2019-utgaven av Reader's Digest UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
EVERY SECOND COUNTS: TIPS TO WIN THE RACE AGAINST TIME
Do you want to save 1.5 seconds every day of your life? According to the dishwasher expert at the consumer organisation Choice, there’s no need to insert the dishwashing tablet into the compartment inside the door.
May Fiction
An escaped slave's perspective renews Huckleberry Finn and the seconds tick down to nuclear Armageddon in Miriam Sallon’s top literary picks this month
Wine Not
In a time of warning studies about alcohol consumption, Paola Westbeek looks at non-alcoholic wines, how they taste and if they pair with food
Train Booking Hacks
With the cost of train travel seemingly always rising, Andy Webb gives some tips to save on ticket prices
JOURNEY TO SALTEN, NORWAY, UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Here, far from the crowds, in opal clarity, from May to September, the sun knows no rest. As soon as it’s about to set, it rises again
My Britain: Cheltenham
A YEAR IN CHELTENHAM sees a jazz festival, a science festival, a classical music festival and a literature festival. Few towns with 120,000 residents can boast such a huge cultural output!
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.
Under The GRANDFLUENCE Suzi Grant
After working in TV and radio as an author and nutritionist, Suzi Grant started a blog alternativeageing.net) and an Instagram account alternativeageing). She talks to Ian Chaddock about positive ageing”
Sam Quek: If I Ruled The World
Sam Quek MBE is an Olympic gold medalwinning hockey player, team captain on A Question of Sport and host of podcast series Amazing Starts Here
Stand Tall, Ladies
Shorter men may be having their moment, but where are the tall women?