The Day Before Yesterday: 120 - The Secret Garden
My old dresses and even my bridal gown and veil were eventually worn out as they played their dressing up games in the 'Secret Garden' as we had named the sunken garden, tucked out of sight with the bushes.
Susan named an old bird bath, a wishing well.
Gladys Schofield tells of the delights of bringing up daughters.
To read earlier chapters of Gladys's story please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/the_day_before_yesterday/
Our girls were at the dressing up stage and you could now buy miniature high heeled shoes in pretty colours. I was not happy at this trend, I was afraid they would spoil the children's feet. I allowed Susan a pair, as it was another fashion every child was wanting and as usual I bought them as they cost so little. Our two youngest girls did not get any, I was afraid they may fall over and hurt themselves. Undaunted, they fixed my hair curlers with the elastic end around their ankles, the roller firmly wedged under the heel of their shoe.
They could get almost anything out of Dad as he adored his little girls and used to hold them both on his knees together saying "Who's my treasures?" Of course, they loved this and it wasn't long before I found him nailing building bricks under each heel of the children's old shoes. My old dresses and even my bridal gown and veil were eventually worn out as they played their dressing up games in the 'Secret Garden' as we had named the sunken garden, tucked out of sight with the bushes.
Susan named an old bird bath, a wishing well. She would buy a penny worth of toffees, get her two younger sisters to pop their pennies in the empty bird bath and make a wish, take out their pennies when they were not watching and say it had turned into a toffee. I don't think this had gone on very long before we got to know and a stop was put to this 'get rich quick' game.
Linda had a sweet singing voice and was chosen to sing in the concerts at school. She didn't seem afraid to do this in front of an audience. I had always been shy of facing one. Pauline was also gifted that way, though she was more of a retiring nature.
Wash day was every day with young men in business shirts, sometimes the work never seemed to end, as I walked the ten minutes it took me each day to take Linda to school. Susan was soon travelling on two buses, like her brother had, to her High School, Pauline would play quietly while her sister was at school or sing at the top of her voice as she swung high on the swing which was now sitting in position next to the garage, in good view from the kitchen window. She never was a complaining child, not so robust as Linda but very caring.
We had no problem drying the washing, a large roped frame could be highered or lowered to take the wet clothes. They would dry overnight on this in the warm kitchen.
