Age-Net

Mum loved walking & very often she would drag me along with her (very reluctantly). It was about 1936 & I would have been 10 yrs old. She decided that we would go to Battersea Junction, so we set off, along Wandsworth Bridge road & on the corner of Wandsworth Bridge was a garage. There was a beautiful white Packard for sale stated to be the property of George Formby, but it had a cracked cylinder head (whatever that was). Mum said when you grow older boy Ill buy you a car like that, then you can take us all for a ride, (it never happened of course but it was a nice thought), the price of the car was £5 but as dad only earnt £2..10/- a week & out of that they were buying their own house it was a lot of money.

We carried on walking, over the bridge & along Wandsworth high street until we came to Battersea market. I loved the smells originating from the various stalls, fish, fresh baked bread, & in particular the smell of the Pie & Eel shop with its aroma of Parsley liquor, but of course we were far too poor to purchase anything. As it was a Tuesday afternoon all the minor streets were filled with totter's barrows (these days I suppose they could be likened to house clearance or junk men) they'd go round the streets with their barrows shouting out 'Rag & Bone' & folks would come out & give them their discarded belongings. Mum purchased a picture for one penny, it was a picture of St. Johns Square in Venice, the painting being lithographed on the inside of the glass & in various places it had 'Mother of Pearl' that used to glint & sparkle in the sunshine. I used to look at it for hours, & it's the only thing I have today to remind me of my mother.

On our way home a company called Kellogg's was delivering free samples of corn flakes to every house in the vicinity. Mum was ever alert to 'freebies' & told the representative that he had not delivered one to her house (which was true) & after a short argument she put a small packet of free Cornflakes in her shopping basket.

The Cornflakes remained in our larder for many weeks unopened & as I was only allowed two slices of bread for my tea, on one particular day I felt ravenous so my attention was drawn to them. I opened the packet & put them in a dish, then reading the instructions I went to the larder to get some sugar. The old man said what are you doing, I said the instructions say that one should add sugar to them. You don't need sugar said the old man they've got sugar on them already. What are you doing now said the old man, im going to put milk on them. I have to buy milk he said, give them to me, so I dutifully handed over the dish & their contents, & he put the dish under the water tap & filled it up. There you are he said, now eat them.

Why oh Why do all my schoolmates enthuse about corn flakes? I didn't like them one little bit.