It was my birthday on Saturday, gosh so many of us bloggers have our birthdays within days of each other don't we!!
It was a good day. 🎂
The day before on Good Friday we had visited Mum and my brother had nipped in earlier to take in a card for Mum to sign for me, it seems he had told every member of staff that he came across on his way in that was my birthday, so when we arrived everyone that I came across said 'Happy Birthday' which was a lovely surprise.
A gorgeous card off Mum, via Graham and displayed on the shelf with 'Valerie' the teddy bear that was my present on my 1st birthday. The Easter card in the top photo is also off Mum and on a shelf with a photo of baby me with Mum and Dad on the day of my christening.
My birthday present off Alan was this lovely set of Jane Austen books, and an Easter egg.
Because I am an independent woman, my birthday present off myself was Walden by Henry David Thoreau and this lovely little nightlight holding house. My motto is ... if there is something that you really, really want make sure that you get it for yourself. 😁
My eldest son and his partner sent me some lovely Spring coloured 'letter-box' flowers, sadly one tulip was missing and one had been decapitated before even making it into the box. So I have one loud and proud tulip standing in for his mates. 😄
We went to Morecambe to one of our favourite cafés for breakfast and then I had a lazy afternoon.
My day was rounded off nicely with an invitation from Alan to his house for a home cooked Fish Supper.
A couple of episodes of Death in Paradise on iPlayer, a glass of wine and my tea cooked for me, what better end could I ask for to a really good day.
Ginger, just realising that he had forgotten to buy me a present. 😸
Here's to next year.
NOW, your mission is to fight the urge to wish me 'a Happy Birthday' or a 'belated Happy Birthday' and instead tell me if you have a teddy bear or a toy from your very young days that you still treasure.
Sue xx
Sadly I don’t Sue as my toys were passed down to my brother who came when I was four. Catriona
ReplyDeleteMy brother came along when I was four as well, luckily I was that strong minded that NONE of my toys ever went to him ... they were MINE!! ;-)
DeleteI absolutely do - 'Chelle (my doll who has been with me for as long as I can remember), a knitted rabbit called Gonga, Panda and various teddies etc. All precious, all special to me and all full of memories.
ReplyDeleteAww, that is wonderful. Valerie is my one and only ... I wonder if she is lonely?
DeleteH.B. No toys that I can think of but I have a treasured pinch pot I made as a child and lots of treasures my parents made.
ReplyDeleteSomething made with your own hands as a child is a lovely thing to still have isn't it. I now have my 'learning to embroider' sampler from junior school, that my Mum kept and I found while clearing out her bungalow.
DeleteI had a lovely big doll with dark curls as a child, she was called Betsy. Sadly, she came to a horrific end - we were living in Gibraltar at the time and on a trip up the Rock to see the Barbary apes, one of them stole Betsy (I'd temporarily put her down) and ran off into the trees with her. The apes proceeded to fight over her, ripping her arms and legs off in the process. I was traumatised, and have hated monkeys ever since!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, that is awful, poor Betsy and poor you witnessing her demise in that way. You must have had nightmares about that one! You would have been horrified by my small collection of dolls ... let's just say I 'played hairdressers' one day, and they all got a very good trim.
DeleteI have a Ladybird book, Christmas customs, I didn't enjoy soft toys or dolls, I just loved my books.
ReplyDeleteOh I wish I had some of my childhood books. We didn't have many as we used the library, but I would get a new one of my own each birthday and Christmas. The original Famous Fives were my absolute favourites but sadly I read them that much they all fell apart.
DeleteMy birthday was Saturday 19th too. It sounds like you had a good day, ditto. I have my teddy bear from my early childhood not sure how early but I definitely recall him when I was 4 years old. His name is Ted, not very imaginative on my part. He is a faded honey coloured mohair and his chocolate brown paws were once suede but the suede has been loved off and are now shiny leather. I still love him very much. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteI nearly said 'it' but I won't as I have banned everyone else from saying it ... sending the vibes though. ;-)
DeleteI still love Valerie too, she suffered a bit as my son claimed her for himself when he was about two. He was very careful with her, but she had to go absolutely everywhere with him and it took it's toll.
I have my ancient teddy bear, in his 60s like me!
ReplyDeletePoor Betsy doll as mentioned above - I too had a Betsy with dark curls, like you Sue I fancied myself a budding hairdresser…… mine and my sisters dolls fell foul of my harsh barbering 🤭
It still gets talked about a lot in my family!
Glad you had a nice time xx
Alison in Wales x
My poor dolls looked horrific lined up on the shelf above my bed after their trip to the 'hairdressers', no wonder I have never liked dolls since. It seems that neither of us was destined to be a real hairdresser. 😄
DeleteAs I sent you an email on 'the day' there are no urges to resist 🤪
ReplyDeleteThere are no childhood toys, I find it far more healthy to look forward not backwards. 🥰
Haha, yes, thank you Jayne. ❤️
DeleteWhen my parents decided to emigrate to Canada in 1954, my sis and I had to choose very carefully what things we wanted to bring with us and would fit into the trunks. My treasured items, are books of the Royal family, I still have the three that made the journey with me. The doll that also did the trip, had elastic bands that held the arms, legs and head securely to the body. Elastic does not last forever she fell apart one day as she sat on a chair in my bedroom.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, what a traumatic thing for you to witness happen to your doll. Almost as bad as Sooze's poor Betsy. 😞
DeleteI have a lovely teddy bear made by my English Nana and I can remember it from age 4 as I learned to hand sew then and made him clothes. He is about six inches tall and now sits on my dresser with Paddington. I would carry him everywhere in an old hand tooled leather purse from my mother. I made a newer version in 1976 when I moved to England and finally met my grandparents in person. I still love the old one more. My Nana was an expert toy maker. I am not. So he is about 65 years old and is named Rupert after the bear. We must have been sent an annual as living in Canada Rupert was not a thing.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely memories, so your Rupert is pretty much the same age as Valerie. 😀
DeleteWhat a coincidence. Your brother and I bought exactly the same birthday card and for slightly similar circumstances. I bought the card for my mother-in-law (in hospital on end-of-life care) to sign for her daughter’s birthday on 9th April. I’m so glad I did as she passed away on 2nd April. Charmaine
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear that. 😞 Mum has managed to stay with us long enough that all her immediate family has now had a birthday card off her this year. There is something quite special in that.
DeleteI moved far too many times to different countries and US states to have much in the way of childhood toys, but I do have an odd book or two--an early 1950s Enid Blyton Noddy book and a book about Dick Whittington and his cat. Slightly bizarre combination. :)
ReplyDeleteBizarre maybe, but I had both those books. 😄
DeleteI do have my teddy bear from when I was a baby! And very battered copies of some Peter Rabbit books and also Harold and the Purple Crayon, all of which I still read from time to time.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely to have things that your baby hands held and treasured isn't it.❤️
DeleteI had a teddy bear that was loved by me and my children before it finally began to fall apart! I don't think it had a name other than teddy.
ReplyDeleteAww, poor Teddy. But what a way to go ... literally 'loved to bits'. ❤️
DeleteI have 'little Ted'. He's very old now - over 70 - as he belonged to an older cousin before he came to me. He's in semi-retirement now, a bit threadbare and with wool eyes instead of the original glass ones. He spends most of the year snuggled in a drawer and only comes out for my birthday. He's my most special bear ever.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds amazing, Valerie has a button for a nose as Jason bit her real nose off and there was no way of reattaching it. 🫤
DeletePanda was my first Christmas present and he is still living on my bed almost sixty years later!
ReplyDeleteOoh, both me and my brother got pandas for Christmas one year, I guess it was during the years that London Zoo had Chi-Chi, or just when she became really popular. Sadly I never really bonded with my panda, I don't know if he ever got a name, but he did make a funny noise when you turned him upside down!!
DeleteMy maths teacher told us that statistically there are higher birth rates in September/October [9 months after Christmas] and April/May [9 months after the summer holidays]
ReplyDeleteIt's very logical if you think about it. :-)
DeleteI can't help myself, I've got to wish you a Happy Birthday, Sue!! What lovely pressies - those from Alan and your self-bought ones, too. I absolutely love the sleeves on the Jane Austen set, even if I'm not a fan of her writing, I'd be thrilled to own them!
ReplyDeleteJon's still got Spot, his furry dog pyjama case. It's only got one eye! I'm not very sentimental which is just as well, Mum gave everything from my childhood away when I left home at 18! xxx
Drat, you bad girl ... but thank you. The covers are gorgeous, they will be well down on my 'to be read' list, but hopefully one day they will be. Ooh, Spot the dog, my eldest used to love him.
DeleteSadly, no but I'm glad you have yours and had such a lovely time to mark the day.
ReplyDeleteAww, that's a shame. I remember my Nana telling us that she had never owned a teddy bear, so we bought her a lovely cuddly one for her 90th birthday. It was buried with her at her request.
DeleteI loved Mackintosh's toffee filled eggs- the caramel ones you get today are a very poor substitute.
ReplyDeleteChris
I remember most of the eggs tasting so much better back in the day. Toffee filled eggs are so much tastier than the crème eggs. I couldn't manage one these days though, it would be far too sweet for my now ancient taste buds.
DeleteSadly, no childhood toys left but I do still have the little bible that my Sister bought me for my birthday when I was about 6 or 7. She is 10 years older than me and I felt very grown up getting such a gift.. That makes it getting on for 70 years old ! I also loved getting books. I had a girls' Annual in my stocking every Christmas...oh the joy of it!...and when I reached around 13 years of age I would save up my pocket money to buy Enid Blyton hardback books from Grey's department store ( which later became Debenhams) where they were often in the sale. Unfortunately, they all had to go when we emigrated to Canada in the 1980's. I wish I'd kept them at mum's now :(
ReplyDeleteAngie x
What lovely memories. My Enid Blyton books were all paperbacks which fell apart through reading them far too often. My hardbacked books were the Mallory Towers ones.
DeleteOK, I shall resist the temptation to wish you a happy belated birthday! :D
ReplyDeleteI gave away most items from my childhood when I left my country of birth at age 17, but, I kept a stuffed toy tiger which had been a Christmas present from my father when I was 4 and brought it with me. However, I disposed of it, several years ago, as part of my decluttering of sentimental items.
Haha ... that's cheating!!
DeleteAs long as you keep the memory of it alive, your tiger is still with you. Perhaps it's on some old photos, I have just found a photo of baby me surrounded by all sorts of little toys and teddies, including 'Susie Bear' who I had forgotten all about.
Yes, actually, there is a studio photo of me, aged 4 or 5, seated on the stuffed tiger. :) Glad you have a reminder of 'Susie Bear'!
DeletePerfect, I am glad you have the photo, and of course I have the one with .Susie Bear'. :-)
DeleteMy teddy belonged to my Mum and is nearly 92 years old. He has no fur, no growler, and has been darned numerous times but he is mine and I still love him!! Fiona x
ReplyDeleteOh gosh the eldest toy on the post. No wonder you love him. Perhaps Valerie will live to be that old.
DeleteTBH I can't remember having a teddy bear 😔 My sister who is 14 months older still had hers so perhaps I was allowed to play with her Teddy😉 Can't resist saying HBB Sue and what a fabulous day you had. I love all the accompanying photos of which each tells a little story. Alan certainly has a great sense of humour with the invite to dinner, so sweet ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you anyway for the HBB. Alan loves his little printed invites, since I asked for fewer presents and more events or outings, it would seem that he is specialising in printed things. I love it. :-)
DeleteYes I do have this very old Teddy from when I was a small child. I love the picture of your teddy with the beautiful card. They make a lovely vignette.
ReplyDeleteI like making little vignettes around my tiny home, it's something to do with years of visual merchandising for a living, you can't just 'plonk' things down anymore. :-)
DeleteI have a Chinese Coolee (no idea how that should be spelt!) with a straw hat, blue pants and jacket and shoes. Once he had socks but I think the grandchildren may have lost them. He was given to me about 1956 by a friend of my aunt’s who was visiting from China and she said his name was Ah Butt. I was grown up before I clicked!! Very slow on the uptake! We have Bill’s teddy, circa 1949, whose eye I resewed when granddaughter was hysterically upset by accidentally pulling it off! I needed a ten inch fine needle and stitched it through to the base of his ears!after which said g-c calmed down! I’m not saying HB, I. Saying enjoy each day for the joy it brings. XX
ReplyDeleteAh Butt, sounds delightfully well loved, as does Bill's teddy ... and I think he wins the prize for being the second oldest loved childhood toy on here today.
DeleteI may have pipped Bill's teddy to 2nd place. . . my lovely Rosebud Doll was first seen by me when my Mum took me in my pram past the toyshop where Rosebud was sitting amongst other dolls in the window. I loved her at first sight. Then I caught pneumonia and was admitted to hospital; apparently it was touch and go whether I would recover - but shortly after my 2nd birthday in February 1947, I was brought home - and Rosebud was there, waiting for me. She has had many changes of clothes, particularly knitted outfits by my Mum, and now sits in her own little chair in my bedroom. She is a pot doll, so no hair to cut (I'm sure I would have been tempted!) I only have sons, so there was never any suggestion that she could be handed down. She's mine, all mine and very, very loved.
ReplyDeleteShe sounds wonderful, and I am sure one of your sons will take possession of her one day for the special lady in his life to continue loving her. But now she is most definitely all yours. :-)
DeleteSounds like the perfect day. I do still have my childhood bear who is my most important 'possession'. Not to be morbid but he will be coming with me when I go.
ReplyDeleteThat's perfect ... but I hope you've told him. 😄
DeleteWhat a lovely day you had. I have my Golly. My brother was born very premmie and back in those days kids couldn’t visit their Mum in hospital. I was very sad and my Dad bought me my Golly. I was just under 2. He is sitting on my bed now, as he has always done. 58 yeas old now.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t have a teddy, so made my own when I was 10. He is on the bed with Golly.
Aww, I loved my Golly, and virtually wore him away with cuddles so he got very threadbare. 😞
DeleteYou had a wonderful day. No toy really from days gone by, but I do have most of the Nancy Drew books that I got for birthdays or Christmas over the years.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
That's a series of books that I have never dipped into.
DeleteHope you had a very happy BD. Yes, I still have my old worn out teddy, bought for me by my darling nana and kept all these years. He has traveled continents with me and will probably go into 'the box' with me, whenever that is.
ReplyDeleteHe will be with you right till the end, that's very special. xx
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