Auntie Dot & Uncle Moss

 

Auntie Dot and Uncle Moss.

Auntie Dot and Uncle Moss met through work. They both worked on the buses. Uncle Moss was a driver and Auntie Dot was a conductress. They had no children. I don't know what the arrangements were ie if Auntie Dot stopped working in order to look after me, or if she had all ready stopped work. But she was there for me whilst mum worked. From the age of 5 I would get up on a morning for breakfast, go to school and after school I would have my tea and then watch television whilst waiting for mum. Mum would collect me and I would spend a few hours with her at our own house, 61 West Street. Around 9pm, Mum would take me back to 57 William Street where I would have a wash or bath and then go to bed. On a weekend Mum collected me on a Friday evening and I spent the entire weekend with her, returning on a Sunday evening ready for school. When mum had holidays I would stay with her. The arrangements stayed like this and we were all happy. here were times when I missed my mum and let it be known, but on the whole everybody had my best interests at heart and we soldiered on.

Uncle Moss

 One of the great events was when Uncle Moss bought a car. An Austin A35.

Uncle Moss's driving had to be experienced to be believed! Being a bus driver he assumed he always had the right of way. He also had the ability to smoke whilst driving, drop his cigarette, set himself on fire, continue driving, somehow have a small fire somewhere about his person and arrive at his destination completely unscathed by the episode. One of the most vivid recollections is of him driving up Saltburn bank. Mum and Auntie Dot were in the rear of the car and I was in the front passenger seat. It was the age of cigarettes and all 3 adults were smoking.
Uncle Moss, as per usual dropped his cigarette into his lap and as the smell of the singing trousers alerted and alarmed the rest of us he started fumbling around to find the burning cigarette. Of course he couldn't see as he was watching the road and burnt his fingers on the lighted cigarette which was in his lap. For a moment he lost his concentration, missed a gear and the car started rolling backwards down Saltburn bank! I was panic stricken, gasping for breath anyway as I battled to get some air in the smoke filled car as it rolled backwards! I could see the sea and had visions of us ending up in it! Fortunately Uncle Moss, still singing away managed to gain control and brought the car to a halt. He found the right gear and we carried on, be it Uncle Moss arriving home with several holes in his trousers and a telling off from Auntie Dot!

 Auntie Dot and Uncle Moss were the first people I knew who travelled abroad for a holiday. It was the 1960's and a local coach company began tours to Ostend, Netherlands. It became an annual event and I would look forward to the presents Auntie dot would pack in her suitcase.

On one such occasion she brought me a Traditional Dutched Doll. Along with lots of my friends we started collecting these dolls. My dutch doll really inspired me as the tiny cloggs were genuine wooden ones and I loved the detail of the costume.

I think it must have been 1965 when mum and I went on our very first excursion with the bus company, again to Ostende. The shops wre fascinating and amongst the glamour of the traditional souvineers I came across a toy section. A tiny doll, no bigger than my hand caught my eye. It was simple and inexpensive. I bought it, naming it Ginette. On my return home I would play for hours with my new doll, nobody else had one. I made furniture out of boxes and clothes out of scrap material. At this age I really enjoyed making my own creations, inspired by Blue Peter. Anything I made was for Ginette. I was a very content child, enjoying playing at home always creating, something which never went away.

In 1964 I remember getting my first Sindy Doll. It was Christmas and mum took me to see Father Christmas in the prestigious Binns Store in Middlesbrough. Mum bought me my Sindy Doll, and when I opened the box the smell of the new plastic really had an impression. To this day I can still picture Sindy when I come across the smell of new plastic dolls.

 Day 24 Night time. 1960's.

I think it was on a Thursday - Tales from Europe. Allegedly Children's TV however I must say there were some very macarbe and dark episodes so much so that this has remained in my memory. Note the cartoon storyboard is numbered 1 - 6. 1. Uncle Moss, myself and Shen the dog typical 5pm - Uncle Moss reading the paper and myself glued to the TV. 2. The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson. The actual drama itself featured real people as actors but when the Snow Queen came looking for the boy it was depicted through an animated cartoon . The tension as the sleigh came nearer to the house was intense. 3. The Snow Queen comes right up to the window, searching for the boy so the whols screen was her eye - searching from right to left. The whole episode was dark. 4. Bedtime. Auntie Dot would stand on a stool and pull the curtains shut. 5. As Auntie Dot was short she couldn't reach the top of the curtains they crossed in the middle - reminding me of the cartoon of the Snow Queens searching eye - I always thought she was looking for me - pretty worrying as an eught year old or thereabouts. 6. I would turn over in my bed where Uncle Moss had his wardrobe. My eyes were tightly shut and when I dared open my eyes and look up at the handles of the wardrobe they were fixed on with wooden brackets - and guess what they looked like!