PHOTOGRAPH

           PHOTOGRAPH   

       As we get older can remise about our childhood memories from old photos and images of those early days so care free to stay in our mind for ever. A time of innocence brought to life, alive and full of hope to relive and tell to future generations. You could say a photograph of life.                               

   My early childhood memories come from the age of seven. When my family decided to up sticks moving from Dudley an industrial Black country town to Kingswinford. Kingswinford, a small village on the outskirts of the towns, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge and Dudley. It meant that you had the best of both. Rural and town life style. Legend had it that Kingswinford got its name from centuries ago, when pigs were driven through the village with a stick. Today Kingswinford has become a small town.

  Grandfathers Garage business at Tipton, selling car accessories and sports products had become prosperous over the years so grandfather could afford to buy a house for my parents, himself and grandmother, in Kingswinford built on a small estate. Surrounded by woods. It was a delight as a small child to listen to the birds singing a welcome song in the trees outside my bedroom window early mornings. The love of nature and its natural habitat, being there to explore on my doorstep. This new experience became more interesting than my picture books and dolls. To walk through woodland behind the houses, watching red squirrels perform with acorn nuts high in the tree tops, with many a clear blue sky become paradise. Has I Learnt new experiences about life and nature.

 One day I saw a white egg lying in the lush green grass by the oak trees. It was not a bird’s egg; in size it looked like an egg you would buy in the supermarket. Slightly smaller in size, white in colour I decided to leave it be. Later to find out that the egg belonged to a grass snake who had abandoned it to move on elsewhere. Another time a neighbour of grandfathers Mrs Jones had worked herself up into a state of hysterics, finding a grass snake crawling around her garage door. Grandfather just picked up the snake with a garden fork placing it back in its natural habitat the woods. The snake was probably more afraid than Mrs Jones.

  Life progressed unfortunately the builders decided to build more houses so that the woods vanished from view. With this so did the wild life, although the birds still sang their sweet song. I found I could still sit on the odd upturned log watching and waiting learning to accept change, my wonderful woodland playground vanishing before my very eyes. I made friends with other children from the other houses, on the estate. We would collect horse chestnuts from one of the trees left on the estate. Watch white cabbage butterflies flutter by. There were many sunny days spent black berry picking to make homemade jam and horse rides at a local farm.   

       I still remember the odd ladybird settling on my finger with its red coat and black spots. Glistening spider webs, black oily bugs you would find in what open grassland there was left. That you would explore with a stick at a place called Dawley Brook. At night you would hear an owl hooting followed by a squeal of a small field mouse or vole.

 In the Summer father and mother would take my brother and I for a ride out in the nearby countryside. Often in the country lanes at night rabbits would dart into the road to sit in the glare of the car head lights before continuing their journey back to their burrows. If you were lucky, you would see a badger with her cubs. The odd fox would also slink by. My father always drove very slowly in the lanes rather than hit any of these creatures of the wild. An owl could also be heard hooting. Today in schools there are nature field trips for youngsters from the towns, to explore and learn the joys of the countryside.

As a carer working in Twickenham South West London years later. I saw a lobster on show in a bowl in a wet fish shop window. It was large with a shiny body grey markings with pink skin and claws, many parents showed their children it. Lobster being a luxury to be served up in many hotels.

   I have May have let my thoughts and feelings get the better of me? Reliving my childhood memories of wild life and a different life style. So much has changed there is still the odd Zoo, to view animals. Although different from their natural habitat, they are loved by the public and cared for.  We need open spaces for nature to survive and prosper.

Open markets have gone where people could meet. These open markets were, a pleasure to walk around, now they have become smaller concrete jungles. This creates a narrower view of life. We lose out on seeing home- made crafts hand woven baskets sold at markets, for farm produce eggs, cakes, fruit and the welcoming clatter of weighing scales. The joy of the traders who may offer advice when a sale is made.

  Nature is an interesting subject to write about and capture with the camera lens, particularly animals and wild life. It will soon be time to walk my neighbours Jack Russel, who loves to roll in the damp green grass? Maybe he gets the call of the wild? Even domestic pets can revert back to what their ancestors did years ago. Hence a happy muddy streaked dog. 

       I think it is of great importance to keep country traditions alive Morris- dancing to be taught in schools and colleges. The legend of the May Queen with more May poles displayed in fields and town squares decorated with ribbons and May blossoms. With more areas for wild life and animals to grow and prosper undisturbed. A learning process to be learnt from the mistake of the developer, our heritage being just as important as profit in bricks and mortar. Surely it is important to see them, rather than visit them in a museum.