I remember as a child asking my mum what a council house was. Some of my school friend's parents owned their own homes and I knew we didn’t, but I was a little confused. At the time, my parents couldn’t afford a house of their own so we rented from the local authority. At school, their was no division between the council kids and kids living in private houses. No snobbery. I always say, put a load of kids from all walks of life into a sandpit and they’d all play very happily together. It’s when they get older and become heavily influenced by their parents that things change.
My mum was lovely, and the kindest person I ever knew. She wasn’t just a mum, she was my friend too. Unfortunately, my dad was a complex man. He was quite strict and moody. Looking back it was probably depression but as a kid we didn’t understand. Men didn’t talk about their feelings back then.
The one thing I did get from my dad and that’s my love of the countryside. Our house backed onto a cornfield where we'd play for hours among the bales of straw. You knew you’d had a good time with the amount of cuts you had on your legs from the straw. My favourite place though was in my village wood, where we’d climb trees, play in the stream, walk the dog or go bird watching. My dad identified most birds that we saw. He’s passed that skill onto my brother.
Now as an adult, I love nothing better than getting out into the countryside, especially walking through the woods. I don’t have any pets of my own now, but I have friends who I go dog walking with.
A couple of years ago, my brother and I returned to the woods of our childhood, commonly known as ‘Westwood’. Some parts haven’t changed and memories came flooding back.
I always think walking through the wood is good for the soul. I enjoy sharing the experience with other people, especially when they have a dog! I also enjoy the solitude of walking on my own, when I’ve wanted to sort something out in my mind or just use the time for a period of reflection.
