Saturday 17 September 2016

@Phil - Following on from yesterday's Comment.


Following on from the comment here's a new segment. 

  • I don't think I had a favorite toy till I received a remote control car, which broke like two weeks after I got it. But I do remember this one book that wasn't mine, but belonged to this child care center I had to visit when my Mum got to see me. I remember it, even though I was very very young, because I used to run to it before I even saw my Mum or anyone else. It was tucked behind a chair in the far right corner of the room. It was a large, white book with a giraffe on it. I know I wasn't there long because I couldn't flick throw the pages quick enough before I was swept away back with my day carer. I remember one the workers standing in the door way, almost protectively. It wasn't till I was older that I was told that my Mum was mentally unstable at the time and because I was still very young, for both our safety, she had to be kept under strict supervision. After the visit I would be take to my Day Carer's house where I would have waited till my Nan was home from work before I was taken back home. That continued right till I started Nursery. 
  • The Masculine toys were a car mat, the ones that had the cities sewn into them, and a action man doll. Then a Mitsubishi, I think it was, remote control car. 
  • I remember Nursery only by the smell and the little red push bikes that all the kids would fight to get at when we would go out an play. I think I only ever rode one like 5 times when I went there. All the other kids didn't really play with me. Not that I can remember. The smells were of cookie dough, sea side and damp. The nursery is still there today, but I think it's just the Church now. 
  • I think the weekends were my favorite growing up, I could always remember waking up on a Saturday and going down stairs to looking at things, maybe play a bit of music on the radio while my Nan did her hair. Then run upstairs because the smell of her hair dye burnt the root of your nose. The mid-late secondary school days were the best years I think. That smell on every other Saturday, earning some money ironing my Granddad's shirts. The smell of his Old Spice aftershave in the evenings after he gets ready to go to work. Sunday mornings waking up and helping Nan bake the apple pie. The smell of the roast marching around the house, filling the place with the sense that everything was ship shape and perfect. I loved it when my Uncle came round as we'd either have the apple pie or Nan would have made a Trifle. Home made with sprinkles. I never used to like jelly before then but as soon as my Uncle moved out and I claimed his room I liked jelly. Weird right?
  • It felt natural to be like that, in the afternoon on a Sunday we'd sit in the living room together and watch a movie, like a proper family and then laugh as my Granddad started to nod of with his mouth open. We'd nudge him and he would look at you like nothing happened. We'd just ask, ''catching flies, are we?'' And he would tut and continue watching the film. He was always tired because he mainly did the night shifts leading up to his retirements. But those smells will always stick with me, Old spice, Hair dye and Roast dinner.  
  • My least favorite clothing item was a dress. I HATED wearing dresses or skirts and I still do. I think mostly I despised the Primary school summer dresses. Because they were a weird material that made you hotter then they were supposed to. That and the boys kept lifting them up because they thought they were funny. I also put on some weight when I was in school and for the last year there I think I actually only wore shirt and tie and skirt. Was so relieved to hear that secondary allowed me to wear trousers. 
  • Christmas. What can I say about my Christmas's? I don't remember most of the ones when I was young, we're were a pretty poor family and my Grandparents never spoil me with loads and loads of gifts. I think the best Christmas was when my Step-Mum and Dad brought down their first child, Leo, when he was just a little baby. They brought me a massive Santa sack full of gifts. Loads of ''girly'' things like make up, bags, hair stuff, straighteners. The lot. This was when I was bout 12? it was in 2006. I think the only other Christmas that would top that, two actually were when I got my xbox 360 of my Uncle, and the one Christmas we just had when all of my family, plus Marion spent Christmas together. That felt amazing, my Step-Mum, Dad, Leo, Tegan, Kian, Marion and Me all under one roof and we went over to my Grandparents for Christmas Dinner and my Uncle was there too. 
  • I didn't have any pets unfortunately, not even a goldfish. My Grandparents didn't hate them they just didn't see the point. The closest thing I got was a tamigochi ( a rip of version) which died in like a week cause the thing I had was rubbish. 
  • I had two rooms growing up, from living there till my Uncle moved out I was in the back bedroom. Through the front door, up the stairs, straight across and past the bathroom. It was a small box room, barely able to get a bed, wardrobe, bookcase and a chest of draws in there. When I was younger I only had a cot, my Grandparents had to have me checked to see why I was always crying or what ever and some doctor person told them that my head should be facing North at all times, when they changed my bed to face north, my attitude completely changed and I was a nicer child. Till I grew into a teen. When I was at school, my uncle installed a old computer into my room, with an old fat monitor on top of a desk that barely left any floor room. You couldn't actually sit on my floor, there wasnt that much space. I had a TV and my ps2 on a stand behind the door, I'd get mad because when my Nan came in to tell me dinner was ready or to do something she'd open the door and hit my TV. 
  •    When my Uncle eventually moved out, my Granddad redecorated the room purple. I had to sleep with my head facing the same way it's always been so if you'd walk in this room. You'd see my bookshelf immediately, the desk was in the corner with my pc, then there was a gap (which later came a box which I stored shoes in) then next to that my Wardrobe (this wardrobe was my Nan's before me it was about 30 years old.) Then there was the airing cupboard, which bugged me cause my Nan would come in my room every day to put stuff in and take stuff out, get me to turn the heating on in the winter etc. Then next to that, stopping it from opening the door fully was my chest of draws and beside that my bed. You'd think I'd have slept with my head next to the chest of draws but I couldn't, I had to sleep the other way, so my head was where the door opened. I got older and that room became smaller as I got more stuff. My gaming sessions in that room were loud and annoying. I even made my Grandparents let me take care of the internet and upgrade it just cause. After that I moved to my own flat, then into the house I have now. 
  • I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I think the ideas went from mounted police officer - RAF Pilot - Computer Technician - Games Designer - Animator. 


1 comment:

  1. Morning Julia - thanks so much for doing this. I'm beginning to get a sense that there is real potential in the personal for you; the section on the 'smells' and their associations for you is beautifully written, for example. I'm going to share with you an animation of which I'm especially fond; it's simple, it's personal and it's 'truthful'. It's called 'My Mother's Coat' - have a watch and a listen: https://vimeo.com/13281807

    Next job I want you to do: in a very simple way, I want you to draw sketches of the things you see when you think about some of the stuff you've written about; draw me a trifle, for example - your nan's trifle - I don't want a perfect picture - do it line-art style - quick, expressive, as if you were drawing it quickly on the back of an envelope or just as a thumbnail. Remember the summer project you did once? 101 thumbnails? Well I want you to draw me 101 thumbnails of the things you see when you close your eyes and think about the time period and experiences you've described here - just draw the objects, scenes and things that you immediately think about. Draw from memory - not from observation - just draw them as your mind shows them to you. Work quickly and without second-guessing yourself. I look forward to the next post :)

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