RemeberREd-by heart

RemembeRED - By heart

I like the blog prompts, I don't always join in, preferring to read, but I'm in when there's something that catches my fancy.

There were many things I learned by heart during my childhood.

My name, I remember being very small and having to practice getting my tongue around all 3 syllables and then at school having to write it over and over again,I tried to cheat by drawing pictures instead but that got me the ruler across the knuckles,so practice I did. I hardly ever spell it wrong now.

Times tables, I still go through these in my head if I'm multiplying or dividing in my head....three times three is nine, three times four is twelve, three times five is fifteen...........seems like hours we did this for at school . We also had to have these:

Cunisaire blocks.These had a smell of their own and along ,plasticine and the old metho printing, and certain kinds of plastic ,these smells bring an immediate rush of childhood memory.

The way home from school. Not as easy as it sounds if you're a follower and not attentive. I had just turned 4 and itching to go to school with the big kids. I was allowed to walk to the corner with them,some 6 houses down ,usually there were a bunch of mums chatting in their dressing gowns watching the kids walk up the hill. This day there wasn't so I followed right behind , with the bigger kids saying, "go back,you'll get into trouble", "go back you'll forget the way home". HA! I knew better....I stood my ground...."No I won't" The big kids hurried, not wanting to get into trouble for taking me to school with them. I had to just about run to keep up, which is why when we got to the top of the hill and through the laneway I forgot to notice where the laneway was to go back home. I went right into the school , then the bell went and the kids disappeared. I headed back the way I came. And wandered up and down the street, peering in backyards,front yards looking for the hill.By this time I'd forgotten there was a laneway. Finally a nice lady found me and asked me the usual questions, my name?..... I just turned 4 and there were 3 syllables in it .My mums name.......oh..easy one...mummy! What does daddy call mummy.............mummy? where do you live? over there. Do you know where you live? In a house...it's white. the number? number? My mum appears fuming up the street .I can see the steam from her ears. Oh here's your mummy . Great. She was worried/livid. But calmed down on the walk home and mum taught me where I lived and my parents names for the next few weeks.

my phone number 520-0638 can I help you?

handclapping games : When Susie was a baby, a baby Susie was she went a cry, cry, cry, cry
When Susie was a toddler, a toddler Susie was she went a scribble, scribble, scribble, scribble
When Susie was a child, a child Susie was she went a 'whyyyyyy? whyyyyyy? whyyyyy? whyyyy?'
When Susie was a teenager, a teenager Susie was she went a 'ooh, ahh, I lost my bra, I left my knickers in me boyfriend's car'
When Susie was a married, a married Susie was she went a 'aahh, unnnnggggghh, aaaahhhhh, unnnnnngggggh'
When Susie was a mother, a mother Susie was she went a bake, bake, bake, bake
When Susie was a grandma, a grandma Susie was she went a knit, knit, knit, knit
When Susie was a skeleton a skeleton Susie was she went a (silence)

and this one

Build a bonfire, build a bonfire
Put the teachers on the top
Put the schoolbooks in the middle
And burn the bloody lot

this one was a skipping rope rhyme :

Miss Suzie had a steamboat
The steamboat had a bell
Miss Suzie went to heaven
The steamboat went to...
Hello operator, please give me number 9
If you disconnect me
I'll kick your fat...
Behind the 'fridgerator
There was a piece of glass
Miss Suzie sat upon it
And cut her little...
Ask me no more questions
I'll tell you no more lies
The boys are in the bathroom
Zipping up their...
Flies are in the forest
Bees are in the park
Boys and girls like kissing in the...
Dark is like a movie
a movie's like a show
a show is like a TV screen and that is all
I know I know my ma
I know I know my pa
I know I know my sister with the 80 acre alligator bra.

and this

Down by the river, down by the sea,
Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it on me.
I told ma, ma told pa,
Johnny got a spanking so ha ha ha.

How many spankings did Johnny get?
1, 2, 3....

image source

image source

Other things are indelibly learned by heart too, forgetting your lunch means hunger till you get home.Consequences, the reason I remember to pay the electricity bill so I'm not sitting in the dark.

Windfalls are precious weather they be birthday or xmas gifts or 50c given by your pop for icecream and should be treasured not expected.

Sweets are sweet!

Except coffee flavoured lollies, they are disgusting unless they have changed in flavour since the 60's but i'm not game to find out.

One thing I had to unlearn:Things stay the same. My parents lived in the same house for 33years and I lived there till I left home and married.Only one Aunt died while I was a child and nothing really changed except she wasn't there any more.So I wasn't prepared for huge life changes as I've aged,loss of family members, remarriage of a parent ,children leaving home.

I think the things we learn as children really do stay with us and for me the more things change, I hark back to that time .It's very comforting to me that other people remember too and a great thing I take pleasure in is reconnecting with my first childhood friend. We "know" who we each are, in spite of what life has thrown at us and the changes in our lives and bodies,so while so many things have changed there is something that is constant, from "before".

anyhoo I remember all of that..but...has anyone seen my glasses???