"My parents operated a general store in Parkstone but it failed when they allowed too many charges and couldn't collect on them. Then they moved to Corfe Castle, Dorset (London). My mother never socialized with other residents or took any part in the community. My father was active in the Mens group at Church and mad all the props for 'A Christmas Carol'. Dad and I would go to Church socials where there would be adults and children of all ages we would have a great time but Mum would range from indifferent to angry when we came home. One time when I was a Brownie my Dad came to get me and I talked him into staying. The adults were dancing and Dad started dancing with the lady next door and my mother couldn't stand her. We finally let and Mum wanted to know where we had been. I said, 'Oh Dad was dancing with Mrs. Munday!' He loved to dance. My parent(s) taught me Charl (her brother) and I how to play whist which is like bridge without a contract. We played almost every Sunday night. I became so confident that whenever there was a whist drive in the village I would ask my mother for money to go. The first time she gave me the money she said, 'I'll knock your head off if you don't come home with a prize.' There would be people of all ages and the winners moved to the next table and losers stayed and had different partners. I came home with a prize the first time and every time after that my mother would give me her blessing- 'I'll knock' etc. I had two best friends Phyllis Bessant and Peggy Swatton and since we were always at the top of our class we though we were the elite trio. In Home Ec. I was considered the one of the best cooks and was expecting high marks. But when we were scrubbing the pastry tables down Peggy threw a sopping wet rag and it landed on my neck, and there went our high marks. In third grade I was doing fourth grade work and then skipped fourth grade. In fifth grade I failed English and then I was back with my former classmates. Embarrassing! In third grade I dreaded the sewing period. My sampler looked like a dirty rag- stitches made and picked out- knots in the wrong places. For some reason I had to write out 'I must not be impudent' 100 times. I did it, took it up to the teacher and she told me that I had misspelled it and would have to do it over again. I started to do its again and who should come to my desk but the headmaster. He asked what I was doing and when I told him he said, 'Do another 100 for me.' I became friends with a lady up the street who had a farm and I often dropped in and visited and watched as she showed me the chicks hatching. She asked for me when she was dying but my mother wouldn't let me go. Another lady who owned a store was a friend and she asked me if I would pick up her library books every Friday and bring her some new books. She always gave me some candy. Another lady Mrs. Drury was the wife of our doctor. She often invited me to come for a visit. Once she invited me for dinner and that was my first experience being served at the table by maids. She gave me a sketch of the horse which is in the living room now. It is an original sketch by her sister and is dated 1895. It was reframed when my parents brought it with them when they visited us in Canada. I spent summers visiting with my three aunts, Alice, Hilda, and Edna who didn't have any children. Alice was very stern, but Edna was a lot of fun. When Bert (Edna's husband) and she were going together he would bring me a box expensive chocolates. I would cut them open to see which were the best. Frank, Hilda's husband was was fun to be with. They belonged to a club and every night chider were allowed to come while adults played card. One Christmas Frank dressed up as Felix the Cat. On our way home we would stop for fish and chips and we would be laughing all the way home. They really spoiled me and I loved every minute of it."