365/325 The Bridge.

Firstly I have to confess to finding my pics today on the internet, it was in the office and I didn't have access to my files, and in any case these fit perfectly! 

I grew up, my formative years, til I was 13 years old, in a house called 'The Bridge'. We lived at the bridge and all the houses there, four in total, were all called that. When we left things got confusing as the surnames of the people were the same so they were changed to 'The Bridge House' and others.    I didn't think of this instantly, it has just evolved as I have considered pictures for today.. then I realised that all of the cove, Penberth that is, is dotted with bridges!

I did feature the White Gate bridge on this post here! and the bridge right down cove where I was pictured with Dad as a baby in a pushchair. 

This was also the bridge where the fishermen weighed their fish into boxes before taking them to Newlyn.  Our old spaniel would sometimes help himself to a nice large mackerel from one of the boxes and run home very proud, fish in mouth.. into the dog's box as we called it's kennel!

Neil's Dad was a carpenter but had a great boat called the Father Bob and he sometimes went long lining in the summer. If he caught conger eels they would gut them on the steps by the bridge and I was always fascinated to see what little fish were in the conger's stomachs!

This is the bridge where most people have to stop and park.

We lived just opposite this thatched house and the old lady who lived opposite was 'Auntie Janie', she was like an old Victorian lady, you know, brown or black dresses, a shawl or wool cardigan and those lace up boot shoes they wore. (This was the 60's and the Beatles and Mary Quant were not going to arrive her anytime soon!)  I used to show her everything first.. a new dress, the decorated Christmas tree, the tea party I had made for my toys.. anything.. and she was always interested.. she spent time with me as a toddler and my first words were hers : 'Who's'at?' when a new person came around!!

The house closest is now joined to the thatched cottage internally but my best friend Teddy lived there. He was closer in age to me than my brother and he was the youngest in his house, so we were always going to be doing things together.  He was old enough to make the most of my trusting gullible nature.. oh the stories he led me to believe! (but they are for another day!)  We were best buddies, even when we fought..

Just where this picture above was taken from is 'the bridge'. It is still great for Pooh Sticks and sometimes, if you are very quiet you can see a trout hanging in the deeper water..but be careful, he will hear you first most times!

One Guy Fawkes night ... (and this was a BIG night in our world... my cousin Neil's mum always put on a big food and firework evening and we collected trees and papers from September onwards for the huge bonfire which every year we thought would reach the trees!!.... well, it must have been a great 'go do' activity for kids once the evening started to draw in and they were bored form so long a summer holiday!)... a major incident happened at the bridge...

A retired genteel Sea Captain (Mellonie) yes, a Captain Bird's Eye lookalike, who lived in Robin's Cottage, was walking over the bridge at dusk when his walking stick went into a small hole.. he wiggled it and the hole got bigger....earth fell away through the bridge, the only way in or out of the cove for the fish truck and every other vehicle...and the hole got bigger.

Captain Mellonie raised the alarm, I guess he must have called the Police, who knows.... Well to cut a long story short (as if!) the bridge was condemned and had to be replaced. It was so cool from a kid's point of view, we had a wooden bridge to replace it, which bounced when you walked across it, and it almost came into OUR garden, it ran right through the trees where we had OUR CAMP and it was right by OUR house!  I think secretly we all hoped that maybe we would not have to go to school, that somehow it would be like we were completely isolated, but as adults do, they sorted it and life became normal again pretty soon... not til my Mum had carried a fair few trays of tea out to men working I bet! 

Lucky though that a car or the fish lorry didn't come a cropper..!!

So, there's a taster for my story telling nostalgia week each month next year..

and bringing you up to date.. JB has crossed a bridge and got over it.. today she made mini lemon meringues and they were F.A.B., her cornflour demon is dead!!