Mini-backstory: When I was about seven, my mother and I moved to a new home. This was very close to my child-minder's house, who looked after me before and after school while Mum was at work. I lived in the house for about a year, and was looked after by my child-minder for two. I'm still in touch with her now, ten years later.
This place here was where I played, while at home and at my childminder's, as it was right between our houses. I practised riding my pushbike here, I saw friends outside of school, I tried (and failed) to climb trees, I had imaginary Pokemon battles here with my buddies (Pokemon was in its heyday then) and I even had a hidey-place.
As you can imagine, I was quite emotional on seeing this place and the streets around it again. I figured I'd have to walk around to try and find my way as it's been ten years since I've even set foot in this place, but as soon as I got near I just knew, and found it easily.
The first tree I tried to climb. It used to have many more branches as we used to have a rope-swing here too.
My first 'den', behind the tree, very close to my childminder's home. There was another small gap where I used to spy on passers-by (nothing nasty, I just liked people-watching). One afternoon my friend and I hid out here and it started to tip it down with rain. We ducked underneath the leaves, near the spying-gap, where there was enough shelter to keep us dry.
The pathway to one of the other streets was behind me. When I was being childminded I wasn't allowed to go past the trees (that you can see to your left) because she couldn't keep an eye on me from her front-room window. XD This was also very near my old home.
In the midst of summer, you could barely see any sky through the branches.
Can you see three rooves from there? The one farthest to the left was the house I lived in. That house is now up for sale - I wonder if it's the same landlord we had selling it. It was previously his mother's house, but she was quite ill and could no longer live there so her son was renting it out (if I recall).
Another pathway (to my right was the previous pathway I photographed) that led to my primary school. So I journeyed up that path, and visited my primary school again (it's shut for Easter, but I could still stand outside). They've had loads of play-equipment installed on the fields; we didn't have any of that (also, we were only allowed on the fields in summer/dry days).
I also made a daisychain. What can I say; I felt like a little kid again. It was almost otherworldly; it's such a contrast to how I live now (college girl, walking home through the town).
(People looking out of the windows probably wondered who this nutter was picking daisies and wandering around, but I was a bit wrapped up to really be self-conscious. XD)
2 comments:
I had a similiar experience when I came back to London after 5 years. It was unreal watching the little kids play. They were half my size... I felt extremely old...
The pictures were great. I could really feel the emotions behind them. I especially loved the daisy chain, I've never learned how to make them. There's an eerie feeling about walking through your footsteps years later.
@Majstor:
I know that feeling as well! When I did work-experience at a high-school in my first year of sixth form ... most of the Year 7s were half my size. I remember nicknaming high-school 'big school' when I was still in primary, and seeing everyone there as these tall, slightly-intimidating adults. It's quite a strange thing to remember really, heh. Indeed, it's eerie.
I also like watching programmes such as 'Who Do You Think You Are?' where celebrity figures study their family trees and re-visit old places they used to live or where their ancestors used to live. It's an awesome show, and so interesting.
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