........... Frieda

She taught me to smoke. She came over on the Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon, sleeping in my bed with me as Ena had married and left home. She taught me about music, I remember that she introduced me by singing a song by Connie Francis and was astounded that I didn’t know it. She was in advance of her years worldly wise, I was so naive. Anyhow we used to go for walks as one did in those days and one time as we walked into Shirley, she asked me if I would light her cigarette as she couldn’t, she could smoke them but not light them. So I lit them, and she smoked them!!
You have to understand that there were lots of walks and places to go to when we were young. When we lived in Stechford it was nothing for us both to go off after lunch on Sundays, walking to Yardley old Church or to Glebe Farm Park. The only problem we had really was the flashers in the parks, always older, (funny looking men I always thought ) they would call out to you and/or try and sit close to you and then flash. I only saw one actual flash because as soon as I recognised what was happening, I was off ….. far away and if it was in Manor Road Rec then I was straight to my Dad and told him.
There was never much traffic about, mainly push bikes, a few cars and motorbikes. When Freda stayed at mine we would walk into Shirley, through the gullies, across the field and there we were. Where the Powergen Building is on the corner of Haslucks Green Road and Stratford Road was a big field which was a public right of way, there being a stile at each end of it. We often walked along Blythsford road and into The Crescent, through the gulley to Stanton Road, crossed over and into the gulley on the other side which led to the field. Safe and sound we were really, only people we saw were either walking their dogs or other young people like ourselves. On the other side of Haslucks Green Road was another gulley which I believe is still there, although much widened and with streetlamps. This led into Shirley Park itself. It was as we were in The Crescent gulley that I tried to light my first cigarette, by the time we were halfway along the next gulley Freda was smoking it!!! Eventually I started smoking myself as she shared her ciggies with me.