3rd Memory of Holidays up North

After we had stayed with Auntie Caroline and Uncle Mike we moved on to Peterlee and Auntie Maggie’s house.  I don’t know where in the chain of brothers and sisters Auntie Maggie appeared - you would have to look at the family tree (updated:  Maggie was my father’s eldest sister) - but she lived in Horden in a beautiful old house.  It always seemed beautiful to me I think because there was an amazing fire come oven, ornate and black leaded.  She used to swing the kettle over the fire to boil the water and open a little door in the side to cook.  I slept in a little bed that was kept in a cupboard – if you have read any Catherine Cookson books then you know what I mean.  This house was magical to me, although I am sure any of her children would think different!!!! 

We could access the beach from Auntie’s house but even that was different – it was grey, coal mixed with sand!!!  Back up the beach was the wheel and the rest of the mine but down on the beach we could gather coal and take it home.  I loved going down there with my second cousins, again as my cousins were all grown up. 

Not a very good photo but gives an indication of the view from the beach.

Tilly (one of Maggie's daughters) has remained in contact with me, I think it was her girls that I played with, again younger than me but nearer in age than my cousins. 

Apparently, when I was born Tilly and Bill fell in love with my name and named their eldest daughter Christine, I think the next one was Gail but I am not sure.  Bill was a truck driver for Smith’s Crisps company and, when we lived in Blythsford Road, he used to come and stay overnight with us and leave us a couple of boxes of crisps!!! 

There were lots of cousins in this area, Auntie Maggie having had lots of children, so there was always someone to play with or collect coal with.  Cousins who came by on their way home, some washing in Auntie's parlour - suppose there was too many in their own house so they saw their Mam and had a wash at the same time!!

Not my family but this is an indication of what went on.

Auntie Maggie used to make Rag Rugs and I was always allowed to cut up the material, and several times had a go at actually making one.  Old clothes were cut up into pieces of material, which were then cut into strips one inch by about four inches, the material was hooked by the peg and pulled through the rug and then the ends were pulled through the loop.  Quite a simple operation but very tiring on the hands but Auntie Maggie had many of these rugs around the house, which made it appear to be very cosy.

Auntie Maggie making the rug -
see the stove behind?
That's 'mine'!!!

I was sometimes allowed to clean and black lead the oven, how I loved to make this shine!!  It was a messy job as it had to be washed first, scrubbed clean, then the ‘black Lead’ polish was applied and then it was buffed to a shine.  All the ashes had to be taken out before any of this could be done and the fire was re-laid as the fire was needed for cooking.

After we had stayed for a few days, off back to Newcastle we went and then either home from there or back to Darlington and home from there.

The summer holidays were all over and I always came back with a Geordie twang, taking about three weeks to get back into Brummie. 

I truly loved it up north and missed going to see everyone, the only time we ever seemed to meet up after that was at funerals.