Saturday 3 March 2012

Shopping with Father


The ironmonger was my father's domain.
He was perpetually engaged in DIY projects
involving vast sheets of hardboard to cover up 
all those pesky Victorian panelled doors
and polystyrene tiles to insulate our frigid bathroom.

I liked going there chiefly because Mr Glickman
kept a box of Maltesers under the counter
and when the last brown paper bag of nails
had been spun by its corners
he would slide the red box across to me.
One was taken. Never more.


5 comments:

  1. I think we must have bought our house from your father...

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  2. We had polystyrene tiles everywhere and my dad covered perfectly good blanket boxes and footstools with quilted plastic when he "discovered" it! There's something nice about brown paper bags being twirled, and my but that Malteser must have been such a treat.

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  3. I remember having this book in the late 60s! I've so enjoyed these last two posts. In my case shopping with mother invariably involved struggling to keep up with her as she hurried home, grumbling all the while that we were slow ... thinking back I suppose her bags were heavy. Shopping with father though meant a ride in the car and buying a bottle of pop to drink once we were home again.

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  4. What a special memory, and wonderful illustration to go with it. Thank you for this peek at your childhood!

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  5. These remind me of our first grade primers entitled "Dick and Jane," although your illustrations are more detailed.

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