I was born on 24 August 1937. Dad had to cycle down to Bramhall village to get the midwife and she had to cycle back with him (no cars or telephones then!). My parents lived with my grandparents on my mother’s side. We had a detached house in Moor Lane, Woodford, where my grandpa kept 100 chickens and various ducks and geese. I was christened at Birch Church but sadly it subsequently closed and I believe that there is now a housing estate there. My dad used to cycle about 15 miles to Manchester every day where he worked for Dunlop. My grandfather lost a lot of money and my dad never knew quite why but he did lend my parents some money for a deposit on the new house across the road. At the end of 1937 we moved in. It was semi-detached, and my grandparents moved with us. The builder, Len Pimlott, lived next door and Fred and Beattie Maddocks moved in on the other side, with Marion and Leslie Fulton next door to them. I think the house cost £450! My parents had been given a dog as a wedding gift – he was like a miniature old English sheepdog but I think he was probably a mongrel. His name was Jock. My grandpa used to take me for walks in the pram with Jock trotting along beside. Eventually we progressed to a pushchair, and we used to go to the local pond (very near Helen Garner’s house) and feed the ducks. My grandpa also had an allotment behind a bungalow, very close to where David Buckley lived, and I remember he grew blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries and strawberries, as well as beans and peas. I used to go to the allotment and there was a large pool that was full of water boatmen and various other insects. Grandpa used to sometimes bring me home in his wheelbarrow! My mum used to preserve the fruit by boiling it (no fridges then). My grandpa rode his bike until he was 87, sometimes having difficulty getting off it and falling into the hedge. He always used to grin at any passersby and say, “Don’t tell Lilian (my mum).”