Childhood Memories of Resolven From Nik Samuel

Nik Samuel, formally of Cory Street, shares some childhood memories with us in these charming verses

Sweetman’s Field

This is looking good

Mr Morgan just came in

He smiled at Miss Norton 

And she gave him a grin

He did that thing he did with the chalk

I think he thinks it’s funny

But all I can say 

Is that if he was a magician 

He wouldn’t make any money

Anyway, she looked our way

And announced to us all 

That Mr Morgan wants us in the hall 

So we put away our books

And shuffled in behind her

While Bill Lloyd carried on playing best slider 

Now Reggie was a lovely man

Full of nonsense and fun

He always had a joke or a pun

But that day he declared it was too hot for school

And told us we could go 

On a ramble

And we let out a great roar

Mrs Lewis made sure we had some pop

Because it was a fair old walk to the top

We held hands and off we went

Over the stile and over the stream

There was no chance at all of coming home clean

We passed Bluebell Island 

It looks the same today 

I go there now to look 

But we went then to play

We were told don’t pick the foxgloves 

They were poison Miss Vasil said

They weren’t really but they made you’re hands go red

“How far is it now, Miss?” 

The girls began to shout

“Not far cariads. We’re nearly at the top 

We can have our picnic when we stop”

The sky was clear and the sun was hot

It really was a wonderful spot

We played best fallers

Some girls joined in

The others played rounders 

And the teachers sunbathing 

Some places had some funny names 

Like The Tump, The Dram Road

Cockle Alley and The Turn

But this was Sweetman’s Field 

A place of adventures all to learn

They lived in the house and let us play

And as far as I know they live there today

 

Fun at Pentwyn 

Oh that really hurt

I’ll try not to cry

I’ll have another go when I clear my eye 

I knew I was going too fast

When I went through the gap in the railing

But all the Gang said it was spectacular

Even with the brake failing 

Good effort though

I never been down this far

Would have gone even further if it weren’t for that car

 

So what do you need to build one?

 Well some pram wheels

And some planks

And maybe an orange box

Some rope and a bolt to steer

And a stick to help you stop 

Some were painted

Some were named

We had one called “Lightening”

And it shot around the lanes

 

There was even one called

“Shit Streak”

And anther “Tommy Gun”

But it didn’t really matter

They were just so much fun

 

If you built one for a kid today

They would stare in dismay

But give me “a go”

And I’d “gambo” every day

 

Cockle Alley

There’s a place in the valley, it’s called Cockle Alley

I played there as a child, we played and we smiled

It was a magical place where the brook met the river 

And sometimes we’d shiver

A romantic name from a romantic past

Visions of ladies getting off the “half past”

Them washing their wares and sometimes their cares

In the cold clear water

Even as a child there were shells all around, some in the brook and some on the ground

All gone now but still in my mind the sound of the brook

The shells under feet and the damming of the stream in the warm summer heat

All lovely memories from when I lived in my street….

NIK XX 

Thanks  for the delightful trip  Down Memory Lane, Nik