On the corner of our street stood a cast iron gas lamp post which illuminated the street for several yards they didn't cast a very strong light,about eight feet up protruded a bar at right angles to the post,a rope was tied to this to make a sort of swing, a loop was formed so we could sit in it and swing round and round the lamp until the rope reached its limit and you came to a sudden halt,and a bump on the head was inevitable, but mum had a magic ointment for minor lumps and bumps she always put margerine on and rubbed it in,it worked wonders,"phsycologicly "anyway.     We were limited to playing in the streets so our mum could  see us when she looked through the lace curtains, we couldnt go further down than corner lamp.and no further than the second lamp in  the other direction,    The boys played marbles and played on their home made trollies,or carts made from old pram wheels and a timber structure,we were proud of our trollies,   The lasses liked to skip and play,with their dolls and prams, when was the last time you heard ring o ring o roses echo in your street ?    For pocket money we collected waste paper,Two or three of us went knocking on every door in every street asking them for any old newspapers, as most locals got the Lancashire Evening Post, mum liked the cartoon clip called "Tonight's Smile."god bless her,when we got enough,we bundled them up,put the bundles on our trollies,and took them down to the paper mill which was situated about one mile south of Preston town centre,where it was weighed and we received a cash payment ,often pence,seldom shillings,but money none the less, pop bottles were another source of income twopence refund on every pop bottle providing it had its stopper,this was a composition top with a red rubber washer,and no refund without it.  Money was always scarce in our household but we always managed one way or another,mums were good at that,when I was a little older I brought home a rabbit  or the odd hare,and in a matter of hours mum had cleaned the meat and cooked a fine stew,fit to serve prince or pauper, Talking of my mother,her name was Ruth,a down to earth lady who spent most of her years in the local cotton mill,of which there were many,she could make a succulent dish of almost anything, the ingredients she brought home at times would be thrown in the trash with today's housewives,there were Tripe ( the belly lining of a cow) Cow heels, Elder, ( Cows udder,)  and the old favourite, ( Sheep's head and barley,) most of  these wares can still be purchased today,not too sure about the sheep's head,?

To be cont;