Family Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Conversations through the middle

Pocket money sweets – Christmas treats

December 18, 2012

I’m of an age where I can remember running to the corner shop with 10p in my pocket and being able to buy a big back of mixed sweets – chews, lollies, sherbet, liquorice – oh my, heaven for a kid. When I do the ‘I remember when’ speech now, I see Dot’s eyes glaze over as she thinks ‘here we go again, back to the days of the dinosaurs’.

But there’s some sweets that have been around as long as I have, maybe longer, and that’s the sherbet lollies, Love Hearts, Parma Violets and little fizzy sweets made by Swizzels Matlow. The Drumsticks and Refresher Chews came later if I remember rightly – and the refreshers were my favourite when I was about 11.

So you can imagine how pleased I was to be sent a selection of sweets by Swizzels to review – yes that’s right, I was like a kid in a sweet shop!

My favourite of the lot was this beautiful tin containing all of the sweets I’ve just mentioned. The packaging hits the message just right – a traditional look but with a slightly 3-D lid that stops it being old fashioned. It’s one tin that won’t be going into the recycling this Christmas as it will make such a lovely container for cakes and biscuits.

The sweets? Well they were just as I remembered them, perhaps smaller – or is it just that I’ve got bigger? I also remembered that I’m not really a fan of Parma Violets (but I know somebody who is so that’s okay). And Refresher Chews are still my favourites, though I do have a penchant for sherbet lollies, too.

I was also sent several tubes of sweets that are great as stocking fillers – Drumsticks, Love Hearts and Refresher Chews – and I will use them for that purpose. Except for the Refresher Chews, which I’ve eaten…

Skiing for beginners

December 16, 2012

Dot and I had our first skiing lesson on Friday – wow! Who knew it would be so good. We loved it.

Dot was more nervous than I was, which unfortunately meant she didn’t progress as quickly as she could have done, but she did brilliantly nonetheless. I fell almost straightaway and that had the effect of making me less nervous. It was a shock, but it didn’t hurt very much. When you have gone out the side door, falling from a 6ft 6 horse as many times as I have, watching him gallop off into the distance as you hit the ground, then falling when skiing is a doddle.

We were going very slowly and on a very low slope at this point I should add (some might say it was even flat), so obviously I don’t know what it feels like to fall down up a mountain at speed, I imagine that hurts a lot.

We stayed on the nursery slopes and though we did gradually go higher, we didn’t reach the summit. Little kids flew past us on their skis, skilfully turning and snow ploughing like they had been doing it all their lives, which of course many of them probably had. Hinterglemm is a village in the mountains so everybody who lives and grows up here must ski as it’s often the easiest way to get around. I can say that with authority after having walked into a deep snow drift and getting stuck up to my hip – it’s very difficult to pull yourself out of something like that – especially when the people you are with are too busy laughing to help! I couldn’t stop laughing either mind you.

Despite how it looks – graceful and easy – skiing is hard work and Dot had had enough before the end of our three-hour lesson on Friday, so we were able to carry the final hour over to Saturday. So yesterday we donned our skis again and went out to meet Viktor our instructor (he has been skiing since he was 3 and he’s now 50, see, told you, I think children learn to ski as soon as they can walk over here.)

Dot didn’t really get into it – I think she was still tired from the lesson the day before. I loved it and practised my snow plough and moved on to turns, slowly getting the hang of them. I still wasn’t very high on the slope but each time I picked up speed I panicked and stopped myself. It took a while to get over that, but by the end of the lesson I was more calm and able to move as Viktor instructed. What a lovely guy and a great instructor; I love his accent when he speaks English.

Too soon our lesson was over so we headed back to the hotel, said goodbye to Viktor and got ready to return our skis to the hire shop. I decided to have one last go on my own, on the small slope at the side of our hotel. I side stepped up the slope easily, planted my ski poles facing downwards as I turned my skis to point in the direction I wanted to go, then I began gliding forwards. I snow ploughed then turned, picking up a little speed as I went, down to the bottom… and straight into the hotel fence…

Autumn in Essex

November 29, 2012

Out walking the dog I stopped and breathed in the crisp air, and thought, I am glad I live here. There is nothing like the countryside in autumn.

Giveaway – Logo What Am I?

November 23, 2012

Hands up who loves board games?

I’ve always been particularly partial to them – I remember sitting round the table playing Monopoly with my dad and sister and brothers when I was little, and enjoying great games of Cluedo with my best friend at her house.

Today I think board games still have a place in the family – it’s a fun way to bring parents and kids together and get them talking to each other. Perhaps that’s a function these games have never had before – they get people communicating in an age of DS, Playstation, XBox and Wii. I know that often the only answer I get from Dot when I ask her a question and she’s playing her DS is “Uuh”.

Board games can be a couple thing too. The number of rounds of Trivial Pursuit I have played with my OH over the years are too countless to mention – and the addition of a bottle or two of wine makes it into a party. Perhaps the less said about the better…

So where am I going with this? With Christmas just around the corner, the lovely people at Drumond Park have given me a copy of their bestselling game Logo – What Am I? to give away to 40s Chic readers.

This board game, worth £25, is all about challenges that players solve by drawing, guessing and describing the answers. It’s for children (and big children) over eight years old and is a fun way to spend an evening, especially when the weather’s cold and wet outside and you’re snugly and warm inside.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment below.

(One entry per person; please leave a twitter handle or some other way to contact you, but not telephone numbers and preferably not email; UK giveaway only – sorry; entrants should be over 18 years old; the giveaway closes on 7 December and the winner will be chosen at random through random.org).

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions