Chertsey Tales Part Twenty-seven.
I was the only one who was injured in our family. The stutter that I had finally conquered last year came back with a vengeance, and I was still a little deaf. When my hearing came back a few days later I could hear a pin drop, everything was so much louder than before. I also had a nervous twitch, a sort of winky eye. So, I hardly remember a thing about staying with my grannies for the first week or so.
The house was old, and everything creaked, the floorboard’s, the doors, and even the window frames. My sense of smell was also much keener, there was a funny smell, a bit like fresh bread, but that turned out be from the Co-op bakery a few yards away in Victory Road, after a while I didn’t even notice it.
Another thing I do remember, was that there were lots of mice in the house, probably the bakery again. They lived under a large shed at the bottom of the garden, the shed was full of sports gear including a punch bag hanging from the ceiling.
My Grandfather was a school sports trainer for ‘The Gordon boys Home’ in Chobham. He made us do exercises every day, I think he was disappointed that we weren’t very fit or sporty. Two of my uncles were footballers, and played for Walton and Hersham, a big football club locally. My uncle Ron was an athlete but was away in the Army somewhere, he was mum’s favourite brother, a very good athlete and lived in Chertsey later. He was an ardent supporter of Chertsey Town Football Club.
We stayed with our gran for about six weeks until our house was mended, I was sad to leave my grannie but wanted to see my mates again.
I finally got rid of my stutter, but the twitch lasted for over a year and came back if ever I was upset about anything.
We have now been back home in Pyrcroft Road for a few days, our house smells of paint, I have never seen it so clean and tidy. The council workmen had done a very good job. Even the blackout curtains and the strips of paper on the glass windows have been replaced. It’s a bit bare though, with no pictures on the wall, even the big one of ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ has gone—there is a family story that one of our ancestors was there on that day, but I think it is just one of those myths that families have. Another one of these stories that I am suspicious of, was that he also finished the ‘Unfinished Symphony. It makes you think if any of it is true.
The big looking glass has gone, broken into smithereens, now just a little jagged piece propped up on a shelf. The dresser has nothing much on it apart from the alarm clock and that looks a bit sorry for itself, it sort of leans over so you have to look at it with your head tilted otherwise you will get the time wrong.
Madeinchertsey 