I understand how you feel leonYLC,I can still remember the smell of the dark dingy museum.I loved all the skeletal remains of dinosaurs and other animals I had no idea what they were,the things in jars..I wanted so badly to touch the things in glass cabinets too..Ahh those memories of my childhood visits  to the museum are still with me.

I always feel really happy in a public library. When I was a kid our parents took us to the public library once a week to return our books and borrow new ones. Heaven! I still use the public libraries.

Leon

Perhaps you should expand your museum yearnings and visit the  Islamic Museum of Australia in Melbourne.... the one that receives $2 million donations from our Post Office CEO's Bonus .. should be definitely worth visiting.

YEs I always loved the Museum / Zoo / Blue Mountains / The Domain / and the Botanic Gardens and time spent around the Bayveiw area

I have over the years occasionally gone back to the childrens home I was raised in. It is a quiet place these days with little indication of its past. Some 250 children lived there at times, the noise and activity is now gone, a tranquil  place indeed that belies its long history.

The small church and older buildings are all heritage listed now I understand. So they should be as this was the strarting place for lifes adventure for many children Australian born and otherwise.

Rough and tumble it may have been but it was our home, the children therein made it so.

It amazes me after all the intervening years as to how so much detail about the place is still indelibly printed in my memory.

Take it easy.

SD

This may seem a strange attachment Leon but one that stayed with me.

There were very few Chinese living in our town, but one family had a grocery store the likes of which I had never seen before or since as a child. It was a cavernous  looking place, jars, bottles, baskets, all sorts of eastern stuff hanging from the ceilings and walls. I found it very exciting. To a little Aussie boy, this was a wonderland. The patriarch of the rather large family wore Chinese national garments and had a long white beard. Although he spoke only broken English, we got on famously. He told me stories of China and I was really gob smacked by some of the tales. I vowed some day I would visit China which I did and became very involved with the Save the Panda movement.

The family introduced me to exciting Chinese food and I never asked what was in the dishes, they all tasted so good and to tell you the truth, I have never tasted better Chinese food anywhere, except when I have visied some parts of remote China.

As I write this I can almost taste the food I ate in that grocery store and smell the wonderful aromas!

My daughter 13 and I go on adventures regularly . We just go out and wander and enjoy the city . On Wednesday we went to the Sydney Obdervatory then walked down through Bangaroo to Darling Harbour in th rain . Was going to Sydney Aquarium but too busy so walked over to the Federal ship Museum which is fantastic . 

I could fit out a whole holiday home from their shop . 

We saw the film Sisters on Thursday it's fantastic ... Just sheer fun ...

Shaggers I go back to my old Boarding School in England fairly regularly to stay .. It's a five star hotel now .. It's called Tylney Hall in Hampshire and sits in wonderful grounds well worth a visit ...

Rick,

I am not likely to make it to the land of UK any time soon. I always thought I would but it never happened.

One trip I planned to fly home from the US of A via UK but ended doing something else. Another time was planned following the Paris Air Show but sadly I ended up in another less than desirable location missing out on both Paris and the UK. I did end up in some rather odd places, scary too.

Less than desirable locations appeared to be where fate took me over the years. The up side was such places made for better stories (lies) in later years.

Take it easy.

SD

My darling Dad went to a Public boarding school called Oak Grove in the Himalayas in India in 1915. His father died of pneumonia leaving a wife and 5 children. My grandmother was a Nurse so in order to make money she sent the 3 boys to boarding school (for the poor people) and the 2 girls to an Aunt. My Dad was only 5 and he had to spend the next fewyears growing up the hard way. He was never bitter and used to tell us wonderful stories of his growing up years. He became champion swimmer of his school for 5 years and his name is on the Champion Athletes Board. I would love to be able to see it. He used to tell us about his rambling adventures and we used to close our eyes and pretend we were there. He had a very discriptive mind and would talk about the beautiful butterflies and orchids growing in the forest. Now I'm going to have a cry, I miss him so much. My granddaughter always asked me to tell her stories as she was going to sleep and I used to tell her the stories Dad told us. Memories, love them.

I have great memories of my childhood with my wonderful parents,  going on holidays to the Blue Mountains in the steam train / also going to the Domain and people watching / the Zoo / the Museum / trips to Manly also holidaying also at Scotland Island / spending time learning how to do crafty things with Mum and Dad on some weekends / having such wonderful parents even though they were not well off they always gave me a wonderful childhood.   They never said a bad word to each other.  I had wonderful pets that I always loved -- as they did too.

They were patient /  loveable / but they still disciplined me.

My dear Dad died at the age of 45 when I was 9 and my Mother never married again but went back to work and still gave me a wonderful childhood, she also was a wonderful much-loved Woman.

THEA  ---You have made my day. Thank you for your thoughtfullness. You are so artistic and I only wish I knew how to do the same.  

PLAN B  --  Thanks for sharing with us your memories.  It is always nice to read about others on this site, we have all come up the hard way I'm sure, and only want the best for our families. 

I was thumbing through the topics and found this one fast asleep,so I woke it up...

My memories involve double decker buses and our first trip to Brighton, We had a large family with a larger than life dad, and outings were rare..Two days before ,we started  to prepare .We all stood in the kitchen making ham and cheese sandwiches, and packed them ,along with little bags of Crisps with packets of salt and porkpies , into a picnic hamper, and then it was here, the big day had arrived, and the excitement mounted as we all clambered aboard the big red open deck bus and raced to the front for a birds eye view...It was nothing short of exhilarating..The sights, the smells ,the beach and the fun of the fairground will live in my memory for an eternity..and so will the soggy sandwiches, the warm pork pies .

So with the feeling of total happiness we once more boarded the bus in total darkness amidst the twinkling lights of the clowns strung along the esplanade, we made our way home, tired but filled with wonder, we climbed the wooden hill to bed....

of course that was before the days of the family car.

For 10 minutes I just returned to my childhood, so I will share those tissues.

Ah cranks, now you've made me think of my growing up years in Lucca, Tuscany. Only last night my wife and I were saying it's about time we returned for a visit and I believe it's on the agenda for next year. Lucca has changed a bit since those days. I can still taste my Nonna's cooking, she taught me to make biscuits and the family home is still there, my Aunt and Uncle live in it and luckily, they love having visitors. I still keep in touch with several of my childhood friends and the thought of seeing them again is wonderful!

Yep, good memories.