When All At Once I Saw A Crowd ....

I can't claim to have a 'host of daffodils' in the garden, but we have got a couple of little patches of them.  This particular patch is just outside the shed door (home to myriad mice), and has been in bud for what seems like weeks and weeks until finally, yesterday, they burst open, bringing with them the promise of sunny days and lighter evenings ahead.

Today has been one of those very gusty early Spring days where you can see the cloud shadows scudding along the ground.  These sorts of days always remind me of when I was at junior school and often used to come home for lunch.  The way home was across a very large and open playing field which has the most stupendous views of the start of the Cotswold hills.  This playing field can be arctic in the winter, and desert-like in the summer as because it is so high it always has extremes of weather.  But at this time of year it is wonderful as you can watch the clouds' shadows chasing one another across the grass.  My sister and I used to take ages crossing the playing field on the way home as we would run about with our anoraks on back to front and the hoods over our faces (why?).  It was the perfect environment to do this in as there was no traffic, few other people about, and the only hazard was possibly crashing into the fenced-off cricket pitch.  Miraculously, I don't think we ever did collide with any of the rather vicious metal posts that used to mark out the wicket area.

Speaking of anoraks (not the nerdy types but the actual garment), whatever happend to them? When I was about ten or eleven every child seemed to wear a navy blue quilted nylon anorak with a zip up the front and toggles around the hem and the hood.  Each sleeve would be adorned with sew-on patches from places you had been, and the more patches you acquired the 'cooler' your anorak was.  Sadly, I think my only patch was from Weston-super-Mare!

Comments

[Claire]

I love days like that - they bring back so many lovely memories for me too. I clearly remember being a child in the late 70's and in winter wearing duffel coats, I loved the toggles on them and think I even have some from one of my old ones on my button tin, and in summer, anoraks, with that kind of braid that was stitched next to the zip, or ric rac. I loved them and in all honesty would probably wear one now given half the chance. I have a lovely photo of my older sister in the mid 70's, with long hair (she cut it off when she got older and has never grown it back since), a skirt above the knee, an anorak and knee high socks - she looks so lovely and cute, but she changed rapidly and wouldn't entertain the idea of wearing anything that would remotely bring attention to her now. Such a shame to not feel the freedom we all had when we were little. Reading this has prompted me to get my photo album out now!x

[Ali]

Do you mean the "snorkel parka", complete with grey fake fur hood edging? Those were what the cool kids wore at any rate.
I was stuck in dufflecoatsville, but rebelled by never ever wearing one, substituting it with two sweaters and a scarf instead. Ah, youth!

[mandsanorak]

Yes, I remember navy blue quilted nylon anoraks very well. My parents thought the only shop available was Marks and Spencer and we were given the blue diamond quilted anoraks for school and home. By the time I was bought mine, in the Bath M&S in about 1971, the toggles round the hem and hood had been replaced by elasticating the hood and the hem, but otherwise it was the same design. They were very popular and lasted for years. You put patches for the exotic places you had visited - like Lyme Regis - down your arm.

[Mick]

What memories! My parents bought me the blue quilted hooded nylon anorak which had the soft fur in and around the hood. I hated it to begin with, then grew to love it especially in the winter when with the hood up and drawstrings tied off it kept my ears toasty warm. I would love to own one now! Do they still make them?

[J]

I always had a navy blue parka, with orange quilted lining. You can pick these up on ebay, all originals. I own quite a few now as they are becoming rare. I wish a company would start to make the parkas again to the same spec as the ones from the 80's.

[Peter Clay]

I always loved those 60's blue nylon quilted anoraks and somehow never had one. Can anyone out there oblige - name your price.