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Goldenhill Swings, I spent a major part of my school holidays, evenings and weekends there from an early age up to around 15, I think it deserves a mention.

I even used to take my daughter there when she was a baby and later as a toddler.

If you could persuade your mum to give you some sugar, preferably wrapped in grease proof paper, you would then need to squeeze your way through the railings into the Tin Church garden at the back and liberate a couple of sticks of rhubarb.

This was guaranteed to give you belly ache but it was the excitement of getting it that made it worthwhile.

Incidentally, the greaseproof paper could then be used to lubricate the slide to make it faster.

I was just thinking about the boy’s comics that were available then, Dandy, Beano, Topper, Beezer, Victor, Hotspur, Wizard and Eagle.

For the girls there was Bunty, Judy, School Friend and Mirabelle.

They could all be bought for just a few pence but that didn’t mean you would get one every week.

The Topper and Beezer gave free gifts which usually consisted of a triangular piece of cardboard with a piece of brown paper folded and glued inside it.

When you shook it downwards the brown paper unfolded and made a massive bang, brilliant, mine only used to last a few days and then it disappeared.

I don’t know where it went to but my dad always refused to answer my questions, that was probably so he didn’t have to lie to me.

Another amazing little toy was a clicker, usually in the shape of a frog, it had a piece of spring steel underneath and when you pressed it, it gave out a really annoying, metallic click.

If pressed repeatedly it could drive an adult crazy, within a few minutes, fantastic, these things also went mysteriously astray.

This is rather gross when I think back now but if you went to the butchers he might find you a couple of fairly straight bones, probably ribs.

We cleaned them up and used them as crude musical instruments.

The idea was that you slipped them between your fingers and sort of rattled them about to produce a rhythmic noise, a bit like playing the spoons really.

The football rattle was the ultimate weapon in trying to drive your parents to the edge of insanity.

Twirling it for several seconds would have your mum grinding her teeth and for a few seconds more your dad would be driven to snatching from your sweaty little hands.

I was given one as a present and when I woke up one morning and it had disappeared.

It is really strange how things used to disappear in our house never to be seen again.

I once caught a bee and put it in a matchbox, the next day it was gone but the box was intact.

Once on a walk around Bathpool I caught some very tiny frogs I put them in a matchbox and we called to see my granny on the way home.

Mum and dad had a cup of tea and I played in the garden.

When we started off for home I retrieved my matchbox, carefully slid it open and guess what, the frogs had gone.

It just shows that when you are a child, never trust the grownups.