Nostalgia Q&A: A Brief Journey Through The Childhood Of Aporia

It's been a long time since a joint LBLC post, and I have to say that the theme of this one is probably my favourite so far! 

"There is no land like the land of your childhood"

- Michael Powell

"We carry our childhood with us"

- Gary D Schmidt

"If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older"

- Tom Stoppard

I have never wanted to grow up. I still love the things I loved as a child, and I revisit them every now and then. Especially when I'm feeling low - they brighten my day and put a smile on my face. It's really exciting to be able to share them with you! So without further ado... welcome to the favourites of my childhood! 

Books

I was a huge reader as a child. I worked my way through so many books, spending hours in the library choosing them. It has been really hard to narrow this category down! I've chosen 5, but there are many many more...

The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

(Sweet Valley High) Return of the Evil Twin by Francine Pascal

What Katy Did by Susan M Coolidge

White Boots - Noel Streatfeild

There are so many more I wanted to include in this list! I have a lot of them on my E-Reader, and I have a feeling I will be revisiting them soon! 

TV Programmes

I had, and still have, a HUGE love for Rainbow. I collect Zippy memorabilia! It was my absolute favourite, and still brings a smile to my face when I see it now. 

Other favourites included:

Fun House

The Crystal Maze

The Raggy Dolls

Spot the Dog

Knightmare

It occurred to me recently that my love for The Raggy Dolls has a huge amount of irony. There is a character called Lucy who is made with faulty thread, which means her arms and legs fly off at random intervals. Sound familiar? Bendy readers will get this one! 

Music

As a tiny thing, I had a real thing for Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. As I got older, like Sizzle and Louise I got very into the Spice Girls. Who Do You Think You Are was my top Spice Girls song! 

Other favourites of mine were:

A1 - Ready Or Not

B*Witched - C'est La Vie

5ive - Keep On Movin'

Bon Jovi - It's My Life

Texas - Summer Son

Nowadays my taste has completely changed, but when I hear these I still sing along!

Films

I was a big Disney fan, but my favourites are not what you would usually expect - Mary Poppins and The Sword In The Stone are my top two. Closely followed by Robin Hood and The Rescuers! I was not a huge Princesses girl - I enjoyed them but they weren't my favourites. 

5 more films I loved as a kid:

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder is amazing!)

Honey I Shrunk The Kids

Short Circuit 2 (I sobbed when they beat him up!)

The BFG 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Bands

I was a big Spice Girls fan. They were the first band I saw live, supported by Cleopatra (Comin' Atcha!). I LOVED Take That, but never got the chance to see them live back then (yes, I sobbed my heart out when they split). I did see Boyzone live with my cousin and her friend, but I don't really remember much, as I was very poorly at the time. As I got older, Westlife came along, but when I hit 15 I started listening to Kerrang, and my music tastes changed completely. System of a Down were one of my favourites to begin with, and then I was introduced to The Wildhearts. Love at first riff!

Magazine/Comic

I started off with The Animals Of Farthing Wood. Every week I would look forward to it arriving, and devouring it eagerly as soon as it came in. I remember once being in bed, it was still daylight and I was happily rereading an issue, when my dad heard me turn the pages from outside my door. I got into a lot of trouble for not going to sleep! As I got older, I moved on to Mizz, but that didn't last long, and I moved away from magazines until I got older and into some real trash! 

Games

The first console we had was a Sega Mega Drive, and I still have it. My favourite game of all time is Castle of Illusion. It was the only game I could play better than my brother could, and I can speed run it on normal difficulty in 30 minutes! 

More games I love(d):

Sonic The Hedgehog ("up, down, left, right, A, start" anyone?)

Columns (2 player Flash mode - addictive!)

True Pinball on PS1 - the Viking table was the best!

Crash Bandicoot on PS1

Chartbusters (an awesome Board Game based on the Music Industry)

Clothes

Once I was old enough to choose what I wore, I was a total tomboy. I refused all dresses and skirts, wrapped myself up in joggers, sweatshirts, polo shirts, football shirts... As time went by I mellowed it a bit, but followed the crowd - denim jackets with hoodies, Nickelson polo shirts *cringe*. I migrated from joggers into jeans, and then at 15 I moved into full on "grunger" fashion. Huuuuuuge wide legged jeans, band tees and hoodies, and black vest and strap tops.

Subject At School

I was a bit of a school nerd, I absolutely loved it. My favourite subject was Drama. I loved how I could express myself, have fun and just let loose. I was a big fan of English too - it involved reading! 

Food

One of my favourite meals as a kid was Dippy Egg and Marmite Soldiers. I still love it today, I find it really comforting. Grillsteak, Egg and Chips was another meal I loved too. 

Sweet(s)

I used to love going to the shop at the bottom of the road and getting some penny sweets! Gummy cherries, milk bottles, jazzies... but I loved Freddos and Tazos too. There began my chocolate love affair. Also, Sherbet Dipdab, Parma Violets and Fizzers used to come back with me in my little paper bag!

Hobby

My main hobby was reading. I used to spend hours in the Library after school (there was a time when I had no friends whatsoever, so books became my friends), immersing myself into a fictional world. I tried gymnastics, but was absolutely awful at it, ending up in a lot of pain (now I know why!). I tried to learn the recorder, but that didn't last long. I was fairly useless at hobbies, except for my reading. The only outdoor thing I enjoyed was a good game of Kerby. I didn't enjoy getting lumped with the ball running back to safety though! 

So there you have a quick look back through the childhood of Aporia. I could have gone on forever! I would love to read more Nostalgia posts, so if you have done one, please leave a link to it in the comments -  I always read and reply to them. 

Also, don't forget to check out the nostalgic posts from the other LBLC ladies:

Louise  Keshia  Karen  Rachelle

Autumn Leaves, When The Grass Is Jewelled...

Autumn has officially arrived today.

It's strange, the things you can remember from your childhood, and how you attach them to something. The title of this post is from a song we used to sing at my primary school. As soon as the first leaves fall from the trees, it pops into my head, and it stays there until the last leaf has fallen. 

I must confess, I am sad that Summer is leaving us. I will miss the warmth, the sunshine, the tinkling of the ice cream vans, the sound of ice cubes in drinks, the smell of barbecues, and most of all, the sun shining until late into the evening. 

There are things about Autumn that I do like. The crunch of the leaves is a lovely sound. The oranges and reds as they get ready to drop can be stunning, almost like a blaze. The smell of a barbecue is switched for the smell of bonfire, which I love (but hate the smell of it getting into my hair!). The conkers falling from the trees remind me of a family tradition. On my Auntie Sue's birthday, we used to all go across to the trees opposite her house, standing in the trench between the road and the field, getting as many as we could. Then it was back to the house to get warm, eat pizza and have some cake. Another memory which comes flooding back when Autumn is mentioned. 

I am quite a cold person, so I own lots of lovely warm jumpers and jumper dresses. I love being snuggled up inside, with a hot chocolate, keeping the weather locked firmly outside. Damp does not make my joints happy, so being warm and dry is my priority. My slanket is my best friend in Autumn, and shares that role with my duvet in Winter (I am actually shuddering at the thought of Winter!). I love being cosy, but also being able to do things because my arms are still warm. Whoever invented them is an utter genius.

When the clocks change, a real sense of sadness hits me. I hate that there is so much darkness. That the Sun and Moon switch places so soon. Daylight disappears in what seems like such a small time. I guess I should be grateful that I don't live in a place where they hardly get light at all! I would not be a good eskimo. For me, the darkness feels oppressive, and I am counting down the days until the daylight holds it's own again.  

The main reason I don't like Autumn is it means that Winter Is Coming. However, this year I am going to try to appreciate Autumn's good bits, because they are there. Crackling, burning and blazing away. A post on Winter will follow - but only when it arrives.

Talk to me about Autumn - like, love, dislike or loathe? I fall into a space between like and dislike. I can't honestly decide for definite.

10 Things About Where I Live

Hello! Today brings another LBLC Group Post. I like these! The subject is 10 Things About Where I Live. I hope you enjoy!

10. I live less than 10 minutes away from Heathrow Airport. Since Concorde has gone, I don't hear any plane noise. This may be because I am so used to it that my brain blocks it out. 

9. Numerically, I used to live next door to my Nanny and Uncle. However, there is a crossroads between the two houses. 

8. My bedroom is upstairs, but I haven't seen it since February :( The same goes for my bathroom! I am living downstairs. My Dad built me a special shower outside, but I can't tell you how much I miss my bath.

7. My dad has only lived outside of our road for a couple of years. He was born in one house, moved to another as a child, left for a little while, then when my brother and I came along, we moved to our current house. 

6. One of the earliest memories I have of this house is falling down the stairs. 

5. The day my dad came home from the pub and was unable to open the door is one of my funniest memories. I heard a noise at the door, so went down, and could see through the glass that he had his glasses on and was inspecting the lock. He'd been trying for 20 minutes to open the door, with his key upside down. Hysterics then ensued from both of us <3

4. A few years ago, if you had asked me, I would never have left this house. How things change! 

3. I live in an area that has an unpleasant reputation, but the road I live on is lovely. 

2. We can get to Central London very quickly from here - by train, car, or bus. 

1. My home is made awesome by the people who occupy it. Bricks and mortar make a house. Family make it a home. Mum, Dad, Robert, Chloe and Uberman are the best, and while we fall out occasionally, most of the time we have a bloody good laugh. And that's the best thing about where I live.

Don't forget to have a look at the other ladies' posts! It's nice as we are spread out all over the UK - there will be a real difference!

Karen  Louise  Keshia  Rachelle

Tell me about where you live! Leave me a link in the comments :)