David is an author of fantasy novels and a writer and producer of rock music. The site provides information of his creative works and has a regular blog of news of his latest work and insights into his life and past.
This morning I was trying to remember when the UK introduced the decimal currency and that got me thinking about my first job as a child. The currency changed on … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Learning to Work. First Jobs in Leeds, 1960s. Weeding, Newspapers and the First Cigarette!
It seems strange nowadays, but when I was born in the 1950s, most families did not own cars. Transport was public, and it meant utilising trains, trams, buses and coaches … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – The Arrival of Cars, Day Trips and the Opening up of the Yorkshire Countryside.
When I cast my mind back to my earliest days, the memories come pouring out. It is a little like taking the top off a pop bottle that had been … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Another Opening up of the memory – Childhood – Shopping, Sweets and the Advent of Television! Life in the 1950s and 1960s.
As a child, one of the highlights was a trip to the cinema. My earliest memories are of going to the cinema with my grandmother at The Dominion in Chapel … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – A Trip to the Cinema – The Dominion, The Clock Cinema, The Shaftesbury and Others. 1950s and 1960s Leeds.
Before the days of central heating and double glazing, houses really knew when winter had arrived. Temperatures in the bedroom would plummet, and the windows would be covered in the … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – The Winter Chill Before Central Heating. The Frozen Piano and Pipes Saga.
We moved to 19 Gipton Wood Crescent when I was younger than seven. I can’t remember which year, but it was probably 1959 or 1960. The road was still cobbled … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Adventures in Gipton Wood Crescent, Leeds. Rag-and-Bone Men, Knife Grinders and Peg Selling Gypsies.
This is a bit of an eclectic collection of primary school memories, but I am sure many of us at school at the time would have enjoyed similar experiences. I … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – A Mixed Bag! School Excursions, Sport, Short Back and Sides and Other Primary School Memories – Harehills C.P. School Adventures.
Childhood is an interesting period and often we think that we have no memories of those early years, but I think with the right prodding, the memories pour back from … Continue reading Cup of Tea Tales – Harehills County Primary School in the Early 1960s. Milk, School Dinners, Marbles, Gym and the School Song!
I remember well one warm, sunny afternoon in Leeds when my grandma came to our house and took my younger brother and me for an outing to Roundhay Park. The walk … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Adventures With My Grandmother: Sunken Ships, Buried Treasure, Crooked Spires and Locked In Kenilworth Castle!
As I said, I loved my grandma and her house, but I didn’t mention my grandfather, Harry. Harry had been a tailor, but he had also owned his own sweet … Continue reading Cup of Tea Tales – My Grandma’s House in Chapel Allerton. Cutting the Lawn with Scissors, Breaking coal Lumps, and the Boxing Day Party.
Christmas in the late 1950s, early 60s was a very different beast to the overindulgence and massive consumerism that is the norm in 2021. Not long out of rationing, there … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Family Christmas in Lawrence Avenue and Gipton Wood Crescent, Leeds 1950s-60s.
The wind up to the end of term and the Christmas holidays was always something that I enjoyed and looked forward to. The teachers seemed in a good mood in … Continue reading ‘Cup of Tea Tales’ – Balaclavas, Scarves, Gloves Drying on the Radiators. Winter and Christmas Parties at Harehills County Primary School in the 1960s.
David M Cameron 