I was very excited about visiting my cousins. They were always good fun to be with. Both the boys had Davy Crocket hats and playing chase was one of my favourites/ It was during one such game that we were told very firmly by their father, my Uncle David that we were not to play chase upstairs as our Nana Stoliday had her very best feather matress on the spare bedroom floor and under no circumstances were we to stand on this matress. We all nodded and promised not to step on this very special part of Nana’s bed. How quickly we forgot this stern warning.! I have a very clear memory of me squealing with excitement as my cousins began their pursuit of me in and out of the downstairs rooms and very soon I was leading the chase upstairs and my only way to avoid being caught was to head for the small bedroom. Yes the small bedroom with the matress on the floor. I quickly looked over my shoulder to see the boys getting closer followed by my Uncle David with a very stern look. With no thought I ran across the mattress with Gordon and John hot in pursuit running across the matress too. Before we could take a breath there was Uncle David with his definite Policeman face as he grabbed both boys delivering a sharp slap on their legs as a reminder of the rule. Both boys howled in protest and said “what about Janet?” She went on the matress first. I froze on the spot glancing at both the boys and Uncle David not knowing what would happen next. Uncle David mumbled something and went down stairs. Both boys voiced their protests at me getting away with it and somehow I knew that I would have to work out as a girl how to be accepted as one of the gang again!! It was not long before Gordon came to stay with our family in Leamington where we had moved to. He had grown into a very self sufficient young man. I really looked up to him. In my eyes he was very brave to go off on his own. He loved trains so he was off one day on his own to catch the bus to the railway station to collect train numbers. On his own ! I was so impressed. Gordon was definitely growing up and like most young people Gordon would be concentrating on his life and and carving out a successful career and relationships with others in his adult life. Apart from the odd family get together we would not really spend time together until we had our own families