Memories of Langdale Road Shops

3:08pm Monday 18th August 2008

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My Family were very poor in the sixties and seventies and could very rarely afford to decorate our house you don't notice things when you're a kid until you reach teenage years.

The fact that the wallpaper was peeling and very nicotine stained, and had been that way for years mattered little.

That was until I invited a friend into my house for the first time. I suddenly realised my house was a lot worse than his

At the hardware store in Langdale Road the owner was having a clear out of old tins of paint in all kinds of colours and types. Not knowing the first thing about decorating (and I still don't!) I bought lots of them for a few shillings each. Then, like the Michael Angelo of the Old Town I started painting the back kitchen.

Being young I hadn't realised that small tins of paint soon ran out and gloss paint was for one thing and matt finish paint was for another. I went back to the hard wear store several times that week and bought some more old tins of paint.

By the time I'd finished the back kitchen was a lovely shade of purple, orange, red, blue and yellow. I stood back admiring my handy work feeling really proud "what do you think dad?" I asked hoping for some praise for my very gallant misguided efforts.

He paused for a moment and chewed on his pipe and said "Different, I'll give you that"

It probably didn't look too bad to my dad as he was colour-blind!