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June 12, 2010
Filed Under (Family, Sepia Saturday) by Keith on 12-06-2010
This weeks photograph is of me as a wee lad in my last year at Junior School.
I am the handsome boy in the middle of the picture dancing with the girl with the big ribbons in her hair. I fact she always wore enormous ribbons every day at school. Ann Colkin, that was her name, was my first love. I absolutely adored her and I always endeavoured to sit next to her in class, stand near to her at playtime and assembly in the mornings. That is until I was challenged to a “duel to the death” by Stuart, the school creep and teachers pet, who also fancied his chances with Ann. Stuart is the boy at the front of the dancing team. Being the challengee it was my right to choose the weapons and the place for the duel. (No, it was not behind the bikesheds with stun-guns, they weren’t invented then, mores the pity!). I chose marbles and the place was the playground at first break the next day. The next day dawned bright and clear, ideal weather for the most important game of my life! We agreed that the winner would take the fair maid Ann for his own, and also the loser would forfeit his entire collection of marbles, his castle and estates, his livestock, weapons, et al! The word got around the school and at playtime there were crowds waiting to see who would win the hand of Lady Ann. The pitch was drawn up with chalk stolen from the teachers desk, consisting of a “shooting line” and some distance away, a circle. We each had a certain number of marbles and the idea was to get more in the circle than your opponent. I lost! I was devastated, but I kept my composure and with the traditional British ’Stiff Upper Lip’ I shook hands with the victor and marched away head held high. For two nights after that I cried myself to sleep; that is until I met my new love, Pamela! She is in the picture, but I wont say where. . . Now 63 years later, after a gap of more years that I can remember, I have met Ann again and we very often stop to chat, but sadly our dancing days are over now. Ann married and was divorced, as I was. We are both alone now. I often wonder what happened to all the others in the photo and how they fared in life. To see other bloggers Sepia Saturday posts click here.
19 Comments posted on "Sepia Saturday"
Comments:
Keith on June 12th, 2010 at 12:33 am #
I did quite like Mary Wood (she is the one dancing with Stuart at the front), but she Woodn’t even consider me!
helen on June 12th, 2010 at 9:04 am #
take Ann to lunch.
Keith on June 12th, 2010 at 10:02 am #
Helen: She’s not hungry.
Leena on June 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm #
I am smiling still after reading your post. And I remember clearly my first love as 10 ten years old, it was in year 1952. Your photo is so cheerful to look at.
Barry Fraser on June 12th, 2010 at 1:08 pm #
Photos bring back great memories, don’t they? That is a great story.
Poetikat on June 12th, 2010 at 2:38 pm #
Isn’t that amazing that you still have contact with Ann! What a story! (I agree with helen.) I see we’re all very keen on the watermarks on our photos this week. Kat
Nana Jo on June 12th, 2010 at 3:06 pm #
I love both the photograph and the story. You told it so beautifully. There is something so nostalgic to me about seeing the little boys in their grey serge shorts, the little girls in their summer dresses paired up tgether in dance. So charming and classical. Ann’s loss was Pamela’s gain!
Keith on June 12th, 2010 at 6:15 pm #
Nana Jo: I have known Pam all my life, she too was married and divorced. When we tried to strike up our old relationship her now grown up daughter intervened and forbid her mother to see me! And she obeyed!
Pat on June 12th, 2010 at 6:45 pm #
A great photo and a great tale….how distinctly you recall of the details of that time when “you lost your marbles” Hope you have managed to hold onto replacements today! Enjoy your blog. BTW, losing marbles kind of means losing sense/mind/whatever. I have a tiny jar of marble on my study shelf that a now deceased friend gave me when we worked, because I said often, “If I have to sit through one more hearing/meeting/etc. I’ll lose my marbles” So she bought some, and put them in a jar and labeled them, Pat’s Keeper Marbles! Your post made me think about that!
willow on June 12th, 2010 at 8:54 pm #
Ann certainly looks like she is enjoying the dance! Are you sure she won’t have lunch with you?
Nat on June 13th, 2010 at 1:45 am #
What a handsome lad you were! Was Ann keen on you during your younger dancing days?
Nancy on June 13th, 2010 at 2:54 am #
Well, not to push the point, but if you’re alone and Ann’s alone, it just makes sense that you and she…. Perhaps she regrets that you lost your marbles (and her) to Stuart. I love this photo and your memory of the events surrounding it. I don’t think children learn to dance like this these days. (And I doubt you had to tell us which boy you were. Most of us would have recognized you, I’m sure.)
Blazing on June 13th, 2010 at 5:23 pm #
Wonderfully innocent times, Keith. Brings back memories for all I suspect. Shame we can’t stay ten!
Anji on June 13th, 2010 at 5:50 pm #
Perhaps they’ll turn up one day looking this picture up.
Keith on June 13th, 2010 at 6:15 pm #
Willow: I don’t think Ann would have lunch with me now, her new partner wouldn’t like it. Nat: No, Ann wasn’t keen on me at the time, she just wanted to be friends. Nancy: See my answer to Willow. Anji: There’s nothing romantic about losing all my marbles to that creep Stuart! I was really upset about that!
Christine on June 15th, 2010 at 9:26 pm #
Ann looks so happy dancing with you. What a wonderful story.
Larry on June 16th, 2010 at 5:53 pm #
What a great story! No one ever died from a marble match but you did lose marbles when you played. I like how you two still honor the knowing of each other and that life, being so simple back then, you share good things. I really enjoyed your posts.
Keith on June 16th, 2010 at 6:31 pm #
Larry: I tried to comment on your post, but it wouldn’t accept me! Sorry.
sablonneuse on June 20th, 2010 at 8:39 am #
Lovely memories, Keith: back to a time when country dancing was part of school life – well, it was at my school and I enjoyed it much more than sport. The only bad thing was that we were forced to dance with a boy. Post a comment
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Here are a few facts, which might help you decide if you've had the unfortunate experience of meeting me in real life or not ... I am 75 going on 30, divorced and available. I enjoy French cooking, drinking lots of wine, (French of course!) and holidaying in France (on a pittance, I might add!). I also have a passion for amateur radio and electronics. I design and make stained glass windows now purely as a hobby (It used to be my trade until I retired). My other interests are archery and French boule; playing Petanque with friends and a nice bottle of vin rouge on the side.
