General Chat

All this talk on here about remembered holidays and times way back made me wonder if you remember your first swimsuit, -or bathing costume as Mum used to call it. Mine was handknitted in red wool and sagged alarmingly when I went into the sea.

I had a purple and blue bikini that was a handmedown from someone I can't remember, and which I handed down to my younger sister in turn. I was wearing that bikini the first time I realised that there are people in the UK who didn't speak the same language as me - in Wales where I went every year to stay with relatives and where I met and played with a small girl called Gwynneth who jabbered away in a strange tongue but could switch to English a the drop of a hat. I later went to Uni in Wales and made a point of learning Welsh. It may not be useful to me these days, but was the most interesting language I have ever studied. Angela

Oh yes I too had a knitted swimming costume. My mother seemed to knit everything, socks, jumpers, skirts and the hated swimming costume, which when you went into the water almost fell to my ankles. Later as a teenager and not much money I used to cut up my mothers woollen dresses and make myself bikinis. These dresses came from a jumble sale anyway.

Great memories recalled here. I was so pleased when I progressed to my shirring elastic covered swimsuit. It was fine if there wasn't too much sand around but held little 'pockets' of the stuff in between the elastic and could get very uncomfortable. Angela, I had a try at learning Welsh, when I was at college in Cardiff. "Croeso Christine" I think the proramme was called, on TV.