Sibling Rivalry! How not to get rid of your baby sister.
You would think from the above photo that I would welcome my baby sister some two and half years my junior, but you would be wrong!
1st attempt - I used to stick safety pins into her stomach (pins to fasten her nappy), this would happen when she was in the pram. I found this out from my mother when I was grown up (I had no recollection of this). How long this went on for I do not know.
Like Baldrick I had more cunning plans!
2nd attempt - the gas oven! I was playing (peep O's) with my sister in the kitchen. I opened the oven door, took out the shelf & let my sister crawl in, then shut the door, opened the door playing peep O's. Eventually I kept the door shut (got bored or something distracted me). Of course my mother got frantic and wondered where her beloved daughter was? and me being me didn't let on! Finally I opened the door to find my sister giggling and smiling as if nothing was the matter. This was before there was North Sea Gas, in those days if the oven was switched on it would of been lethal!
3rd attempt - Scarborough beach! A nice sunny summer's day out with the family. The beach was packed, my dad and uncle went off to the betting shop as they always did leaving my mother to look after us two kids. We had a whale of a time building sand castles, paddling etc. We then started a game of cashing each other around the deck chairs, and when it came to my sister chasing me, I went one way and she went the other. Of course she ended up lost on a packed beach. Again my mother was frantic and I wasn't the best son in the world. It took about three hours to located her, fortunately someone had taken to the St John's ambulance hut (found crying, upset).
4th attempt - Peasholme Park - Scarborough. If you know the park it's a great place for kids, all sort to do. There is a boating lake (about four feet deep though I didn't know that the time). I was allowed to take my sister on the lake in a little paddle boat (one of those you paddle by hand). We got in the middle and I was paddling like there was no tomorrow, my sister stood up and wanted to back to mum but I had other ideas. Alls well that ends well!
Peasholme Park, Scarborough
These are just some of my attempts to rid myself of my baby sister, I am glad I didn't suceed and as we grew up we thought like Tom and Gerry but eventually saw eye to eye and since our teens we've had a great relationship. We look back on these incidents and others, we laugh at such. It was like watching a cartoon, only ours was real action!
Nobby Nobody
