Everyone has things from their childhood that they still
look back on fondly. Things that when they see them later in life still bring a
huge smile to their faces. I have plenty of them and most of them are things I
want to pass on to Harry.
When we are talking about my childhood it seems crazy not
to talk about Harry Potter. These were the biggest influence of my life (Note
my son, who is also called Harry) I was seriously late to the game with reading
the Harry Potter books, the first book was published in 1997 when I was 5 but I
didn’t read them until I was in year 5 in school and my teacher, knowing how
much I love to read put me on to them. I am so ashamed to admit that the first
chapter in The Philosophers Stone bored me so much I put it down and read The
Chamber of Secrets first. I fell in love with the wizarding world there and
then and went back to read Philosophers Stone again.
My love for Harry Potter is one of the things I most want
to pass on to Harry. We are very lucky that Harry adores books and while right
now at 3 years old, his attention span is just not up to a chapter book – we
have tried a chapter a night but he gets easily bored – I really want to keep
persevering with this and now that he is managing to sit through a short film I
am looking forward to snuggling up with the films with him!
I remember in the autumn when my nan would take me down
to find the blackberry bushes, we would pick the bushes until they were bare
and then we would go back to my grandparent's maisonette and spend the rest of
the day making blackberry jam and blackberry and apple pies. Some of my fondest
memories were being in the kitchen turning those sour fruit into the tastiest
treats. We would also go ‘pick your own’ every summer to do the same things.
I’m really lucky that my grandparents now have their own
allotment meaning and my grandad still loves to send us out to pick fruit,
whatever fruit is in season at that time you can guarantee it is growing in
that allotment.
Now that Harry is walking and more confident, I can't wait
to get him out in the allotment picking the fruit and then helping my nan and
myself in the kitchen making those delicious treats. Harry already loves to
help in the kitchen!
When the weather was crappy and we had nothing to do in
our tiny little flat in North London, my mum would clear a huge space in the living room lay out a blanket and bring in all sorts of ‘picnic’ type treats.
We called them our indoor picnics and the TV would be turned off our favorite
teddies or barbies would sit with us and we would spend hours on that floor
eating and chatting and laughing. I have already attempted this with Harry, and
he likes the food bit at least!
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