Dreams of an emigrant

The Cow Enterprise  The year 1953, we arrived at this hamlet called Socuello on the outskirts of Bembibre. In this new place all was unknown and strange, there was no river near by and there were no friends to play with. My brother cried in his cot and my sisters found good use for their entrepreneurial skills in the new village.  They stitched and sawed what ever came their way. Mostly it was turning collars to shirts or making new collars from the skirt of the shirt. This too is a lost skill, no young woman today would think of such an economic idea, making a collar from the extra cloth of the skirt of the shirt!!! Stockings were always placed over the glass waiting to be gathered.I attended school in a wave of insomnia as I cannot tell you anything about it. I have no recollection of this time at all. My only knowledge of this period is a scar that I have in my foot from stepping on to a broken bottle. I also remember being punished for something that I can...

My parents house in Collanzo 1943 Just the same she continued cooking, washing and mending for all those men in order to enhanced my dad's pay and make ends meet. Her demeanour had changed though, I could sense it even at my age. Four children and a small wage, plus the extra money needed to cover my father's expenses at the pub left very little to put aside if any. My sisters made me a beautiful navy blue jacket for my school debut. I was over the moon. I can't remember much about school but I remember wearing my jacket with pride and hanging it on a nail at the entrance hall, ready for the next day.  My sisters being young they noticed how much care I took with my jacket and thought of nothing better than to tease me by stitching a red patch on its back. The first thing I saw next morning when I got up was the flashing cloth that appeared stuck to my precious jacket. I said nothing and went straight to investigate. Perhaps the ugly cloth was just hanging over ...

Tricycle   In our block of flats yard there were always many children playing. Homes were not comfortable as they are now, with TV and central heating carpet on the floor and a settee. We children were mostly outdoors learning social skills and anything else that would be available. One girl had a beautiful tricycle. I was totally amazed by its beauty. This must have shown in my face for the girl that own it allowed me to ride on it for awhile. Naturally, I loved it, I had never seen anything like it. My father´s bicycle was the nearest to it, but I could not climb on that, this one was my size.  A few days later a photographer appeared with his camera trying to capture us in our childhood. He did not ask whether we wanted to be photographed, he just clicked his camera here and there. With the corner of my eye I saw the tricycle lying idle for an moment while its owner was fascinated by the camera and the flash. I instantly thought a golden opportunity had come my way ...

Piglet Pet   I also remember having a "piglet pet". Can you believe it! I loved it. My mother actually put a string around his head in the form of rains and I used to ride on it as you would a pony.  It was short and pink with black spots.  I was four yeas old only but I distinctly remember riding on it over a bridge that was just outside our house, and kissing his back side by lifting his curly tail. At one point the bailiffs came and we abandoned our house in a small van. The piglet loss and the spade left behind the door with which I used to help my mother in the vegetable garden were my childhood possessions and I cried desperately for them.  My eldest sisters were in the process of dress making. They were very young but you had to earn your living somehow. The eldest stitched all day fabrics of different colours. Skirts and blouses were mostly her line of business. Coats and trousers were not part of her repertoire as yet.  My second eldest sis...

The Toad Battle From one to five years old I just remember being taken care by my mother and sisters, surrounded by poverty but unity. I was never cold or hungry in the extreme. I was placed in a position of safety by those that loved me.   -You see, I had the fortunate position of being the youngest of four sisters.  My eldest sister was 15 years older than me, the second eldest 12 years older and the third 3 years older. My mother was like a hen with her chicks, always protective and loving.  We were poor. My father was a miner in 1952, and behaved as miners did at that time. Miners went to the pub after worked, and spent more than they could afford and got drunk.  -It has to be said that what they spent amounted to very little, but that small amount would have improved life quality for many families.  Tradition is a bad thing in general. Behaving manly is often forgetting the needs of the people that you are supposed to care for. How could a man...