Category Archives: Childrens Pastimes

10 Things You May Possibly Not Have Known About Halloween

Sometime in the 8th century, Pope Gregory I (540 – 604 AD) had the date of the All Hallows’ feast moved from the 13th of May to 1st of November. It is thought that in doing so, he was attempting … Continue reading

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A Series Of Grim Warnings

Ah, how times have changed. In these days of self empowerment and political correctness even to suggest that a person of a certain age (generally under sixteen and, gasp, female!) should have any kind of minor defect would be a … Continue reading

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Belisha And The Zebra Crossing

Belisha is a card game first published by Castell Brothers Ltd (Pepys Games) in 1937 that utilises the rules of Rummy with the traffic signs in the United Kingdom making up the theme. Instead of the standard suits and numbers … Continue reading

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Brooke Bond Tea Cards

Brooke Bond & Company was founded by Arthur Brooke, born in Ashton-under-Line, Lancashire in 1845. Brooke added ‘bond’ to the company name because it was his ‘bond’ to his customers to provide them with the best quality tea. He opened … Continue reading

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Billy’s Lake

A few weeks ago I took Poppy on a voyage of discovery to Billy’s Lake. Being a dog of the woods and the short mown grass of the local park, she loved running through the long grass, in places taller … Continue reading

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To Catch A Crook

As a last foray into the ‘Eagle Annual’ for the time being here is a very innocent, very un-PC look at the world of the ‘stiff-lipped-upper-class-sergeant-Bruce-of-the-Yard’ and the lesser breed of ‘ill-educated-but-clever-lower-class-career- criminal-mastermind-Burke-the-Peterman’ The language alone is a dead give-away! … Continue reading

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Wembley, 1966

This weekend, a mere 900 years since the Norman invasion, sees the commemoration of one of this country’s finest ever achievements in the realms of international success – namely the winning of the World Cup in 1966 against Germany at … Continue reading

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The Art Of Collecting

Every boy, of every age, must have a hobby! Whether it be photography, matchbox labels, autograph hunting or butterfly catching it should serve to enhance the education and, more importantly, keep the little horrors quiet for a few hours. This … Continue reading

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Of Party Games & People

So let us return to the world of games. Those included here are also from the Odhams Children’s Book from the fifties. But the ‘Parlour Game’ is not necessarily for children, it is in it’s most basic form a group … Continue reading

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One For The Boys

Once again the ‘Odhams Book of Childrens Games, Puzzles and Pastimes’ Omnibus provides a couple of games but this time of a more macho nature. Instead of a cissy Princess in a tower, here we have a proper train set! … Continue reading

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