So, we were allowed to climb trees but not allowed to fall out of them. Great I thought but what was the point of climbing all the way up a tree if you couldn't fall out of it and spend a week in the San convalescing on iced buns, Tizer and the occasional glimpse of Nurse Bridgette's stocking tops as she wobbled up a ladder to change a light bulb that you had put out earlier with a hip shot with an out of season catapault.
We were'nt allowed to go swimming down at the baths during winter which was just as well anyway as no one even went during the summer if they could get out of it.
Sarsden brook was out of bounds all year round excepting for the yearly mid winter spectacle officially known as the Great KH Cross Country Run, a magnificent farce where as few boys as possible took part and where the course took in the widest part of Sarsden Brook - 3 foot 6 inches in high flood - where we were all expected to jump it in one magnificent and spectacular leap where some did, some didn't, and most drowned which, to all the onlookers crowding the banks watching blue legged boys floundering in the raging waters and finally getting washed out to sea made turning out and freezing one's extremities blue made it all worth while (although we were never quite sure what the women had as equally interesting to freeze where most only ever found out after they had left the school and turned 40 )
We were allowed up the old quarry to study rocks, fossils, wildlife and such coma inducing activities but only with an adult but without one was ar more interesting with even more interesting results where we could bury a boy, any boy ( except for me of course) up to his neck and spend a whole afternoon throwing rocks at his head.
There were other permitted activities of course but not many, if any, came close to the goings on in the Kingham Village Strumpet Club and the most celebrated activity of all - even if most hadn't the slightest idea of what they were supposed to be celebrating and which parts in particular !
Dizzy D
