Paper rounds, laundry vans and the Mayfair

I lived in Parkeston crescent but my best friend, Margaret Gaughn, lived at the top of the crescent and my paper round was all of Twickenham Road, Parkeston Crescent and Rivington Crescent so as well as knowing Pat from school I sometimes saw my friends when I was doing my round as well. I do remember the milkman, the breadman, the rag and bone man, the pig bin man and I especially have vivid memories of the laundry van bringing our clean sheets tied up in brown paper (I wonder how mum could afford that?) That’s right, it was Harris’s cleaners.I think sometimes my mum gave the rag and bone man her own personal stuff just so we could have a treat. I remember Phillips. Their buyer had a similar taste in clothes to me so I bought several dresses there. I still don’t know how our mothers were able to afford that service-we NEVER had any money (lots of boiled egg dinners). I loved the Mayfair-it was an escape and a magical few hours.The manager-tall, white haired man with a stick, once caught me trying to sneak Janet in under my coat so that we could use her ticket money for sweets.He said “How long have you had 4 feet’? “Go home and tell your mum what you’ve done”.Spoil sport!