Hello Steve.  A great website which I often visit.  I have found it so interesting to read the notes from others who lived in Llandaff North and Whitchurch and I thought I would add my memories of growing up in Llandaff North – halcyon days…..

Both my mother and father’s family lived in Llandaff North for a couple of generations at least. My mother was Win Richards (nee Mahoney) I was born in 1950 at 77 Ty Mawr Road.  This was located opposite the Royal Exchange next door to Harries’ shop where my mother would buy red jeans for me.  I knew both Harries boys, Ken and John and Chris Ball lived opposite our house.  My brother was Clive Richards and played rugby for Llandaff North as did my father, Tom. We were, and still are, a large family and were well known in LN.  Some of you probably remember my sisters, Eunice, Cynthia, Glenys and Joyce.  My other brother, Colin, tragically drowned before I was born in the river Taff when only 10 years old and has been mentioned previously in this guest book by Colin Parson who is my nephew (Cynthia’s son.)

I attended Hawthorn Road East Infants, Hawthorn Road Juniors and Glan Taf.

I have a vivid memory of when I was about 9 years old of the men going off for day trips from the Royal Exchange.  All the kids used to stand expectantly in the small lower car park area and the men would crowd above us and throw coins down - “scramble” we called it – what fun!

I hardly believe how long ago it was that we would play around the streets.  Some of the kids I can recall playing with are, Christine Thomas, Glenys Lodge, Elizabeth Morgan and her brother, Alan, Ken and John Harries, Chris Ball, Leslie Bowns, Wayne Harris.  We used to play, relego, rat tat ginger, ball games.  We girls used to throw two tennis balls up against a wall for hours on end chanting rhymes in time with throwing the balls (PK penny packet, first you chew it then you crack it, then you stick it to your jacket, PK penny packet….).  The boys made” bogies” out of old bits of wood and pram wheels and would race them around a rough track on the piece of waste land behind our houses called “yardies” (anyone know where this name came from?).  We also used to light small fires in the evenings and bake potatoes in the flames.  The potatoes were always black on the outside and hard on the inside but we thought they were great!  These things were just good fun but sometimes a bit dangerous.  Can you imagine kids these day being allowed to spend their time like that?

It was always a tradition on Good Friday for all the kids in Llandaff North to trek to the Wenallt to camp out for the day.  I would spend a sleepless night praying for fine weather after spending hours getting our gear together.  Billycan, primus, baked beans, potatoes and anything else we could beg borrow or steal from mum’s pantry. At the time it seemed like a very long walk through the woods and up through top end of Whitchurch to the hill we called the Wenallt.  I think it has now been developed with houses.

Forest farm was a working farm and we used to go and earn some pocket money picking beans and weeding.  Back breaking work but a good way to earn a few coppers (it was a few coppers too!).

I remember when the Tivoli cinema was the place to go, especially on Saturday morning.  It was 6d to go in and we usually had 3d to spend.  I remember watching old favourites like the three stooges, lassie, the lone ranger to name but a few.

I have already sent some photos of my school days and I’m sure if any of my classmates read this they will want to take a look

If anyone reads this and knows me I would love to hear from them.

LYNETTE BLENKHARN (NEE RICHARDS)