The words of our National poet TE Brown from Betsy Lee are the principal influence behind this week’s piece.

’And the years do come and the years do go, and when you look back it’s all like a puff, happy and over and short enough.’

I’m not the first to find that section of the poem inspirational by any means.

Indeed my late Auntie Margaret Brown when writing her book about life as one of nine Cretney siblings in Douglas, whose early years were spent above the family grocer’s shop at 30 North Quay, chose the title Gone like a Puff.

When you get to my age or older nostalgic memories of childhood or other lifetime experiences resonate, generally in a positive way but not always.

As a boy my friends and I were left, during what seemed the very long summer holidays, to our own devices.

We would run free.

I’ve written before about time spent with my grandad at his allotment in Surby.

As a relief for my mother ,who was divorced from my father and had to manage me on her own, we would get the bus out to Ballafesson and walk up the winding road to this special place.

He would spend hours digging and planting and I would explore all the special places nearby without a care in the world.

Occasionally we would take the bus into Port Erin where he would take his boots off and tuck his trousers up and he would tell me all the benefits of a paddle in the shallow water near the beach.

Despite being a captain on the Steam Packet he couldn’t swim!

Then coming home to Douglas we would walk up Brown’s Hill from the Quarterbridge and I would be asked to help push him up the hill!

I remember going down to Douglas beach on my own and as I paddled into the water I could feel what seemed hundreds of little flatfish swimming around my toes.

We would swim out to the Tower of Refuge and the water adjacent seemed clogged with seaweed in places.

The beach was packed and the deck chairs and rowing boats were much in demand.

I remember a man whose name I cannot recall brought donkeys down from Noble’s Park to the beach and we all wanted to help him.

The island was a first choice destination for many visitors from Scotland, Ireland and the North West of England and it was a very exciting time.

I’ve said on here before with the present caution about overseas travel due to the pandemic I’m sure an opportunity exists to increase tourist numbers to our island and thus provide the means for investors to improve the leisure infrastructure - not in the fashion here described but building upon our natural assets.

Together with other friends we enjoyed riding our bikes, complete with lollipop stick or cigarette packet engines, over a number of then undeveloped sites.

Favourites were the gooseneck behind Ballakermeen School or the land adjacent to Stoney Road which is now occupied by the infants’ school.

We would make dens in the bushes and be out from under our parents feet for hours on end.

I have happy memories of Sunday School picnics where we would visit the various tourist resorts such as Silverdale, where I can recall sore hands from the old paddle boats and the Victorian roundabout and Glen Wyllin, where there was a boating lake with motor boats and a large mirror in the building which made you look funny.

At Ramsey we would have the obligatory visit to the joke shop and we would have running and other races in the Mooragh.

My dad always provided boxes of buns and oranges as prizes for the competitors which went down very well!

Again the motorboats were a favourite for me, even at that age I was keen on anything with an engine!

On that note when my dad had access to me I always tried to persuade him, and he always obliged, that we should have a trip to Onchan Park to drive the midget racing cars.

We usually finished up at the first Chinese restaurant in Douglas for tea. I can’t remember the name, can you?

Many people will remember White City amusement park.

The old roller coaster dominated. I wasn’t all that keen as I didn’t like the steep climb at the start but like me lots of young people would go along with their pocket money to the ghost train or the go carts.

The proprietor of the go carts could be heard as far away as Douglas Head on the PA system saying ’Slow down, red pedal, green pedal etc!’

Anyone got any childhood memories of these special places they would like to share? Feel free to email [email protected]

It was good to see the Pride event at the Villa Marina last weekend.

It must, however, be acknowledged that we still have a way to go in relation to a totally inclusive society.

When we were young often differences resulted in bullying, I recall a friend who had NHS glasses being picked on and another with a profound disability being subject to abuse.

Even then I felt this was very wrong and supported both against the perpetrators.

I attended the Collegiate school, then Murray’s Road, Ballakermeen and St Ninian’s.

My school experience was mixed.

I can’t remember how often I was called to the headmaster’s office at junior school to be caned and can still recall the sickly smell of pipe tobacco in his office.

Some of the teachers at secondary school were very special and I recall them with fondness.

I had a French teacher at Ballakermeen and, despite having two years of study, was useless as I spent much of my time staring at her.

We had a sports teacher who drove into the school yard in a lovely red Triumph sports car which excited the boys in particular.

At St Ninian’s after I had misbehaved a teacher took me to one side and was very positive and supportive, which got the right result.

Another though put me in front of his class and showed the boys a choice of canes to punish me with.

I’ve always been a loud sneezer and one teacher put me outside the class because he thought I was deliberately disturbing the class!

How things have changed in schools these days. I admit it, I must have been a handful!

I was always interested in sport, particularly athletics and the facilities were basic to say the least so it was good to lead the team which put in place the award winning NSC.

I remember Noble’s baths where I learnt to swim. Again investment in improved facilities has been a very positive development. My grandson, alongside lots of other little ones, can’t understand the flume delays though!

The photo of my ’big hair’ in the MGP recently has raised lots of amusing comments so here’s another to have a laugh atâ?¦ midget racing cars 1965!