Gently down to earth

“A book on the history of the parachute brought back memories of my childhood when playing with home-made parachutes was one of our many ploys,” writes a Craigie regular.

“We made them from squares of cloth, with string knotted at all four corners, then tied together round a stone or other heavy object,” he says.

“We then folded the parachute, string and weight into a bundle and threw it high in to the air. If we had fashioned our parachute correctly, it would unfold and float gently down to earth again.

“Some lads managed to obtain old strips of cloth from home, but others, including myself, smuggled handkerchiefs outside, much to our mothers’ annoyance when we returned with them covered in dirt or, worse still, torn.

“Our children’s games went in cycles. I have no idea who began each new fad, but there were many of them, such as catty and batty, relieve-o, hucky-duck and a game which involved standing on opposite sides of the street, taking turns to bounce a ball across, aiming to knock a ruler into the opponent’s gutter. After each score, the ruler was returned to the centre of the street and the next round of the game began.

“We had no computer games in those days and very little money. Our ploys cost almost nothing, but we never wearied. I had to be called in for meals every day.”