Another anecdote

My father was a fine sportsman. His main sports were soccer, (British) baseball and swimming. I never saw him play soccer but I did see him play baseball on the winning side in a final in 1965. I also remember watching him swimming once. It was at Maindee swimming baths in Newport and the annual Girlings swimming Gala (which we all pronounced Gayler) again some time around 1965. I can see my dad now in his green bathers lining up for the obstacle race. He was 6' 2" and had perfected an amazing racing dive so when they were started he went straight into the lead and I was sure he would win. But my mother knew better and tried to prepare me. One of the obstacles was to bite through balloons and she knew that with his false dentures (which he had from the age of 21) he wouldn't be able to go on as fast as the younger men. And so it proved. He came in third and won a set of three decorated chalice style beer glasses, which we had for years and almost never used.
(By 1965 my dad was 36).

Anecdote

I remember my father telling me a story once of when he was in school. My father was a football  fanatic, especially when a boy. (He was desperate not to pass the 11-plus as if he left the elementary school he would have to play rugby not soccer). Anyway, one day the teacher called the class to attention and announced that unless someone owned up to some misdemeanour that had occurred the day before, there would be no football that day. As soon as the class was over my dad went straight to the teacher and confessed it was him. "Go away, Brady" said the teacher "you weren't here yesterday"!

"Don't mention it"

It is amazing what will burn itself into the retina of the mind. I have this vivid memory of a Sunday afternoon when I was about the age of 9 or 10. We heard the sound of an ice cream van round the corner as we often did and I was sent out to buy what was called "a family block" (no home freezers then). It must be in my mind as one of the first times I was sent on such an errand. Anyway having got the family block I was careful to thank the ice cream man very much, mainly because I was taught to do it that way, although it probably came over very sincerely. Anyway he said (I remember what he said not the man himself) trying to equal my politeness "Don't mention it". Now this wasn't a phrase I had come across before and I wasn't sure if I'd slipped up and said something I shouldn't. Anyway I pondered this all the way home and asked about it, if I recall correctly, and was reassured I had done nothing wrong.