When I was a child we lived round by the gasworks at 23 Thompson Street, Stockton-on-Tees, wrote Janette Osbourne (nee Hutchinson), who was born on 24th January 1956. At that time Stockton-on-Tees was in Co Durham, but since the county changes were made it is now Cleveland.

We lived in a two up two down terraced house, yet were eleven of us including mam and dad. I had six sisters and two brothers. They were happy years back then; you had nothing but it didn't matter.

Things I remember most are the big black range my mam had in the living room: that's where she made lovely cakes and bread; and the big copper boiler in the yard.

She would go to town and get two penneth of bacon bones and leeks, potatoes and onions, carrots and lentils and she made the most tastiest broth in that boiler with big fluffy dumplings on top of the broth. We had only gas lights as there was no electricity in our house and no TV but we always made our own fun.

Friday was pocket money day and you got threepence off dad, the older kids got a shilling. We went to the pantomime every Christmas at the ABC Cinema on Norton Road.

Every week in the summer I remember a man called Lightowler came round with his horse and carriage, shouting penny a ride, and for your penny you got to ride round all the streets; it was a lot of fun.

When I was five we moved from the gas works area to a semi-detached house close to the Tilery Rec. It had electric lights and a bathroom: that was a new experience for us as we only had the old tin bath in our other house.

Sunday was bath day in our house and mam washed us with carbolic soap. It was also nitty day when she put Zulio on our hairs to keep the dreaded nits away. It smelt disgusting and we all cried when we had to have it on.

I remember the comics we used to get weekly: Bunty, Judy and the Schoolfreind, and the Tiger and Valliant for the boys. We went bramble picking in the summer or splodged in the beck at the bottom of our garden.

We played skips and marbles. I remember when we got our first TV and how I hated Coronation Street. We had a real Christmas tree every year and we decorated it with baubles and cotton wool for snow.

We were a happy family and healthy too, and I do so miss those days.

Mrs Janette Osbourne, Stockton-on-Tees, 2001.