Boxes of Memorabilia at My Parents
Joy of joys, thank you My Weekly for taking us back to the 1970’s. Born in 1960 I’m a decade baby and these were my teenage years of exploration into music, fashion and life which included the biggie boys. Jackie magazine published by D.C Thomson was my bible, not that I got my hands on it easily, there was a fight. Mum, plainly disturbed by this child who, like The Hulk was bursting out of pretty dresses, little flat shoes, (always Clarks) and playing dress up games with her younger sisters involving dolls, teddys and tea sets, was not buying me this tantalising magazine. What she would buy was ‘Twinkle’ ‘Look and Learn’ and ‘Treasure’ the first I could share with my sisters and the latter would help me with my education. So Little Turner’s teenage years were off to a potentially shaky start until, Mrs Moss as a punishment for talking in class, banished me and my friend Karen to the P.E cupboard in the corridor with the instructions to tidy it up in silence.
Two mistakes here, my love of tidying up began quite early so this was no punishment, I was relishing the challenge of wrapping up all those skipping ropes, stacking the hoops in an orderly pile and rolling up matts. Also with no one to police us Karen and I could just carry on talking. Once out of sight like two eager beavers the conversation, while tidying, moved to The Osmond’s in particular Donny and the joys of Jackie Magazine because they were in it practically every week together with a whole load of other names I didn’t know but after Karen’s descriptions of David Bowie and Marc Bolan definitely wanted to. Karen had older siblings so her Mother thought nothing of handing over money to buy Jackie Mag on the way to school and with me now getting second dibs a whole new extension to my education was building. All changed though with my Mum when Karen and I went to her for help, sewing was her forte and the magazine had published a pattern to make the latest trend, Hotpants with a bib front, material was bought in navy blue and sewing began only problem was when they were finished Karen’s were the length of hot pants and mine a little more like lederhosen! But once down the drive I just rolled them up together with my now very own copy of Jackie Magazine and off I went feeling for the first-time bang on trend.
A few weeks ago, I was going through boxes of memorabilia at my parents’ house when I came across a favourite Jackie Annual featuring, would you believe Leo Sayer, but better still, forever the fan girl when I worked with its most illustrious Editor Nina Myskow. The book came with me and my now signed copy by the Goddess herself is a treasured possession.