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Sunday, 5 August 2012

Storytelling Sunday - Fantastic Friendship

It's time for Storytelling Sunday over at High in the Sky!  Normally we try to have a photo to go with our stories, but by the time you finish reading mine, you will realise why there is no photo to share!  
Have I ever told you about Zolly Watson?  When I was little she was my best friend.  We played together almost every day.  We both loved a glass of Lucozade, drunk out of a plastic beaker with a straw built into the side.  Mine was yellow, hers was blue.  We both loved chocolate biscuits, and when I went round to where she lived, I would fill a small flask with Lucozade and put a few biscuits in some foil, load it into the little saddle bag on the back of my bike and cycle round to Zolly's.  
Sometimes I'd take my Sindy doll round there because although Zolly loved to play with Sindy as much as I did, she didn't have a doll of her own.  If I was very lucky, my mum would take me to the Women's Institute shop where you could buy hand knitted clothes for Sindy so she could have a new outfit.  Zolly and I would spend hours dressing Sindy in different outfits.
It wasn't far from my house to Zolly's - if I looked out of the dining room window carefully I could almost see in her window.  And although I was only about five, mum was quite happy for me to cycle round there on my own.  You see, my sister was eight years older than me and she didn't want to play with some little kid when she was already a sophisticated teenager, and there were no other children of my age near to where I lived so it was inevitable that me and Zolly would become such firm friends.  
My sister didn't quite know what to make of Zolly, even though they never met, she thought it was an odd friendship.  In fact no one other than me ever met Zolly, because apparently she only existed in my imagination.  Her house was the Wendy house in our back garden, and I can still remember cycling round the lawn to get there, unlocking the door and stepping inside where our chairs were waiting, and a table for the drinks and biscuits to be put on.  Mum and Dad had helped me build various bits of make believe furniture for Sindy in true Blue Peter fashion and that was all set up in there too.
But then the summer came and we packed up to go on our two week Summer holiday to Cornwall.  Zolly stayed at home, while I enjoyed a fortnight of sandcastles, paddling in the sea, ice cream cones, and begging to be allowed to go in amusement arcades.  The weird thing was that when we came back, Zolly had gone.  I don't remember being upset, and I don't know how I knew - but she just wasn't there any more.  I guess I had grown up that little bit and was off to school where I would go on to meet lots of new - real - friends.  But whenever I hear people talking about imaginary friends, I always think of Zolly Watson.  (Where on earth did I come up with a name like that?!  I've never heard of anyone called Zolly and knew no one with the surname Watson either)

21 comments:

  1. Oh such a delightful story today Deb - your imagination has served you well over the years because it helps you to convey such beautiful stories!

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  2. A wonderful story Deb's of childhood make-believe. The name of your imaginary friend was certainly unusual. Well remembered.

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  3. You've reminded me of a precious time in my own daughter's life, when she had a four or five imaginary friends who went with us everywhere we went. Fortunately they didn't need much in the way of food and drink or our fast food (standard fare then) checks would have been much more expensive than they were.

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  4. It's a wonderful name! What a lovely, lovely story - I would love to have come round and dressed Sindys and made some Blue Peter Sindy furniture with the pair of you. It was my idea of heaven at that age too.

    Thanks for the smile today Deb. Much appreciated

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  5. Imaginary friends are the best type at that age!!

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  6. awww a lovely memory. My own son had a friend too for a while "bobby man" he called him x

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  7. What a lovely story Deb..and beautifully told!
    Alison xx

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  8. Brilliant! I had a friend at that age called George I think he is still around sometimes

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  9. I was thinking that Zolly was an unusual name and a variant of Dolly surely?

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  10. Such a precious story of a childhood memory. Zolly never really went away if you remember her.

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  11. I have to say I was totally surprised when Zolly was make believe! Great storytelling today! I never had an imaginary friend but with 4 girls in the family and neighborhood friends I was thrilled when I was left to play in a world of my own.

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  12. What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing,
    Rinda

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  13. what a lovely childhood story, life seemed so much simpler then!

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  14. Brilliant story my daughter had an imanginaty friend called Effrey not sure where that name came from either!

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  15. That's a great name, and a wonderful story Deb :)

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  16. Zolly sure sounds like a wonderful friend! And of course if big sis wanted little to do with you, it's no small wonder Zolly came around to fill the void.

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  17. Oh, what a great memory! I think nowadays there aren't as many imaginary friends because (1) kids don't need to use their imaginations as much and (2) adult discourage it! :>(

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  18. I loved reading this story. I had a friend when I was a little girl named Bemissa... she was purple. Isn't it amazing what little minds come up with??

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  19. What an imagination you have! That was a beautiful story and very well narrated. I am glad you have happy memories of Zolly going away.

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  20. I love this story, Deb! And what I love the most is Zolly Watson's name. I never had an imaginary friend, but then I had siblings close to my age so maybe that's why. Lovely story! :o)

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