Swimming
As a child I was a keen swimmer. My parents, in their wisdom, paid for me to have swimming lessons in the case that should
I ever fall in water I would be able to swim to safety. Little did we know that I would take to it like "a fish to water"
!! I began lessons at the age of 6 and went on to pass the Bronze Personal Survival at age 8, Silver at age 8 1/2 and Gold
at age 9. At school we hadn't even taken our Learners certificate! I did get my Learners certificate in an unorthodox way,
having been on holiday when everyone else took it, they decided if I could pass the Elementary certificate which was more
advanced that they would "throw in" the Learners. To a child used to swimming 24 times around a pool fully clothed, the
few lengths required for this was easy. I carried on with lessons learning life saving techniques for about a further
2 years but was too young until the age of 14 to take their exams.
By this stage I had been ice skating and liked that and had also at the age of 8 1/2 taken up judo which proved to be a
serious pastime. For anyone who remembers Blackpool Ice Drome in the early 70's they will remember the Penguin Club!
This was a group tuition session for a small fee that ran an hour before the rink opened on a Saturday morning. They had 4
groups with different coloured badges as you progressed through the ranks. I did get all 4 badges and could do turns and jumps
and spins at one time, but that was a long time ago! By this time my judo had taken first place and ice skating was relegated
to the Disco Night on a Sunday which was the "in" place to be at the time!
This is the thing that most people remember me for, possibly due to the fact I was a girl in a man's sport. Nowadays there
seems to be more women in the sport but way back in 1966 there wasn't! I was 8 1/2 on the 19th January 1966 when I went with
a friend who's brother had started the beginners class. The club that I was a member to for almost 20 years was The
Keidokwai Judo and Karate Club. When I started in 1966 it was based at Lune Grove near Revoe School. It soon moved to Gorton
Street over Avesco Car Hire and remained there for many years. Then the club moved for a short while when I was a teenager
to Derby Baths gym until they made the big mistake of pulling the baths down to make way for the Pembroke Hotel. Whoever decided
to pull down an Olympic size pool for a hotel must need their head reading! This was when the club moved to Revoe gym
above Revoe library, just round the corner from where I had started many many years before.
When I began judo I was, of course, a junior. In those days the juniors were graded with white stripes on a red belt, and
then red stripes on a white belt. Nowadays they grade the youngsters with a junior version of the coloured belts given to
adults. An adult was anyone 16 or over. At about the age of 14 they changed to coloured belts and I was given a blue
belt. By the time I was 16 I had attained a junior brown belt (there was no junior black belt then either). I then had
to take a senior grading, as we called the exams, and it was completely at their discretion what senior grade to give me.
At that time there were 2 levels of brown belt and I had the junior grade equivalent to the lower senior brown belt. However,
it had been a good day for me and they decided to award me the higher brown belt.
I then had to take a year out for studies relating to my work, but on 19th September 1976 I was awarded the coveted black
belt, 1st Dan to those in the know. This was one of the high points of my life, and the local press took up the story
mainly due to the fact that I was female! I became a local celebrity amongst my peers and most people were pleasantly surprised
that I didn't look like an all-in wrestler. I was 5'2" and medium build and most people towered over me!
I carried on with judo for several years afterwards but found a lack of women of the same grade with whom to attempt 2nd
Dan. Judo was a more popular sport inland from Blackpool for some unknown reason. The Keidokwai has now disbanded unfortunately
but remains as one of the best phases in my life. I did still see some of the members over the years and everyone had fond
memories of those days.
Since arriving in Canada I have married, moved house and settled in Newmarket, Ontario. As a means of both exercise
and socialising I have started attending a line dancing class which has turned out to be something I thoroughly enjoy with
a wonderful bunch of people. It's energetic and most of all FUN!!!
This is something I have done for a few years in England, and have just picked up on again here in Canada. I got into wine
making when I realised that the trees in the garden of my house were elderberries, and they rewarded my efforts with a beautiful
wine for many years. It was a shame I had to leave those trees behind!
Everything here seems to be geared to 5 gallons instead of the usual 1 gallon as in the UK, but I'm sure we can manage
to drink our way through it! I do make wine from kits but much prefer to use fruit, preferably fresh, but sometimes tinned
or frozen. I enjoy a home made rhubarb wine as well as peach wine, but have yet to try blueberry wine. I am told a watermelon
wine is good. I would also love to try both potato wine and banana wine despite the long settling period of approx. 2 years.
I am always on the lookout for new recipes so if you have a good one please send it to me!
My email address is kay_moondustREMOVE@hotmail.com
You can also find me on Facebook in the Toronto network
