October Origins - Ladybird books

Those of you who are around my age will, no doubt, remember these fabulous books. I had many more than I have now but they have got lost or given away over the years and I only have a few left.

Looking at them now they are, of course, very old-fashioned. Just look at the cover of the Flight Two to Canada book!! But they are an insight which I treasure into a time just before the tremendous changes that have occurred during my lifetime.

I'm not a traveller and certainly at the time of these books the places included in the 'Flight' series were not visited by many from Britain by air. How exciting to learn about a country like Australia!! No doubt elements of the books would be considered highly dubious in this day and age but they reflect the norms of the age in which they were published.

The bottom row of books were more influential in a more obvious way. I have a lifelong interest in music and continue to use my skills in my organ playing.

And then there are the nature books which have a special place in my heart. It's interesting that the 'Wildlife in Britain' book is considered to be a 'conservation' book. This is nigh on 40 years ago now and many of the issues looked at in the book have, if anything, got worse. But there are encouraging elements too.

The more I look at these books, and recall the ones I no longer have, the more I realise how significant they were in shaping the person I am today. Many of the interests I have pursued throughout my life have their foundations in these books.

I'm also amazed that I could read and understand them at the age of 7!!!