I fell into conversation with a lady on the bus
She told me that she had been a pupil at the convent school which occupied the site where Stockport Grammar School stands today. This surprised me because I had been under the impression that the Grammar School had moved to that site much earlier than 1948
We fell into reminiscence. She mentioned the extreme poverty which could still be seen in Stockport in her childhood – children without shoes
I told her the story of how my mother had begged – fruitlessly – for clogs instead of proper shoes. The great attraction was that you could strike sparks off the cobbles with the metal studs on their soles
My new friends brother had done exactly the same at the age of 8 or 9. He then complained that they ere too uncomfortable – he should not be made to wear them
It did not just start with trainers
Related post: Jumping in the river
