Write Your Life Story

Jane Gorman, Redhill U3A, attended the Chichester summer school Write Your Life Story course. Here she shares one of her stories.

WALK TO RYE HARBOUR

We were on holiday in Winchelsea staying in a converted railway carriage. The weather was doubtful as it always is in August even through rose coloured spectacles.

This particular afternoon it was overcast and spitting with rain. “I know” said mother, “we’ll walk to Rye harbour”. My brother groaned. Another of mother’s ideas. It started to rain and got heavier and heavier. The rain was cold down my neck. “Oh come on” said mother “It’ll stop soon”.

It didn’t, we got wetter and wetter. We three, Dad, brother and me plodded along in three miserable bundles. Mother strode purposefully. “Look at the sea”, she said, “it looks purple”. Even a sea of leaf green with pink spots would not have excited me that afternoon. “I’m soaked”, said my brother. “Stop moaning, we’ll be there soon”.

“How are we going to get back to the carriage? We can’t get on a bus as wet as this”.

How did we get back? 70yrs later I can’t remember!

Are you part of a U3A creative writing group? Tell us about what your group is like - you can submit a story to the Sources team above.