And Just Like That..........

 .......the year of the 60ths begins!

It was around this time 48 years ago, that I said goodbye to my childhood primary school and started getting ready for the next phase, Secondary School. But not any old school, I was heading to Boarding school in Rochfortbridge.

I didn't know anyone there, so one Sunday evening in August, I packed my belongings* into a case and set off. Not by myself, obviously, my parents did drive me there!

*among the many things I had to bring was a long, grey gaberdine coat, dark grey blazer with the school crest on it and a mantilla...a black or white lace headscarf that we had to wear to morning mass, very Handmaid's Tale.

Anyway, I was shown to my cubicle in St Mary's dormitory and left to my own devices.

In the cubicle next to me was another First Year, Majella. Now having older sisters in the school, Majella was much more confident and worldly wise than I was. She quickly took me under her wing.

1977

2024

The following morning I was delighted to discover that we were both in the same class 1A. That was back in the day when you had to do an Entrance Exam and were streamed according to your results. However, being A students didn't do us much good in the very first class which was Music. We and Miss O'Hehir soon discovered that we couldn't hold a note, never mind a tune, between the two of us!

         Thus began our friendship. we were model students, studied hard, but we weren't perfect! We did lead a raid into the Nuns' Orchard and stole apples (well, we were starving). We took it in turns every week to ask the head nun if we could go across the road to the shop to get "womanly things". 

The nun never coped that we were each going twice a month, it's a wonder we didn't bleed to death!

      On one such shopping visit we bought a packet of cigarettes and hid around the Walks to smoke them. We almost choked, as well as nearly setting fire to the shrubbery. Neither of us ever smoked again.

      After secondary school we went our separate ways but we've always remained friends. While we don't meet up regularly, when we do it's as if we were talking to each other the day before. 

        And so it was that I was delighted to head to Majella's 60th BBQ party. Yes, we wondered where the intervening 48 years had gone. But sure, here's to the next 48!!!