We moved to Firmount, in Fir Ave Bantry Bay when I must've been about three or four. John and I were both born when we were living in Seacliffe, Saunders Road, Bantry Bay.
We first lived downstairs, in the corner flat, at the back end of the courtyard, in flat number 1. Then we moved upstairs, to a bigger flat, and a flat that I remember as being much brighter and lighter. That was number 6.
I remember the flats as having this big courtyard in the middle of the block. All us children would play in there. It must've been very loud and noisy because it must've contained and magnified the sound tremendously. There was also a lawn in the front, and a tar carpark and parking for the cars under the building. Across from the flats were tennis courts belonging to the Sea Point Lawn Tennis Club. And behind the tennis courts they were building an enormous block of flats - we used to play there, in amongst the construction stuff - especially on the heaps of building sand.
We left Firmount to go to live in our first ever own house in Camps Bay when I was finishing Std 2. So we were living in Firmount for quite a few years. I remember the neighbour in number 7 putting his head through the kitchen window (which faced the courtyard corridor) every evening, asking my mom what's for supper tonight Lorraine? I think he drove GG mad!
When living downstairs, in no 1 - I had a birthday party - the last one I ever had! GG made the cake using bread flour instead of cake flour, so it was as heavy as lead and quite awful. It had blue icing. Why blue, I dont know. I mean I was the only daughter! Probably only had blue food colouring! She swore never to make another birthday cake for either of us ever again. In later years her baking skills improved. She was able to bake quite a successful cake in her old age. :)
Mairz, this is specially for Simon - being Sea Point, most of our neighbours were Jewish.
And I remember distinctly the servant's quarters that were on the roof of the flats. There was a dark flight
of stairs and we would hear their music in the afternoons coming from there during their time off. We never had a servant. We would dare each other to go up there, like it was some scary place. I really wish I'd taken more notice of stuff!
We never had a car then. Would walk or take the bus. My dad would walk us to school in the mornings, and then continue on down to the 'terminus' (that's what it was called - the terminus where the busses started from) to catch his bus to town. I even remember we still had trams on the Sea Point route.
We first lived downstairs, in the corner flat, at the back end of the courtyard, in flat number 1. Then we moved upstairs, to a bigger flat, and a flat that I remember as being much brighter and lighter. That was number 6.
I remember the flats as having this big courtyard in the middle of the block. All us children would play in there. It must've been very loud and noisy because it must've contained and magnified the sound tremendously. There was also a lawn in the front, and a tar carpark and parking for the cars under the building. Across from the flats were tennis courts belonging to the Sea Point Lawn Tennis Club. And behind the tennis courts they were building an enormous block of flats - we used to play there, in amongst the construction stuff - especially on the heaps of building sand.
We left Firmount to go to live in our first ever own house in Camps Bay when I was finishing Std 2. So we were living in Firmount for quite a few years. I remember the neighbour in number 7 putting his head through the kitchen window (which faced the courtyard corridor) every evening, asking my mom what's for supper tonight Lorraine? I think he drove GG mad!
When living downstairs, in no 1 - I had a birthday party - the last one I ever had! GG made the cake using bread flour instead of cake flour, so it was as heavy as lead and quite awful. It had blue icing. Why blue, I dont know. I mean I was the only daughter! Probably only had blue food colouring! She swore never to make another birthday cake for either of us ever again. In later years her baking skills improved. She was able to bake quite a successful cake in her old age. :)
Mairz, this is specially for Simon - being Sea Point, most of our neighbours were Jewish.
And I remember distinctly the servant's quarters that were on the roof of the flats. There was a dark flight
of stairs and we would hear their music in the afternoons coming from there during their time off. We never had a servant. We would dare each other to go up there, like it was some scary place. I really wish I'd taken more notice of stuff!
We never had a car then. Would walk or take the bus. My dad would walk us to school in the mornings, and then continue on down to the 'terminus' (that's what it was called - the terminus where the busses started from) to catch his bus to town. I even remember we still had trams on the Sea Point route.
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