19 Comments
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Martin Mc Carthy's avatar

What a lovely reminiscence of childhood, Trudi. I had a similar TV experience, hiding on a landing and staying up late to peek at that magic black and white TV box where real people somehow managed to live.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

My memory is of my granny’s house in Dublin, as she had an open staircase leading from the main room to upstairs. It wouldn’t have worked at home as our staircase was separate!

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Martin Mc Carthy's avatar

My granny had a staircase also, but she didn't have a TV. She was too afraid of it to get one. She was just part of a totally different world.

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Candy Kennedy's avatar

This was such a familiar topic for me. I, too, was a "sneaky peaker!" Our historic Cape Cod summer home had knotholes in the wood floor that had long ago pushed through. Those holes were perfect for spying on the adults from my bedroom. I was known to thread a string with a note through a floor hole to see if anyone would notice.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Candy, that's brilliant! Did anyone ever notice?

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Candy Kennedy's avatar

Eventually they would, and then I would be in some minor trouble if they were entertaining other adults in the evening!

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Haha but worth the trouble!

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Lori Ann Bloomfield's avatar

How wistful and magical this is, Trudi. Didn't every child of our generation get lured out of bed by the glow of a tv screen? (And I suspect the announcement of going up to bed was for your wee ears...)

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Haha I bet it was! Along with the one asking me and my sister ‘Are you asleep?’ To which we replied ‘Yes!’😆

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Heidi Zawelevsky's avatar

Trudi, I love how this poem resonates with my childhood, listening and watching through the bannister to what was going on downstairs. Wonderful.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

I'm glad you did that, too! It always felt exciting, listening in.

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Heidi Zawelevsky's avatar

It did!

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Jo-Ann Petrarca's avatar

This is adorable Trudi.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

And it's true, Jo-Ann! I loved peeking at the TV!

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Jo-Ann Petrarca's avatar

I’m sure you did 😁

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Diana van Eyk's avatar

Aw, a kindred sneaky peaker. I got caught in the act, but it was fun while it lasted. Mine involved hooking up strings to a bedroom door that I could quietly pull open...

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

Ooh that's mastery level sneakery, Diana! I'm impressed!😂❤️

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Physique Culturist's avatar

I can well imagine 😂

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

True story!😂

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