It’s that time of week when another blogger is going to be sharing their childhood memories. This week’s Remembering Childhood comes from Claire at Life, Love and Dirty Dishes.

Which decade were you born in?

The seventies.  Although it was 1979 so I can’t say I really remember anything about the seventies.  I’m more of an eighties child.

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

Being in an orange paddling pool in the garden.  According to my mum I was two, as our dog Barney punctured the paddling pool.  I have no recollection of our dog Barney.  I believe he went to live on a farm!

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At 5 it would have been my doll Amy.  She came everywhere with me.  It was one of those dolls with hard limbs and head but a soft body.  I used to think she looked just like a real baby.  At 10 it was probably my Walkman!  I was probably listening to Jason Donovan and Tiffany on it, or some dodgy recordings from the chart show.

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

Amy is in the loft.  I just can’t part with her!

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

After I moved on from the Jason stage I was into Extreme and Bon Jovi.  All my friends liked Take That, but for some reason I chose an alternative liking!  Although Jon Bon Jovi is still pretty hot!

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

I used to love Going Live with Phillip Schofield and Sarah Greene on a Saturday morning.  My claim to fame is that I won a phone in competition and spoke to Phillip.  I won a mug!  I spent months trying to get on the show.  When I finally did I got hiccups right before I was live on TV!

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

My Dad took me to see The Jungle Book.  I remember it being quite scary and sitting on his lap.

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

Yes!  The time my dad cut my fringe when it was wet.  I ended up with a fringe that was about a centimetre long.  My mum went mad!  As for outfit choices there are so many!  Although most of it is trendy again now.  My best friend and I used to love to dress the same.  We once went to a disco both wearing a purple t-shirt, purple cords, and purple trainers.  We must have looked like two blueberries!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a kid I think I just wanted to be a mum.  During my teens I wanted to be a lawyer (I used to watch LA Law with my mum).  But then I went to a careers fair and got talked out of it!

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

That’s a really tough one.  Probably about 8, when we got our dog Sam.  He passed away when I was 21.  But he let me and my brother do anything to him.  We dressed him up, my brother cut his hair, we’d take him for rides! Then in my teenage years he accompanied my friends and I on days out over the forest.  I cried into his fur over first loves.  I’d love to back and give him a big tummy rub.  He was the best dog ever.

Thanks for sharing your memories Claire – I would love to see a picture of you and your friend in your purple outfits, they sound brilliant!

If you enjoyed this post then please do come back next week when another blogger will be remembering their childhood. You can also read all the other posts in the series here.