A Meme-oir Anthology

The Old and the Young

I love these words, and I created this meme because on Facebook, I said -

At a meeting today, I was talking about memories, and my Mum, and some ditties from her childhood she taught me. So I went looking in my 'memories' file, and in the computer folder of her 'favourite things', hoping to find some. I also found a heap of sayings, and this one kind of jumped out at me and made me go searching for a pic to play with, and the meme was born.

And the ditties? My Mum's remembered ditties?

This one's a clapping song (when two girls were clapping own hands/each others' hands/crossing over hands/own hands again/clapping each others' straight across... and getting faster and faster until someone messed it up... and then the other was the winner) -

'My mother said... I never should... play with the gypsies in the woods,

For if I did... she would say... "Naughty girl to disobey"

Disobey one

Disobey two

Disobey, disobey....cock-a-doodle-doo.'

And a poem I have never found anywhere, despite my best Googling efforts (except where I've already duplicated it on my Facebook author page).

Molly had a shilling, so she bought a little mop,

But when she started mopping, she found she couldn't stop.

She mopped the dog, she mopped the cat,

She even mopped her father's hat,

But when she mopped mother's Sunday dress

I won't tell you what Mother said...

But she smacked poor Molly's bottom, and sent her straight to bed.

I have never been able to find any evidence of another writer in my ancestry, but there must be one lurking somewhere - maybe the author of this last little charmer? It wasn't my Mum - she just enjoyed reciting it to me from a tucked away place in one of the corners of her mind.

My Mum and I excelled at looking after each other.