Peggy and the Methodists

I must start this bit of scribble by making one thing quite clear. No one forced me to go to the Methodists. At the age of five I discovered from a friend that when starting at the Sunday school one was given an exercise book, a pencil and a rubber plus a folder in which to put them. The friend was older than I and I was able to go to the chapel with her. This started a connection with the Methodists which continued until ww2 started and I went away with my family.
On looking back I must confess that I don’t think my reason for going was quite as it should have been. However, I remained with the Methodists and who knows, I might have still been with them had the war not started!
I am amazed when I remember that I went Sunday mornings and afternoons for so many years. Of course, the fact that we were given a text every week, and when we had collected a certain number which I can’t remember, we could choose a book, which did not necessarily have to be a religious one, made one good reason for such a regular attendance. I have always been a bookworm. Another reason was the outing in the summer and the Christmas parties.
At the parties we played games. One I can remember was ‘The Farmer Wants a Wife’. Another I think was ‘Poor Jenny Was ‘A weeping’. Those were old folk games, or maybe dances.
One of the summer outings was to Theydon Bois and another to Clacton. I fell off a donkey at Theydon Bois and grazed my arm. At Clacton I could not find my way out of a mirror maze. Also at Clacton there was a roundabout which startled me by suddenly putting a cover over everyone.
We were all given a bunch of violets each to give to our mothers on MotheringSunday.
I remember the Methodists with affection.