The Parkin tape

When I was young our family had a tape recorder. My sister used it mainly for recording Top of the Pops from the radio. As it wasn't a radio-cassette player she had to do this by getting the tape recorder really close to the radio and no-one was allowed to speak. Me, being three, didn't understand and screamed "I 'ant a d'ink o' skosh" ("I want a drink of squash") all the way through every song!

My grandma still asks if she has to be quiet when the video is recording!

One tape survived and I have finally got it into a digital format. It features me and my Mom saying nursery rhymes, my sister Wendy - on the recorder, telling a story, speaking her diary and generally screaming with her friend, Helen.

And so, I proudly present a couple of excerpts from the Parkin tape: me Simon Parkin, when I was roughly three, in 1977, with my Mom, and our rendition of Humpty Dumpty, Go To Sleep My Baby and Little Bo Peep!

The Midlands accent sounds funny on me - I wish I hadn't lost it in later life. I think I got fed-up with no-one being able to understand me!

Also notice the surreal word-play that I came to love - Little Bo Peep's sheep "bringing their tables behind them"!

Finally, notice the distinct lack of memory from an early age! I still can't remember any nursery rhymes.

Me with my older brother and sister, Dean and Wendy.