A Memory of the Scrapbook - Did you have one

Those who can remember these

scrapbooks

When yesterday I was writing about comics all of a sudden, I remembered I was always starting scrapbooks on any subject. They were normally around football like the football cards I would prefer to put them in a scrapbook than the official collector’s album and there was always something to collect. My passion for Cardiff City meant I was always starting one but rarely completed a season. I found myself growing out of the whole idea around 15 years old but never lost my need to list stats. It was always tempting to start a scrapbook they were always on sale around the shop.

I started countless but never succeed in completing one to a satisfactory completion except once.

I even remember having a scrapbook of flower pressings … that is embarrassing me collecting flowers to press not a memory to share but blogging means sometimes sharing a piece of you. The only thing worse I can think of is sitting on the corner of my street writing down car number plates damn I did that to but at least I was outside. Back in the late sixties and seventies there was really little to do other than play so we made the best of our time.

Then dad brought home a ledger he salvaged from work. It was massive and I bagged it for my new scrapbook straight away I was around 13 when I obtained it. This was the one, I stuck with it for over two and a half years stuffing it full of Cardiff City news and reports, and thinking back now, I wish I had saved it from whatever happened to it.

You couldn't have a scrapbook

with out this

I do remember how elaborate I made it cutting out all Cardiff City related headlines and underneath write a short synopsis of the story a bit of a space saver if the truth were told but I did like to try and make it my own. On the Sunday after match day or mid-week if they was a game I would cut out the match reports for the newspapers and paste them into my scrapbook.

Then my nerdy self would appear as stats boy would kick in. I would compile lists like goal scorers, home and away attendances, and using the player’s ratings from each paper coming up with an average to rate the players. Using that I would come up with the Man of the Match.

We would always have three papers on a Sunday The News of the World, The Mirror, and The People and even today, I always buy three Sunday newspapers.

I don’t think kids today are interested in scrapbooks and the many things we got up to has kids I know my kids didn’t as they grew up.

In a way, this blog is a scrapbook full of memories, likes, and interests including my love of football and Cardiff City.