"Do you see this hole? Not much to look at is it?"

"Nope. So why show it to me then?" asked Tom. He wasn't impressed when he had to come and stay with his dad. All his mates where back by mum's house.

"Well, when I was a bit older than you, a crowd of us - about 5 - used to use an old tin bath as a boat and we could sail on it. In Winter and Spring it would flood with water. I fell in once, got soaked but I didn't go home to get changed."

"What do mean - a crowd of 5! There can be up to 14 of me and my mates."

"Oh this was in the week, when everyone couldn't roam about, no lighting then you know. I do live in the middle of countryside remember. Anyway we could wonder all over the fields, didn't have to watch out for cars like you do'"

"I thought there were cows in the country, they might have run after you," laughed Tom. He could just imagine what his mum would say if he stayed out playing all day, especially in Winter, if he was soaking wet.

"Oh ha ha, very funny. See that building - I'm surprised its still standing. We use to climb to the second floor of that and get through the windows, no glass you see. Didn't have a ladder either we had to use the bottom window frame as one. Then when we got to the top we would jump out the window into the field below.It was great fun, and you could see for miles. So what do you and your mates do then? asked Pete.

Tom shrugged his shoulders, " Footy mostly but mum wont let us go far from the house so we usually have to play in the street. She will let us go to the park, only because she can see us from the house, but when the older kids come we usually leave and go back to someone's house. We all have mobiles so we can keep in touch with our folks."

"We never had mobiles but my parents know we would be back later" replied Pete feeling a little smug.

"Do you have anything to do with the neighbours? We use to have a woman down the road, she never called herself a gossip but she was always to the first to let you know what someone was up to. She was completely harmless though. Just nosey."

Tom shrugged, "They're ok I suppose. We've been shouted at a few times to stop playing outside people's houses and for kicking the ball into the gardens but they seem ok."

Tom stood thinking, climbing up houses, getting soaked in Winter, no mobile phones but being able to wonder far away from home. I'd never be able to do that and if he went out without his phone mum would give him what for and then he'd have to stay in as punishment.

"Sounds like you had quite a wild time when you were young dad."

"Yes, it wasn't bad. You are, after all, only young once", Pete replied, thinking yes, I think that's a hit with him.