Fond memories of thursday club

Me and my cousin barbara were brought up like sisters. There's 4 months between us but a whole school year betweens us due to the school cut off date. That never effected how close we were.

At weekends we did everything together. Barbaras mum and dad weren't together so weekends barbara used to stay with her dad who is my uncle Howard. Howard would bring barbara to my house on a Saturday and we would go the park, the pictures or just stay in and play and nearly alway end in a sleep over at one of ours.

As we grew so did our independents and we wanted to go places without my uncle Howard or my parents and occasionally would say we're we're going one place but end up going further. Like the time we said we were going to Middleton swimming baths which was only 10 minuets on the bus. That swimming bath was morning and someone told us about a bigger one which we knew we wouldn't be allowed to go to so we snook to Bolton baths instead. We only spent about 30 minuets there because we knew if we were too late back we would get found out. It was hardly worth it because we spent longer on the bus, to us it was worth it we felt grown up and mature.

Due to us wanting more independence barbara stopped going to her dads at weekends, so weekends than became time me and barbara would go places, mainly manchester city centre. Thursday's after school would be when she would visit her dad. It was only natural that I joined them especially as howard calls me daughter number 2. so every Thursday after school we had Thursday club.

Thursday club had its own rituals, curry or minted lamb chops, stodgy dessert, boards game, pop washing, eastenders and walk home. We loved it and we had a good routine going.

While Howard made the curry me and barbara would lay the table and make the drinks while having a good gossip. We watched hollyoaks while eating tea, we would than set up a board game it was always either payday or monopoly.
Payday was always a preferred in my opinion because monopoly always ended in tears, usually my own. Once the game was over then it was Dessert time, Howard would always make an apple pie or crumble and custard or a dessert like that mmmm. After dessert it was tidy up time me and barbara would take turns every week on who would was and who would dry. I hated washing with a passion and would do anything to get out of it... Come to think about it I would do now too. By the time we finished washing, drying and putting away oh and just pure messing about it was time to get ready to go home which we would do while watching eastenders. We would walk home splitting up at a half way Mark and go out separate ways and usually texting each other as soon as we did.

Thursday's club wasn't just for after school we did it in the school holidays the difference is we would make a day off it and have a film day with lots of snacks.

We carried on thursday club right up until barbara went to uni and I got a serious boyfriend who now my husband. We still went after collage in our later teens.

Barbara now lives in new Zealand, she has a beautiful life out there and a lamb. I miss her everyday but knowing what a great life she has and how happy she is makes it easier. As well as having FaceTime too.

My uncle Howard's going out to see her next year too. Hopefully they will rekindle Thursdays club for old times sake and think of me. Thanks to modern technology I could be there on FaceTime just means I'll have to cook my own food and it will be breakfast for me ha ha ha.

If barbara ever came back for a visit I'm sure we would have a Thursday club reunion the difference is there may be some new members.