Block
‘Home’ was a spot on the corner of our garage which was also the corner of the street. One person guarded home while everyone else hid. The aim was to get ‘home’ without being tagged. The guard had to try to tag people before they got home. The most successful guards just stayed put but kids have a lot of time on their hands so the hiders would stay put until the guard got bored and tried to find them, thus leaving his post. This was the time to strike. Running for ‘home’ with the guard in hot pursuit was such a thrill.

Barrels
We moved to a new housing estate when I was about twelve and though our section had been completed a few years before, a new tranche of building started on the green behind our house. We spent a happy summer playing the trenches (the dug out foundations of houses) and the barrels (huge wooden empty bobbins which used to carry wire). These bobbins had a square hole which gave access to the hollow centre and the space inside was a perfect fit for a kid. We used to climb in with just a jumper for protection and then get pushed along the ground spinning upside down (not nearly fast enough to achieve any kind of g-force). Such (dangerous!) fun.