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I grew up in the 1940s, living in a small cottage on Newcastle Hill, Bridgend. The house was that small we children spent practically all our time outdoors, if only to eat, sleep and do homework - winter as well as summer!

The adults loved the radio - the only entertainment apart from the occasional visit to the cinema.

We played 'war' quite a lot. One gang British, the other gang Nazis, of course.

I didn't own a dressing gown but always wore a vest and liberty bodice - and plenty of layers to keep warm.

There was no kitchen sink in our house - only a cold water tap outside the back door. Going to the outside lavatory was always so scary in the dark nights!

Saturday night was great fun, for we'd have a great sing-a-long when the men came home from the pub.

We never had enough tea to last the week but had to drink cocoa to 'eek' it out. At the age of 5 I gave up sugar in tea - and have never taken it since.

School time was often interrupted by the siren - so I remember walking home before an air raid started. Walked everywhere then.

One memory I have is that of Jitterbugging to 'In the Mood', which we often heard as we played outside. No iPod - just a radio in a nearby house.

It all sounds very frugal now, but as kids we were carefree and could wander where we liked.