To wish Mrs Kershaw was still around?

I don't think I have ever admitted this before but I used to chat to my grandmother's bath!

I had two imaginary friends when I was a young child. One, called Charlotte, was sensible and well behaved; the other, called Fairy, was very naughty and mischievous. They were always together and accompanied me everywhere. I am not sure how old I was when they went away – maybe five or six.

Blimey and I thought I was the weird one nanaej. At least my Mrs Kershaw was in human form !

I think perhaps your two friends were actually your own split personalities Absent. One being the goody two shoes Absent and the other one being the Absent we know and love today who is a touch more mischievous.

gillybob I had wondered… I can't imagine why I picked those names. Mind you, I christened a doll Alphonse when I was about two and heaven alone knows where I'd heard that name.

You were definitely blessed with a larger than average imagination Absent some of those dreams you have are quite astonishing !

I can picture Alphonse, was he a black doll by any chance?

All my imaginary friends were boys, not surprising as during the war until 1948 our household consisted variously of me, my mother and sister and for most of the time my Grandmother and aunt. Boys had novelty value. I gather when I was about 3 I walked up to one in the street and poked him, presumably to see if he was real.

Like you FlicketyB I was brought up around girls and boys terrified me right up until I was about 17 when they began to hold a definite attraction .

My imaginary friend was probably my only friend for a long time, apart from my grandad who played along with the whole Mrs Kershaw thing and used to include her in everything. My mum told me that "she" came to my sisters christening and I kicked up a fuss when some people tried to sit on her knee in the pew!

My imaginary fried was called Gretchen and lived in the oven of my granny's old black kitchen range. Make of that what you will...

FRIEND not 'fried' (though she might have been roasted).

Do you ever wonder where these names came from? My Mrs Kershaw? My mum and grandma assure me that they had never encountered another person of that name. Absents Charlotte and Fairy, Annos Gretchen, Flickertys Boys (???) and bless her Nanaej who happily chattered to a bath ( really strange child).

My youngest GD has an imaginary friend called Milly and she is always telling me what they have been up to, she even involves Milly's Mum and talks to her on my mobile

Oh how sweet harrigran . I wonder is she lonely? Does she have any brothers or sisters? I ask because I think I was quite a lonely child ( my sister was born when I was 5) and I didn't have any real people friends if you know what I mean.

gillybob Alphonse had a white china head and a rag body. He died of mildew having been left in the garage over a very wet winter.

I was quite a lonely child as my only sister was five years older than me and we didn't have toddler groups and sleepovers when I was little. I suspect that Charlotte and Fairy just slipped away when I went to school and made some real friends.

P.s. I had a ridiculous dream about you-know-who's funeral. I won't relate it here but I'll tell you on Saturday if you want to know.

No I don't think GD is lonely, she has a sister and quite a busy social life. She is at pre-school on a morning and with a childminder on an afternoon. She goes to soft play areas with other children and petting farms in groups, not to mention at least two birthday parties a week. To be honest the kids have a better social life than I do.

my dolls were called Jennifer ,Maisie, Peekaboo and Waify. Our cats were Illy and Spiggy!Where did these names come from. My daughters imaginary friend was called Lady, I must ask her if she remembers.

Aaaaaah poor little Alphonse What a horrible end he seems to have met. How could you leave him to rot in the cold, damp garage Absent ?

Yes, looking forward to hearing " Absent's dream" even if it does involve "you know who"

My grandchildren definitely have a better social life than me too harrigran in fact not so long ago my 5 year old GD said "I told mummy that you would look after us next weekend grandma because you are never busy are you?"

Hunt I am sure your daughter will remember Lady. I can remember my Mrs Kershaw like I chatted to her only yesterday. Come to think of it...........?

gillybob I was distraught when Alphonse was interred in the dustbin, a deeply traumatising experience.

My imaginary friend was Mabel who had to be included in all my activities in my pre-school years!

absent I had a sailor doll called Heave-ho (as in yo-oh I suppose) who disappeared from my bedroom when I came home from school when I was around 5 I think. My mum had put him in the dustbin, whereupon I rooted him out. He did eventually go missing . . . . for ever . . . .

moomin I expect he sailed off to sunnier climes and at this very moment is relaxing in a hammock with a glass of rum while listening to eight gramophone records – in sequence, not all at the same time, of course – and reading the plays of Shakespeare.

Let's hope absent - he's possibly with DDs Snoopy cuddly who stayed on the cross-channel ferry 30-odd years ago and went on long voyages to exotic islands, unfortunately he never sent any postcards.

My DH had an imaginary friend called Bill. Bill had his own place at the dining table and accompanied him everywhere. DH was a sickly child who spent a considerable time in hospital so I think Bill must have been a great comfort to him.

How absolutely weird Sook I just looked up this thread as missed reading the last few comments. My dearest Mrs Kershaw's husband was called Bill !

Can't possible have been the same one though as Mrs Kershaw and her husband lived (or perhaps still do) in the North East.

Absent your wonderful imaginings amaze me.

Mine were called Goddie and Mannie which may, or may not, have represented an early attempt to get to grips with metaphysics. I remember,aged about six, standing outside Buckingham Palace to see Charles and Anne, but refusing to look because I had "seen" Goddie in the crowd, wearing a red hat. Clearly she must have been a woman and a socialist.

A friend of mine had a daughter who didn't have an imaginary friend but who insisted that she herself was a horse. She "galloped" everywhere and neighed a lot (and nayed a lot) and would eat only raw vegetables. I'm pretty sure that she slept in a conventional bed and have no idea how she coped at school. She eventually – a couple of years – grew out of it. Very disturbing.