MY BROTHER Roger and I were raised in Gaisford Road, Cowley, and lived there with our parents all through our teenage years.

Our late father, Ken, was a member of the Morris Motors’ Fire Brigade. This often caused confusion because there was another fireman named Brogden, living in the next road, who was in the Pressed Steel Brigade.

Our father’s main hobby was breeding budgerigars and it was our job to make sure all the young birds were finger tame before they went to their new homes. We had our own bird indoors, named Jimmy, and our late mother, Stella, would spend hours teaching him to say our address and several nursery rhymes.

They featured in an article in the Oxford Mail and there was a picture of Jimmy on our mother’s finger.

This article was repeated a few years ago, but unfortunately I mislaid my copy.

Our mother was a very good pianist and taught many local youngsters to play the piano.

It would be very interesting if anyone remembers these times, particularly if they had a budgerigar or piano lessons from our parents.

Incidentally, I was very interested to see the picture of the girls from Temple Cowley School with their cakes (Memory Lane, December 23).

A couple of girls have already been identified and I am certain the girl sitting nearest the camera is Pamela Hutchinson.

CHRISTOPHER BROGDEN, Mill Road, Abingdon