Let’s talk about Psychedelic Gran – Lil Red Riding Hoodie, AKA Lil Red Hood’s grandmother, you know, the one who was zapped into a Minecroft app by the Big Bad Wolf, now known as Swombiewolf.
She is not your regular kind of gran – she is ‘Psychedelic Gran’ kind of stuck in the late 1970’s “Gran was a die-hard Led Zeppelin fan and loved a bit of hard rock and psychedelia, and would indulge herself frequently trying with some difficulty to recall the good times and bad times whilst ‘dazed and confused’ ” – Pixie Van Dimple introduces … Lil Red Riding Hoodie
Gran, real name Grace (named after Grace Slick), was a ‘bit of a hoarder’ and kept all her old clothes, which was great because she could, if she wanted, actually make a mint out of selling them on Vinted! ‘Vintage’ is in great demand didn’t you know? and keeping things in circulation is fantastic for the planet as we know, don’t we Pixie? Yo Circularity!
However, Gran liked to WEAR her old clothes, regaling stories of the 70’s – grandad’s enormous sideburns, even bigger lapels and disco fever – think Saturday Night Fever!
Gran was torn between the hard rock of Led Zep and the disco beat – born in the 60’s (just, in 1961), she grew up with Johnny Cash, Elvis, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (who are remarkably well preserved and are still doing the rounds into their octogenerian years!). Her own parents were from the ‘North’, of England that is, and lived fairly simple lives for a while until her dad Joe decided that the whole family needed to do an extraordinary thing and totally astounded everyone by transporting the whole family, mum Stella, Gran and her 2 siblings Albie and Sadie to Australia on the P&O cruise ship, with the promise of a new life in Perth – they and the scores of other families taking the leap were to be known as ‘The Ten Pound Poms’ !
What a fantastic life they had – all of the children developed Australian accents and developed a serious fascination for ballroom dancing. All the rage in Australia – even mum & dad had a go! They found there was so much more room and the weather was always sunny – if you drove out of Perth just beyond the edges of the city you would encounter kangaroos bouncing erratically across the roads and vast swathes of ‘bush’ (or desert) stretching out in front of you melting into a mirage on the horizon.
Go west and you would reach Freemantle and the coast! So out -doorsy was Australia – no winter darkness and drizzly days – but wall to wall sunshine all year round! Yay! They had seen quite enough of dark clouds and heavy showers up in the North of England!
Gran had a ball – it was a bit like a home from home – everyone had been in the same boat, literally. Her dad was a painter and decorator – always in demand, and mum helped out in local primary schools and loved it. The families would hang out together and take it in turns to have a ‘barbie’ whereupon just about everything was cooked outside on the gas grill! Have you tried a vegemite sandwich?
It was right there in Perth, Australia that Gran began her obsession with ‘hard rock’. The biggest band in the UK at the time, Led Zeppelin, toured Australia in 1972 and started in Perth at the Subiaco Oval. Dad got 3 tickets and took mum and Gran because she was the eldest at 11 years old, and they kind of snuck her in. It was a riot, literally – soooo loud, all long hair and psychedelic shirts – 8000 people revelling in the party atmosphere, some without tickets determined to get in by scaling the fences. The local police had a bit of a job on their hands! Many surged onto the stage and if you look carefully in the press photos in the archives, you can spot Gran’s head popping up behind the bass drum with her fingers in her ears! It was even LOUDER on stage! But it was soooo awesome – Gran has never been the same since!
The adrenalin rush and craziness of that day stayed with Gran and she became a die-hard Led Zep fan and with her enduring flamboyant style, and love of loud music, she certainly stood out!
Gran migrated back to the UK when she was 18 and felt the need to see a bit more of the world, feeling a little out of it ‘down under’. She took off with her ballroom partner, Charlie, who was year older and who also felt the need to go walkabout. They saved up to get a Quantas flight to London and ended up camping in some lovely elderly lady’s campervan in Kensington after offering to clean her house in return for a couple of nights on the driveway. They met her on the train back from the airport to central London and chatted to her about their life in Perth, fascinating to someone who had never been further than the South of France.
The elderly lady, Angelique, was rather taken with the duo and let them take the campervan on some road trips around the UK, and then further afield over to France and Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Vienna in Austria. They were delighted to learn that Led Zeppelin were touring in Europe and spend quite a few days in Germany so they could go to a couple of concerts there and the one in Vienna! That is dedication! As they travelled around they worked in bars and restaurants helping out and – there was the AUD3000 (about £1500) they won from winning a ballroom dancing trophy back in Oz – did I not mention that? They were spectacular – think ‘Strictly’ but with genuine tans and spandex – they must have been good because the judges gave them top marks – they were quite scathing about most of the dancers and fired insults at them mercilessly called them all ‘drongos’!
Some of the costumes were made by the prisoners in a local prison – they were mostly churning out ‘Drizabone’ jackets but everything had to be put on hold for the ‘ballroom’. Gran and Charlie took one or two of their costumes with them on their travels and performed impromptu ballroom dances using an old boombox and home recorded cassette tapes, to pretty uninterested audiences around train stations and town squares but despite the initial apathy, the couple dazzled and drew everyone in and had them clapping and parting with their cash before they knew it!
It was the best time of their lives – Gran and Charlie stayed together for the duration – got married in a registry office in Lambeth (why? who knows!) – settled in Fulham, Charlie setting up his own Painting and Decorating business – learning his trade from dear old father-in-law Joe – never short of work, and Gran worked in a shoe shop on the High Street using her staff discount to buy Doc Martins and the boots she is wearing in the picture above! They were her favourite – bright blue with purple platforms – wow!
The families they left behind in Perth were sad to see them go but were happy for them nontheless – and they did get to have a few family reunions both in Perth and over in Fulham. The arrival of Lil Red’s mother Rose and her twin brother Robert, had both sets of parents booking Quantas flights to the UK in a flash.
Fast forward to present day and we see Gran still wearing the boots, and the psychedelic garb she so loved back in the day. Rose and Robert had grown up, had families of their own and that is where Lil Red comes in to the story. Rose is her mother and Robert is her Uncle. Poor old Grandad Charlie had sadly passed away aged 62 from cancer but he had a wonderful life with Gran. They loved each other to the ‘moon and back’ she told Lil Red.
Gran had ‘downsized’ to a maisonnette in Highgate to be near Rose and her family. It was in Highgate Wood that THE terrible incident happened – when Lil Red was accosted by the spectre of the Big Bad Wolf on the way to see Gran, luring her into danger with the promise of a brand new smartphone and new trainers (shocking!) – talking of smartphones, it It is pertinent to say that Gran was not a fan of mobile phones when they came out in the late 90’s and early 2000’s but Rose bought her one so she could keep an eye on her and always keep in touch – she knew Gran missed Grandad Charlie and had become a bit of a hoarder not wanting to get rid of anything that reminded her of him. Gran kept the phone in the drawer switched off for 2 years, complaining that she never knew how to operate it and tried her best to hide it and casually dropped it in the bath one day to finish it off.
It was during the 2 years of the pandemic that Gran came into her own with technology – having got herself back in circulation and into the party scene with the over 50’s do’s down at the local clubs, she found herself stuck at home in a bubble with Rose and Lil Red. She picked up the smartphone Rose had given her and started playing games. Lil Red taught her how to play Minecroft and make silly reels and it was so much fun! After Lil Red had gone each day, Gran spent hours texting her friends, facetiming her Australian rellies and gaming!! That is where the trouble began because all was not well in smartphone land and there were sinister goings on beyond the screen. The Big Bad Wolf was watching and waiting to pounce ….. waiting in the ether to make his move – he had been planning this for a long time and nothing was going to stop him….. arrrrrggggggg!
Well, what happens next – I think you know – have you read Lil Red Riding Hoodie’s Story?
Keeeeeeep Reeeeaaaading !
Lots of love Lynn, Pixie & Lil Red
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Lynn McAllister 