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Throwback Thursday #46 – Secrets, Hiding Places and Niches

We are back again for Throwback Thursday. I am pinch hitting for Lauren today who had some personal things to attend to. She will be back next week.

If you care to join us, it’s easy.

  • Write your own post sharing your memories and leave a pingback to this post in the comments.
  • You can use the photo above in your post to make it easier to find.
  • Tag it with #TBTMemory or #IRememberWhen.
  • If you do not wish to write your own post, feel free to tell your story in the comments below.

This week’s prompt is: Secrets, Hiding Places and Niches

You can either free write using these questions as inspiration or answer the question as they are.

  1. Did you keep a diary or a journal? If so, where did you keep it?
  2. Did you have treasures or money you hid from siblings or parents?
  3. Did you have a need to hide things your parents would not approve of, like cigarettes, etc.?
  4. Thinking back, describe your most creative hiding place.
  5. Did you have a tin box or safe or a diary with a lock?
  6. What about yourself? Did you ever have a favorite get away spot or hiding place?
  7. If you did not feel the need to hide away, where did you go for a little alone time?
  8. If you had siblings, did they hide things from you? If so, what types of things?
  9. Now that you are an adult, do you still have little niches where you hide things away, like mad money, treasured letters, etc?
  10. When you feel the need to be alone, to where do you retreat?

My post follows.


  1. Did you keep a diary or a journal? If so, where did you keep it?
    • I had a diary but never felt the need to hide it. I remember one of my siblings reading from it one time and teasing me about what I had written, but it was pretty light hearted stuff.
  2. Did you have treasures or money you hid from siblings or parents?
    • I did hide things. I had a small plastic box bobby pins came in that I hid in the grape arbor. My grandmother found it, so I was not good at hiding it, I suppose.
  3. Did you have a need to hide things your parents would not approve of, like cigarettes, etc.?
    • Nothing like that, but I do remember my brother hiding my Dad’s Playboy magazine under his mattress. Dad found it, so that was not a great hiding place, but I am sure it was convenient for him!
  4. Thinking back, describe your most creative hiding place.
    •  My bedroom closet door was a pocket door that slid into the wall. I would squeeze into my closet and tape an envelope to the back of my closet door as flat as possible so the door would still open into the wall. I think I hid love letters and maybe money there.
  5. Did you have a tin box or safe or a diary with a lock?
    • My diary had a lock, but those cheap locks could be opened without any difficulty. That was well proven when my sibling read my diary.
  6. What about yourself? Did you ever have a favorite get away spot or hiding place?
    • When I was really small, I hid tucked away in the corner behind my grandmother’s bed. No one could find me and my mother was panicked. They searched for me for hours. I thought it was the best game of hide and seek! My mother was not amused, although relieved I was safe. In my maternal grandparent’s house, they had little alcoves under the eaves for storage. They were covered by small half sized mini doors which were perfect for a place to sneak away.
  7. If you did not feel the need to hide away, where did you go for a little alone time?
    • My place of peace was always a walk in nature. I never felt the need to hide, but I did treasure my alone time.
  8. If you had siblings, did they hide things from you? If so, what types of things?
    • My sister hid her love letters in a small cedar chest with a lock on it. I never once thought about trying to break into it.
  9. Now that you are an adult, do you still have little niches where you hide things away, like mad money, treasured letters, etc?
    • I often have extra cash tucked away for emergencies,  but not hidden really. I often forget about it and stumble on it unexpectedly. I do not feel the need to hide anything as an adult. I do keep treasured photos and letters in storage boxes, in my closet.
  10. When you feel the need to be alone, to where do you retreat?
    • Nature is still where I find the best retreat. It is often a walk in nature. I am fortunate to live in a sparsely populated area, so it is easy to find space to be alone.
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34 thoughts on “Throwback Thursday #46 – Secrets, Hiding Places and Niches”

  1. Here are my answers, Maggie.
    1) I had a diary that I kept religiously for over two years. It was a large blank A4 notebook that my mum got me from where she worked. I stopped writing entries in it when I went to senior school at the age of 11. I kept it on a desk in my bedroom, with no need to hide it away. It got lost in my teens, and I really wish I still had it.
    2) I had no siblings, so no need to hide any treaures away.
    3) At one time, I acquired some ‘glamour’ magazines. 🙂 I hid those away from my mum by secreting them under unworn clothes in an old suitcase.
    4) Generally, I think ‘hiding in plain sight’ works best. I would sometimes hide things behind large books on my bookcase, and move them around from shelf to shelf.
    5) I had a small black metal box with a lock and key. I kept my birthday and Christmas money in it, but never had any need to lock it.
    6) I had no reason to ever hide.
    7) My parents both worked full-time, so from the age of 10 I had a lot of ‘alone time’ in the house. Because we lived in the centre of a city, it was hard to find any solitude outdoors.
    8) No siblings.
    9) I feel no need to hide anything away now. But whenever I put anything in a ‘safe place’, I always forget where that was!
    10) I go out onto the nature reserve every day with Ollie. I can easily get plenty of solitude walking in the countryside. Especially in bad weather, when we are usually alone over there.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Okay, Pete, I must ask. What did you consider ‘glamour’ magazines? I think you are right about hiding things in plain sight. It might be the safest solution.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. The question brought to mind a cat we had who gave birth to kittens in a bottom drawer in my brother’s closet. I guess she was trying to keep them hidden!

    Liked by 1 person

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