Blood is thicker than water? 1

I have been told that I come from a large family. Gypsies ( more likely irish tinkers)on my fathers side and a respectable middle class family on my mothers side.
I think this is true but I have no way of knowing for sure.
I never knew my father or my numerous half siblings if my mothers drunken ramblings are to be believed.
I spent my first few years in a notorious childrens home in a suburb of london, from the age of about 18mths until I was about 3 and a half. Funnily enough I can remember that place and I can remember I was there with my sister who cant have been more than a few weeks old when we were first sent there.
I can remember a strange couple coming to visit me and my sister who were introduced as Mummy and my new Daddy.
I remember the home as a stinking rotten place where I was slapped and kicked probably on a daily basis for some misdemeanor or another,or sometimes on occassion just for looking sly or ugly and that was just the staff.
My sister was a little beauty and the apple of everybodys eye with lovely creamy skin and huge blue eyes and a lovely sunny disposition. Even at the tender age of 2 I knew I was scrawny and cross eyed and the ugliest child anyone had ever laid eyes on.
I loved my sister as much as everyone else did, but most of the time I couldnt get near her she was always in somebodys arms being cossetted and played with, I can remember trying to sleep under her cot just to be near her but I was always found out and flung back into my own room usually with a slap or a pinch to go with it.
I have often asked my Mother why we were there and got a couple of different stories the first one was she had a nervous breakdown and was hospitalized and we were taken against her will, but later she would say she left us with her older sister to look for work and then she dumped us there and it took her years to get us back neither story I dont think were entirely true but then I dont think my Mother would recognise the truth if it jumped up and hit her in the mush either.
to be continued....