Colm O'Regan: My childhood is full of happy memories hidden in an Argos catalogue

My father went to London a few times in the 1980s to visit his sister. It was a very 1980s holiday. He went on behalf of the family.
But London was far enough. He brought back exotic items. Bank notes with the queen looking prim and official on them, as opposed to the collection of rakes and writers we had on our currency.