Idyllic Childhood in Cusop

I had a lovely chat with a lady who came into the bookshop the other day. She was eighty one, and spent her childhood growing up in Cusop Dingle as one of seven children - she had five brothers older than her.
She remembered riding her Welsh Mountain pony up past Llangwathan Farm - where she also remembered that they had a toilet in the barn which opened directly over the stream!
When her older brothers went off to school, she decided she wanted to go to school too, though she was only four, and a neighbour opened up her house as a 'school', and taught her to read, as well as knitting, sewing and weaving.
But her most treasured memory was being invited to Brynmelin by Mrs Booth for afternoon tea. She was the wife of Major Booth, so the aunt of Richard Booth who started the book town. This was a great occasion for the little girl, because she'd only ever had nursery tea before - and even better, they were having tea in the room that had French windows opening onto the lawn. Mrs Booth had red squirrels in her garden, and the little girl had been invited round to help to feed them - they had become tame enough to come right up to people. Mrs Booth, she said, sent off specially to Kent to buy nuts for them.