My very first memory

My very first memory was crawling across a carpet in the dining room in search of a spinning-top that had become lodged beneath the bevels of a heavy-oaked sideboard.  The carpet was rough on my knees and had a snake-like pattern.  It took some time to cross.

My reward was a humming blur of spinning-top colour.  There was a little train inside, and each time it reached a certain point a barrier raised to let it through.

It left an impression ...