General Chat

Going to buy a "record" and listening to it first in a little booth. Roasted peanuts from a big machine in Woolworths, which frequently caught fire. Tinned salmon, lettuce, cucumber and tomato for Sunday Tea if company came, followed by tinned peaches and evaporated milk. Making firelighters from newspaper, old cooking fat and coal dust!!! My Dad painstakingly cutting up an old leather suitcase he got from somewhere, to mend our shoes with. Clarks black lace-up school shoes, totally indestructible, bought with room to grow. School gabardine macs bought big, again to grow into, mine had a six inch hem. Veet-O hair remover, stank like an abbatoir. Going for a walk on Sunday, the whole family, best clothes, down to the park to listen to the band. Preserved eggs, kept in a bucket in the scullery, they felt all rubbery, don't know why they were preserved? Liquorice root. Raspberry drops. Violet cachous."Kali" in a paper poke with a liquorice dab. Dandelion and burdock and homemade Iron Brew and Ginger Beer. Grans homemade Tea Sherry....

like nell, born in the late 50's but don't remember them. Viv

Dave, You've just reminded me, Blackpool won the F.A.Cup, 2nd May 1953, my father went to Wembley to watch it. I watched it on TV and I got so excited, I jumped on the dining room Table and broke it, all my father said when he got in was "It doesn't matter, we've won the Cup" June xx

hi helen,wasent born till 64,but grew up on elvis and rock n roll.was a teddy girl at 12 and i married a teddy boy,had a lovely fifties style wedding.still got the hooped skirts and peticoats. luv debs.x

I was born in the 70s, in 80s myself and buddies wore illuminous sox with black ski pants and illuminous top too go with sox.

The Coronation in 1953 we had a street party, had a fancy dress parade, (I was dressed as a nurse, my two sisters were dressed as a cowgirl and a bride) and watched the TV in next door's front room along with the rest of the street. The radio, with How Much Is That Doggie In The Window, sung by Patti Page. Rock And Roll Waltz, sung by Kay Starr, and Heartbreak Hotel, sung by Elvis (even then I knew he was something very different). The woman in our street used to organise street outings in the school holidays. All us kids and our mothers used to pile into the charabanc (bus) and spend a day at the seaside. There were pots of tea on the beach and lemonade, egg sandwiches that always had sand in them, wooden spades with tin buckets, donkey rides, and the highlight of the day was the funfair. On the way home, we would have a good old sing-song if we could stay awake and one lady used to play the accordion. Our sweets were parma violets, sugared almonds, liquorice comfits, love hearts, bulls eyes and sherbert fountains. Pink nailpolish Nulon handcream Body mist deodorant in a purple bottle Perfumes were - Evening in Paris, June and Californian Poppy Friday night was "Amami" night or you could shampoo your hair with a sachet of Sunsilk which cost 4d Going to the pictures Going for walks in the park Window shopping Sipping frothy coffee in the cafe near our street Bonfire night Dancing at the local youth club Fish and chips on a Friday night Hula hoops My Dansette transistor radio (still working) Hair nets Wincyette nighties and pyjamas Washday was Monday (can still remember the boiler with the little blue bag to make the whites white, washboard and mangle) Coal fires Flat irons Double Your Money and Take Your Pick on the radio Plastic macs (mine was pink) Black suede ankle boots with a zip to the front Rain and snow

wow Winifred what a good memory i loved the hoola hoop i was pretty good to try it now "what a failure" 1d sweets you could get a bagfull for 6d

Helen I always failed miserably with the hula hoop - it started at my waist, but very quickly ended up around my ankles !!

you need the rythem with the hips, you have to sway those hips hark at me!! my 10 year old granddaughter puts me to shame i just watch now lol Helen

Being sent to the shop (pre supermarkets) told to get a box of OMO....coming back with a loaf of bread cos I forgot what I went for cos I was too busy wondering what to spend my penny with for going! 8 blackjacks?....8 fruit salads?...liquice laces?...sherbert lemons?..... sherbert dip dabs??? Stick of rubbard and a bag of sugar to dip it in from the allotment. Kiss chase at play time and waiting for Brian Chandler to catch me.....still waiting......(I was 6, 55 now) lol Attraction to first hubby....he had a Red Triumph Hereld Estate, brand spanking new! £600 on the road...we all gotta lift home that night ;o) lol (sold it 18years later...got 85 quid for it) cost me....three bloody kids!!!! and a divorce! lol Knicked 2/- from Mums shilling pot (saved for the gas meter) Bought some sugar bon bons.....ate em all in one go and was sick as a dog! aint touched em since! First visit to the new supermarket idea..... I felt like a thief. Everyone had a cat....to catch the mice! Friday night, bath night....Tin bath that lived hanging on a nail outside in the alley. My job was to skim the gnats of the water in the water butt....better than any modern day conditioners for your hair you get now! Always rinsed in skimmed rain water. First time we had soft paper loo roll with an outside loo.....kept under the buttler sink.....Mum would issue us with two sheets......I asked her if she wanted it back to wash and use again! lol I couldnt believe that it could be thrown away!!!!! what a waste! Before that, we had a shared toilet and my job as the youngest was to cut the newspaper into little squares, put a hole in the corner and thread string through and hang on a nail. Mondays....my sister and I used to scabble who was gonna wring and who was gonna feed....the mangle!....wash day.Always done outside in the alley. whatever the weather! Those were the days!!!!!...or were they? lol Gerri x ps...great thread

Hi Geri I think they were good days, hard going on mum of course she had all the hard work!! But the tin bath on a friday night!! cleanest one had the bath water first, outside loo, hard toilet paper, Memories, Helenxx

One word to you helen!....BRONCO!!! yuk yuk yuk lol hard on the arse....lol Mum told us to 'ruffle' it before use.........I think it was supposed to soak up more...lol just thought of another memory......me n my mate went to the bus station Loos.....we hada pee and then washed handies.....looked for 'TOWEL'......spotted a machine that said...TOWEL....paid the horendious price of 1/- I think it was........got this really thick thing with loops at each end...........need I say more?.....lol Dry handies all day...lol

Hi i was born in 1955 and i lived in a Pub i never sore my mum &dad they was allways working in the bar,so my brother who was 5years older then me looked after my but you lot have brough back the happy days, no worrys not a care in the world. Iwill be 50 this sept and i dont no were the years have gone but i would just like to say you lot have put a big SMILE on my facetoday thank you. Joanx

That was another thing being young in the 50's 60's the local policeman could give you a clip round the ear!! i remember being in awe of our local bobby, not that i ever encountered him but just the mere thought of him telling me mum and dad stopped me misbehaving, my brother got into trouble breaking a window in a derilict house, he had to pay a heafty fine which my mum and dad made him pay out of his pocket money. just another memory of the old days but please dont think i am getting at anyone born after these times, its just how things have changed Love Helenxx