Do you remember when .... | ExpatWoman.com
 

Do you remember when ....

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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 13:33

Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favourite 'fast food' when you were growing up?'

'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.'Except for Fish & Chip shops and we ate it all so unhygenically from newspaper wrappers'
'All the other food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously.. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'home,' I explained.
'Mum cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

By this time, the lad was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.

But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I'd figured his system could have handled it:

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore jeans, never set foot on a golf course, never travelled out of the country and credit cards had not been invented.

My parents never drove me to school. I had my mothers bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until the Queens Coronation.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at 10 pm, after playing the national anthem and epilogue; it came back on the air at about 4 p.m. and there was usually locally produced news and everything was live.....or film.

I never had a telephone in my room. The only phone was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home... But milk was, and the bread.

All newspapers were delivered by paperboys --Many of us delivered newspaper's, seven days a week, and had to get up at 6AM every morning.

Film stars kissed with their mouths shut. At least, they did in the films. There were no movie ratings because all movies were responsibly produced for everyone to enjoy viewing, without profanity or violence (except cowboy films) or almost anything offensive.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it?

MEMORIES from a friend:
My Dad is cleaning out my grandmother's house (she died in December) and he brought me an old Royal Crown Cola bottle. In the bottle top was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it... I knew immediately what it was, but my daughter had no idea. She thought they had tried to make it a salt shaker or something. I knew it as the bottle that sat on the end of the ironing board to 'sprinkle' clothes with because we didn't have steam irons. Man, I am old.

How many do you remember?
Headlight dip-switches on the floor of the car.
Ignition switches on the dashboard. There were two postal deliveries per day.
Trouser leg clips for bicycles without chain guards. The street lights were turned off at about 11pm each night.Soldering irons you heated on a gas burner.
Using hand signals for cars without turn indicators. Corona fizzy drinks were delivered in glass bottles by lorry each week, and the empties returned.
.>
Older Than Dirt Quiz:
Count all the ones that you remember, not the ones you were told about.
Ratings at the bottom.

1. Sweet cigarettes
2. Coffee shops with juke boxes
3. Home milk delivery in glass bottles
4. Party lines on the telephone
5. Newsreels before the film
6. TV test card patterns that came on at night after the last show and were there until TV shows started again. (There were only 2 channels [if you were fortunate])
7. Peashooters
8. 78 rpm records
9. 45 RPM records
10. Hi-fi's
11. Potato spud guns
12. Blue flashbulbs
13. Cork popguns
14. Wash tub wringers

If you remembered 0-3 = You’re still young
If you remembered 3-6 = You are getting older
If you remembered 7-10 = Don't tell your age
If you remembered 11-14 = You're positively ancient!

I must be 'positively ancient' but those memories are some of the best parts of my life.

Don't forget to pass this along!!
Especially to all your really OLD friends....I just did!!!!!!!!!

452
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 01:35
Donny Osmond, clackers, Jackie, playing canasta ... I'd forgotten about them. Does anybody remember loons - those ridiculously wide flared jeans and those stinky afghan coats? Biba? Ready, Steady, Go? Watch With Mother - Andy Pandy ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLLI7V-xcQA
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 23:15
And confess, who else was in love with Donny Osmond ? edited by Nscm7859 on 22/04/2012 Ooohhhhhh!!!!! I still am!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 22:12
Yes, the postable record player was grey and it had a leather finish! We used to sing "Packet of Rinso" when playing with the ball and doing the different actions and if you got through one set you had to double and then treble the actions. Must have been so good for hand and eye coordination! I had those clangers as well, mine were a bright blue pair. The more you think about those days the more memories come back. So vivid. I remember the clothes I used to wear. Always a nice dress on Sunday and then on Monday afternoon after school my mum used to tell me to wear it again to "dirty it out" before she washed it. 7 children so no wonder she only washed the clothes when they were really dirty. She used to put my brothers' trousers under the mattress to "iron" them.
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:59
Those clickers were lethal, they were so hard and just as you it then moving at top speed our hand would get in the way and you would end p with a great big bruise. Don't think elf and safety woukd allow them nowadays! Jackie was great, esp the problems page, what a lot I learnt about s # x that my mother would never have been able to discuss with me. And confess, who else was in love with Donny Osmond ? edited by Nscm7859 on 22/04/2012 My Sister was with David Cassidy and had a badge with his face on she is 48 :-)
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:38
This is a great thread. My older sister had this great little portable record player that could be packed away like a little suitcase. I thought it was the best thing ever. When I was a bit older I also used to tape my fav songs from the radio and I still have some of those cassettes! [b'>My sister had one of these record players. It was light grey and I was envious as I wanted one as well but was too young[/b'> I loved the Vesta curries and I felt very adventurous eating them. My parents would not touch them and only ate meat and 2 veg (one always potatoes) for their dinner. [b'>Me too, I was so cultured with my Vesta curries LOL. My parents only ate bland English food as well.[/b'> Me and my friend played elastics but used the legs of Mums good chairs in the dining room! I used to have a FP till and play shop, this entailed taking everything out of the cupboards and selling it to my Brother and Sister I had one of the portable record players and you had to set it to the right speed or it sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks, if i remember rightly it was an orange one I had a silver cross brown double pram for my dolls, an amazing homemade dolls house and a homemade wooden rocking horse which my Mum gave away and most probably would of been worth a fortune now The first portable TV my Brother got was in black and white and you had to use a coat hanger for the ariel... The good old days... :-) We also used to spend hours out on the street with all the kids playing together - skipping, skating and playing with two small rubber balls (you'd have to go through a whole routine, while singing, of bouncing them against the wall, throwing them up in the air etc). No such thing as play dates. [b'>I used to play double balls as well, could do tricks with those balls, through legs, over and underarm on the walls.[/b'> edited by A Rancher on 22/04/2012 Does anyone remember those clacker things, two hard balls on a string that used to bruise your hands as you swung them together?. Oh and those ball on the end of a loop that you used to jump over. I remember Twinkle and Jackie comics, and looked forward to the little freebies inside them.
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:33
This is a great thread. My older sister had this great little portable record player that could be packed away like a little suitcase. I thought it was the best thing ever. When I was a bit older I also used to tape my fav songs from the radio and I still have some of those cassettes! [b'>My sister had one of these record players. It was light grey and I was envious as I wanted one as well but was too young[/b'> I loved the Vesta curries and I felt very adventurous eating them. My parents would not touch them and only ate meat and 2 veg (one always potatoes) for their dinner. [b'>Me too, I was so cultured with my Vesta curries LOL. My parents only ate bland English food as well.[/b'> We also used to spend hours out on the street with all the kids playing together - skipping, skating and playing with two small rubber balls (you'd have to go through a whole routine, while singing, of bouncing them against the wall, throwing them up in the air etc). No such thing as play dates. [b'>I used to play double balls as well, could do tricks with those balls, through legs, over and underarm on the walls.[/b'> edited by A Rancher on 22/04/2012 Does anyone remember those clacker things, two hard balls on a string that used to bruise your hands as you swung them together?. Oh and those ball on the end of a loop that you used to jump over. I remember Twinkle and Jackie comics, and looked forward to the little freebies inside them.
3863
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:32
did you used to sing along to the songs with your copy of the lyrics from Smash Hits?? Oh yes, absolutely!!! I used to cut out my favourite lyrics and keep them in a folder. (we could never have imagined a day when we could do a google search and get lyrics instantly! LOL!) A 1970 birthday here! OMG the memories! 1972 here and i was in love with Shakin Stevens and ABBA! <em>edited by louisedvs on 22/04/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:17
I used to sit with my finger hovering over the record and stop buttons to try and "edit" my recordings but always ended up with the first syllables of DJ chat!! I should also add that I've got a cassette recording of the pop chart where our family dog barked halfway through one of my favourite songs and on my recording you get the dog bark and me swearing at him!!! Classic!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:14
did you used to sing along to the songs with your copy of the lyrics from Smash Hits?? Oh yes, absolutely!!! I used to cut out my favourite lyrics and keep them in a folder. (we could never have imagined a day when we could do a google search and get lyrics instantly! LOL!) A 1970 birthday here!
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:03
Love Chester with its lovely old Tudor buildings, The Rows, used to go boating on the river and have picnics on the banks. My DH came from Llandudno and I met him whilst he was doing his MANWEB apprenticeship in Hoylake (next door to Meols) ! Been to Flat Foot Sams many times. It was part of the Stanley Hotel where we had our wedding reception. Have friends in Willaston and one of my oldest friends from school lived in Bromborough so know that quite well too. It's a small world ! I'm from Llandudno ;) Very small world! Very small world :-) Havent been to Llandudno for years tho! My friends take their dogs for walks there tho :-) I had my wedding reception in Llandudno!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:03
Twinkle and Bunty comics then in later years Jackie, Smash Hits and photo story books and taping the top 40 off the Radio on a Sunday night! I had a Saturday job at Lilley and Skinner shoe shop and used to save my whole months wages to get a pair of white stillettos with staff discount! oh and lastly the band Kajagoogoo anyone remember them?? Dont forget My Guy haha and Lamal from Kajagoogoo... Too shy shy haha The photo stories in My Guy!! I loved them! and had a massive crush on Lamal - didnt he have purplish spiky hair??
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:59
Love Chester with its lovely old Tudor buildings, The Rows, used to go boating on the river and have picnics on the banks. My DH came from Llandudno and I met him whilst he was doing his MANWEB apprenticeship in Hoylake (next door to Meols) ! Been to Flat Foot Sams many times. It was part of the Stanley Hotel where we had our wedding reception. Have friends in Willaston and one of my oldest friends from school lived in Bromborough so know that quite well too. It's a small world ! I'm from Llandudno ;) Very small world! Very small world :-) Havent been to Llandudno for years tho! My friends take their dogs for walks there tho :-)
3863
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:58
Twinkle and Bunty comics then in later years Jackie, Smash Hits and photo story books and taping the top 40 off the Radio on a Sunday night! I had a Saturday job at Lilley and Skinner shoe shop and used to save my whole months wages to get a pair of white stillettos with staff discount! oh and lastly the band Kajagoogoo anyone remember them?? Dont forget My Guy haha and Lamal from Kajagoogoo... Too shy shy haha
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:47
I am guessing Mareas that we are of the same generation, as I could have written your post! Do you remember those cut out paper dolls that used to appear on the back of Bunty?! I loved them! And did you get fed up when the DJs (deliberately) talked over the beginning and end of the tracks on the top 40 to stop people like you and me recording them?! LOL Shamat! 1968 Birthday!! Oh yes now I remember the paper dolls! I used to sit with my finger hovering over the record and stop buttons to try and "edit" my recordings but always ended up with the first syllables of DJ chat!! did you used to sing along to the songs with your copy of the lyrics from Smash Hits?? I think we had a much better time as teenagers than the kids do now!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:40
I am guessing Mareas that we are of the same generation, as I could have written your post! Do you remember those cut out paper dolls that used to appear on the back of Bunty?! I loved them! And did you get fed up when the DJs (deliberately) talked over the beginning and end of the tracks on the top 40 to stop people like you and me recording them?!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:19
Twinkle and Bunty comics then in later years Jackie, Smash Hits and photo story books and taping the top 40 off the Radio on a Sunday night! I had a Saturday job at Lilley and Skinner shoe shop and used to save my whole months wages to get a pair of white stillettos with staff discount! oh and lastly the band Kajagoogoo anyone remember them??
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:12
My husband all his life, me most of it! But we're in our 30's and 40's :)
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 14:44
LoopyLoo - very small world indeed. How long did you live there ? My DH lived there until he was 21 and as I lived on the Wirral we had a long distance relationship for 5 years only seeing each other at weekends. With visiting him and my Dad having lived in Llandudno, I know it pretty well.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 13:36
Love Chester with its lovely old Tudor buildings, The Rows, used to go boating on the river and have picnics on the banks. My DH came from Llandudno and I met him whilst he was doing his MANWEB apprenticeship in Hoylake (next door to Meols) ! Been to Flat Foot Sams many times. It was part of the Stanley Hotel where we had our wedding reception. Have friends in Willaston and one of my oldest friends from school lived in Bromborough so know that quite well too. It's a small world ! I'm from Llandudno ;) Very small world!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 13:24
Steve Wright is on the radio now as he does a show on a Sunday with requests for Love Songs, followed by Terry Wogan - favourite day at work as get to listern to some great 'old' stuff. Used to live at the bottom of a hill and enjoyed watching the boys skateboard down and then walk back up again. Great memories - thanks!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 13:19
This is a great thread. Does anyone remember the old tape recorders with the huge reels? My Dad had one of those and no one was allowed to touch it. My older sister had this great little portable record player that could be packed away like a little suitcase. I thought it was the best thing ever. When I was a bit older I also used to tape my fav songs from the radio and I still have some of those cassettes! I loved the Vesta curries and I felt very adventurous eating them. My parents would not touch them and only ate meat and 2 veg (one always potatoes) for their dinner. Friday night we had fish and chips (we callled a small serve of chips a single), my mum loved a bit of ray. All the chip shops in our area were run by Italians, the Macaris, - we thought fish and chips were Italian food! We also used to spend hours out on the street with all the kids playing together - skipping, skating and playing with two small rubber balls (you'd have to go through a whole routine, while singing, of bouncing them against the wall, throwing them up in the air etc). No such thing as play dates. ETA we used to get milk at school. I remember coming back from a school trip (we only went to the zoo or the seaside) and the milk had been left all day in the sun. The teachers still made us drink it. <em>edited by A Rancher on 22/04/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 06:44
Oh I love this, I'm really ancient too. Muffing the Mule, Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben and then later watching the Daleks from behind the sofa! The toy craze at the time were puppets and plastic 'glass' cinderella shoes. Yep dandelion and burdock and Tizer pop. Brilliant thread, thank you.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 April 2012 - 11:29
How great ................i remember licking the co -op green shield stamps, and putting them in the books, our backerlite telephone, with only a 4 digit tel number, and yes the party line, the coal fire....so you were toasty at the front and freezing at the back.......and so much more !!! Thank you for prompting a lot of memories.....and what about The Clangers, and the soup dragon !! great !!!!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 21:24
Excuse my ignorance, but why did they have machine guns? Did you live in a guarded compound? sorry..yes we did. Was totally normal to me then! Was this during 1994/95 ?
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 11:38
Yes! and anyone remember 'Virol' ?:) I loved Virol and had a spoonful every day. Also remember tins of Cadbury's drinking chocolate that was like crumbled up Flakes that they make now. Used to eat it out of the tin ! <em>edited by amelia on 20/04/2012</em>
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 11:32
Yes! and anyone remember 'Virol' ?:)
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 11:14
Muffin the Mule was on TV in the 1950's and Annette Mills was the presenter. Someone else worked the puppet.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 11:11
we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate, I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.' I remember this as if it were yesterday! Love this thread! edited by Catherine Abigail on 20/04/2012 <em>edited by Catherine Abigail on 20/04/2012</em>
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 01:48
DH reminded me earlier - do you remember when, in the old days of telephones with round dials and fabric covered cables connecting the handset to the bit with the dial, you picked up the handset and tapped the cradle to be put through to the exchange who then asked you what number you wanted? Or the old telephone boxes - push button A or push button B? Sherbet Fountains with the liquorice stick? Watch With Mother? Andy Pandy? Bill & Ben? The Woodentops? And, wasn't there one called Muffin the Mule or am I imagining that?! Have a good weekend, ladies.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 21:18
we used to go roller-skating at the local roller-rink and the floors were polished wood?
 
 

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