Childhood & Sentimental memories

balmaiden

Olliebeak,
Got to tell you that I used to have really bad aching limbs ,at night, as a child and was told they were growing pains. My daughter also suffered with them.
I am not sure they were growing pains tho' as I am 5ft and my daughter is 5ft 1!!

Mind you thinking about it perhaps we would have been even shorter if we hadn't had them

Iguana

bommer wrote: »

Hi, just thinking never had a thred nominated for the "one of the month" any chances?????

If not some more nostolger. Can't spell either. failed childhood!!!!

Playing out until called in by mom.
Mom's first front loading washing machine.
).
Old gas fridge which we use to play with in our den.
Nan and grandad babysitting for us on a saturday and watching Dallas.

Luv Bommer

Being told to get home before it got dark!

The top loader with the mangle o9n top taht was passed on by a richer relative!
No fridge!
Watching Dallas in my teens!

faye1978

Oooh! Childhood brings back memories of Gypsy Tart, half penny sweets, school chips & cheese.....mmmm

My childhood revolved around food, can you tell?? :rotfl:

Iguana

SPARKY16 wrote: »

i wrote about the rag and bone man earlier he used to give you a goldfish for a few rags
does anyone remember (gension violet not sure how its spelt) my nana used to put it on your skin for any complaint from a spot to a graze or a cut it stained your skin purple and took days to wash off
where she got it from or what it was i dont know we often went to school with a purple stain my mam used to say not to tell her when we had anything wrong with us lol
i would love to know what it was

Regarding the rag and bone man: we used to get money!

Hootie19

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Eating rhubarb fresh from the garden, raw, dipped in a cone of sugar made out of a twisted piece of paper.

Using my granny's dress making chalk to make a beds grid and using an old empty tin of shoe polish as a peever.

Eating turnip raw fresh from the garden and picking and shelling peas to eat was the sweetest treat ever.

Soup'n'puddin' night. Bowl of hearty scotch broth and eve's pudding to finish with as a cheap meal night.

Making dollies out of clothes pegs.

Taking 10p down to the wee shop for a page of 'scraps' to play with and swap.

Oooh GR - scraps!! You've taken me RIGHT back!! We used to spend HOURS with old biscuit tins and cut up sheets of newspaper to make layers for dividing scraps up. (I know from this alone, never mind the "beds" comment, that you are of Scottish origin . I'm an Ayrshire lassie myself)

I was bemused when none of the new friends I made when I came down to England for a holiday at my aunt's had no clue what scraps were!!

cheekyweegit

It was through the nomination of post of the month I found this. OMG the memories, the smiles, the border line tears, the loud laughter as I screamed at my screen. I'm so glad I didn't have food or drink near by as it would've been a health hazzard.

Here are some of my memories to add to the collection in no particular order:-

Milk delivered in sachets through the letter box to stop it getting nicked.

Picking and eating the green raspberries from my great aunts bushes as I thought the red ones were rotten.

Walks in the country side and taking carrier bags with us to pick a little something from the farmers fields.

Washday Saturday where a single drum washing machine was used for the washing and an old fashioned mangle was used to get the water out – boy did it stretch some of the clothes.

Getting my first job aged 12 and using the money to buy pretty bra’s and ankle sox which my sister used to pinch!

The rag and bone man and how my mum would give him nothing as she thought he was a conman.

Coats on the beds to keep us warm as we never had duvets (I did buy one eventually off my earnings and being ever so chuffed as I felt fashionable).

My granddad wrapping a block of ice –cream in newspaper and putting it in a draw in the hope it wouldn’t defrost before tea. How I miss him even now and it’s been 32 years since he passed.

Getting 2p from my granddad for the “icy” (ice cream man).

The handmade clothes, particularly the nightie which I’m sure I wore as a dress to a school party as it was a long gingham one.

Another one for the roller skates with the straps – no elbow / knee pads or helmet to protect us then.

The elastic bands from the Postie to play elastics using the greenie poles to hold them if there was not enough of you.

The washing freezing on the line when hung out in the winter.

The hard toilet paper which was / is like grease proof paper in my great aunts house. Still don’t understand why they are still in business as it smeared never wiped! Izal that’s what it’s called!!!!

Pans people, the dancers on Top of the Pops being a little raunchie and daring then.

My mum not letting us watch / see anything on TV with the slightest bit of nudity, even kissing I’m sure was out.

Perfume from rose petals too (boy did it stink).

Catching bees in jam jars too and then releasing a jar full of very sleepy bees at the end of the day. We stabbed holes in the lids of the jars to they could breath with forks.

Catching yella (yellow) nosey bees in our hands as they don’t sting.

Sherbet dibdabs – ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh still love them now. Double dippers too.


Black wellies in the winter for going to school.

Being told I couldn’t wear red as red heads don’t wear red they wear green, blonde’s wear red. My hair has darkened over the years to a reddish brown and I'm a rebel and shock horror sometimes wear red but feel the guilt.

Wearing my sister’s hand me downs – boy was I glad when I started work and grew taller than her.

Playing cribbie for hours (not to be confused with cribbage).

Going with a note to the little shop to get my mums ciggies and occaisionally Dr Whites (oh how I hated doing both).

Wrestling on tv on a Saturday afternoon, the Sunday matinee.

Cremola foam…………………………………… need I say more? Texas bars ?

Clackers – another fond memory.

My sister getting the prize for a competition we had both entered in a comic, she won using my jokes. I was gutted and my mum knowingly let her keep my prizes as it was a “shame”. Still not forgiven her for that and those different sized yo-yo’s were MINE NOT YOURS AND YOU KNOW IT!!!!!



Same sister breaking the legs of my Sindy doll not just once but twice as she broke the replacement dolls legs too - my mum still blamed me. She was and is evil lol.
My granddad eating liver and sitting with him eating tubs of hough (never have been able to source any which tasted as good as what he used to bring us).

The navy pants you had to wear under your school uniform which doubled as shorts on PE day.

Trips to the beach in the back of my neighbour’s Morris minor van with no seatbelts with their kids!!!! Shock horror.

My mum sobbing her heart out when I got my fringe cut in – obviously I was a rebel now and out of control. Same when I bought a Fred Perry T- shirt. I was out of control for doing that too!

Cadbury’s whole nut or fruit and nut bar at Christmas and a bar of dairy milk at Easter as it was more cost effective than an egg.

My first pair of jeans – my mum cried then too as apparently I was turning into a boy then I corrupted my big sister as she then wanted a pair. Any idea how hard it is to climb trees in a dress and shoes with a buckle?

OMG Soap and sugar on your knee when you fell - grated green fairy soap with sugar, on a piece of white cotton, held on with a plaster - drew all the dirt and grit out and made your scrape go all slimy – I remember this amongst many others, boy did it hurt if it was pink lint put on and ripped off!

The original smash advert for instant mashed potatoes.

Being scared of the daleks – nope terrified and hiding behind the couch when they came on Dr Who.

The dolly hospital I used to run trying to mend my friends dolly’s. Ok we fixed a few broken legs and got pen of a few dolls faces, but nowt major was carried out.

The look on my Brown Owls face when the Brownies were having a jumble sale and I said I’ll get the bag of clothes from my mum after she has taken the zips and buttons from them. I’m now mortified at my innocence then as she said “tell your mum not to bother!”

Ham shanks for home made soup which was always thick on the first day but watered down the second.

Cream eggs when they took more than one bite to eat them.

Bath only once a week on a Sunday before school. Rest of the week was a wash at the sink using Sheild soap as it had deodorant in it.

Playing kick the can.

Had a scrap book too, used to use an old book of my mums and you'd flick through the pages showing anyone who would look and often arrange to swap your duplicates. Angels / cherubs spring to mind as you always seemed to have loads of them for some reason of varying sizes.


I could go on for hours, but I was heading to my bed hours ago and kinda got distracted. Nice to know and see how many other share so many happy and some sad memories. Thank you all so much for sharing your memories with me.

passion8

Thanks to everyone for sharing your memories, they've brought back a few long-forgotten ones for me

My sister being born at home in 1957. I was only four and not expecting a sister, but the surprise wasn't in having a sister - it was seeing my sister for the first time laying in a large dressing table drawer that had been cushioned out with white sheets and blanket. My parents must have been going through one of their lean times lol. Then having to go with our Mam to collect tins of dried milk from the clinic; I think it was called National Health milk (??) and some type of orange juice and cod liver oil. Yukk

Slipping on the lino and splitting my eyebrow open and having to walk with my Mam to the children's hospital where they used a butterfly method instead of stitches - something that was very new at the time and for which I got sympathy and sixpence (old money) for my 'injury'

No-one had much money, but we lived in a block of flats and the parents created their own fun for us kids. Like taking it in turns to turn a huge skipping rope and pooling their money for fireworks on bonfire night, playing hopscotch, playing with whips and tops etc, so that everyone seemed equal. There was no keeping up with the Jones's, they were all a bit skint lol, but I do remember a bunch of us kids piling into a neighbour's house to watch their telly as they were the first amongst us to get the 3 channels - ITV I think it was? We thought they were rich - until then there'd only been two channels to watch. It's hard to imagine now But I remember most of the programmes that Olliesbeak mentioned and her recollections (and the build up to Coronation St beginning)..... halcyon days and Sparky16's and Iguana's memories of the rag man lol. I've left out any mention of sweets for now, so sorry MRSMACAWBER I'll try later though. And rosieben, I met Billy Fury

Joining my big brother to go 'Bommy raiding' .... or 'borrowing' other peoples bonfire wood before November 5th, and my brother getting beaten up for his trouble lol. Most arguments were settled with a one off fist fight (boys only obviously lol), and no grudges after the fight.

My Mam shopping at a small Co-op, and collecting her dividend slip, or 'divvy' as it was known, and religiously licking-and-sticking it on to a special sheet of paper. This sheet with divvies were sacred things, they equalled money and woe betide us if anyone forgot to pick up the divvy slip lol, but never being smacked unless it was for something really bad.

Having no home phone but some entrepreneur (thief lol) working out that if you tapped on the top of the public phone a number of times, the call was free. It's hard to describe how it worked, but if you wanted to ring , for instance, 85724, you tapped the top 8 times, then 5 times, then 7 etc. It rarely failed! And somehow or other, ringing Scotland Yard after someone told us kids the number!! rofl.

Always having a chenille tablecloth, and if we couldn't pay the club man, hiding under the bloody thing He always knew we were in .

My Gran and Grandads house. It was massive but they lived in the front room. It contained a double bed, one armchair, and various wooden dining chair, and an oil cloth clad table. There was no carpet, just lino and a clip mat (rag rug as mentioned above). I don't recall ever seeing my Gran sitting in an armchair, it was always a wooden chair.

The kettle was boiled over the coal fire, and meals like mince and mash were cooked in a small kitchen. No-one was allowed upstairs, too dangerous after an incendiary bomb had landed up there and repairs were minimal. In another room which was never used, there was stained glass French doors, and, if I remember right, a huge radio, and I mean huge lol, and framed photos of all of her grandkids and nieces and nephews, so a lot of frames. Grandad's day consisted of getting up, breakfast, pub and betting shop, nap in the afternoon, whether we visited or not, and listening to the radio. It was grim, but he was a miserable old !!!!!! . My Gran was a large lady, not helped by her spooning out condensed milk to drink, but I think it was Nestle's then - really thick and sweet. When she made us a cup of tea, she'd pour it into saucers to make it cooler, and we'd sip it off a saucer. I've never seen anyone do it before or since.

Gran rarely went out, although I remember her taking me along with her to be fitted for her corset at a very posh shop - very extravagant, but a must, and my Mam having to buy Gran's snuff. It came in twists of paper and sometimes we were given a sniff! It cleared your head, let alone your nose, but can you imagine it happening now?? I also remember her doing her washing in a 'posh' I think, and seeing Reckitt's Blue bags for the whites.

The winter of 1962/1963 which lasted months; the ice on the inside of the windows, and trench coats on the bed. The snow laid for months, and once our gloves were too wet to snowball with, out came the socks. It was also the year that the 5 of us moved from the 2 bedroomed flat to our first house, with stairs. I couldn't wait, but there was no such thing as Pickfords then; my Dad moved it all on a hired handcart LOL.

I've written too much already, and I haven't even got to 1964 when I passed my 11+ so I'll pop in and out of this thread. I'll never get anything done at this rate!

Thanks again everyone. I've just spent a lovely Sunday morning doing the three r's - reading, writing, and recalling.

balmaiden

Passion8,

I remember tapping out the numbers on the top of the phone to get free calls, It was the old telephones where you used your finger to "dial" the number and then had to quickly tap the number on the top before the dial returned to the start, i.e dial 8 tap 8 times, then on to next number.

As you say rarely failed, only if you didnt tap quick enough!

Spendless

balmaiden wrote: »

Passion8,

I remember tapping out the numbers on the top of the phone to get free calls, It was the old telephones where you used your finger to "dial" the number and then had to quickly tap the number on the top before the dial returned to the start, i.e dial 8 tap 8 times, then on to next number.

As you say rarely failed, only if you didnt tap quick enough!

I remember this too. My friends discovered it as a way to get round my mum locking our phone by buying a lock that fitted on the first hole on the dial. I'm almost 41 and still have not confessed.

Only infant schools finishing at 3.30. Juniors and Seniors finished at 4pm, and the majority of children walked to school by themselves.

Not stopping school dinners and going home instead.

stefejb

balmaiden wrote: »

Passion8,

I remember tapping out the numbers on the top of the phone to get free calls, It was the old telephones where you used your finger to "dial" the number and then had to quickly tap the number on the top before the dial returned to the start, i.e dial 8 tap 8 times, then on to next number.

As you say rarely failed, only if you didnt tap quick enough!

Oh we used to stick an ice lolly stick in the tuppence slot - wish I'd known about the other method as we rendered several phoneboxes inoperable when the lolly stick broke