it used to be posh but now it ain't

SnowyOwl_2

Does anyone else remember when calculators came in? They were so cool, so unusual and cost a packet - anybody with one just had to be super rich! Of course they were deemed unnecessary by most of the older generation. Think they might have a point - so many people can't do mental or manual arithmetic, the calculator just has to come out...

grunnie

Calculators came in our school 1974 and spread to all classes by 1978 .it seems just like yesterday. They cost about £10 which was a lot of money back then.

Ticklemouse

Hey - I got a calculator for Xmas in 1976 - it was a Casio scientific one, cost a fortune and it's still in my cupboard and is the one to come out when I need it. Never worked out how to use the scientific bits tho Think the only reason I haven't lost it is because it's so big

Cor, I must have been posh then Mind you, we weren't allowed to use them much at school, certainly not in exams.

MrsMW

I used to buy sachets of shampoo called "Dreen", I can still remember the smell!

Davidboy

We were sort of POSH as dad was an engineer, that was in the 50's and 60's, but things we had/didn't have were:-

TV, Black and white only BBC 1 and ITV. But we did have Dixon of Dock Green, and he always gave his Xmas speak on Xmas Eve, Black and White Minstrels and Morecambe and Wise, so all was not lost.

No central Heating, just a fire in the louge, bed clothes were cotton sheets that were frozen in winter (felt like it anyway), but had loads and loads of blankets on, felt like you were being compressed they were so heavy. Was ok after you got over the inital "shock" of the cold. Ice on the inside of bedroom windows, loved scraping it with my finger nail.

We had an imitation xmas tree and decorations, but they lasted the whole of my childhood, but loved getting them out every xmas.

Holidays were in a caravan somewhere cold, but had the old lovely gas lamps, loved the smell of those old lamps. Health and safety would go mad nowadays. Had to fetch the water in a big old jug that weighed a ton. Why was the only standpipe half a mile away?

Bathed once week, we were very posh cos we had a electric wall heater, looked great but never gave out heat. Used to have to pluck up the courage to get out of that bath to dry, before you froze to death. Sometimes never had shampoo, I had to use soap, do you remember the big green fairy bar of soap, thats what I used..... If mum could afford it we had Vosene.

Got our first phone when I was about 13, but it was on a party line, had to press the button to connect phone, that's if the other party had remembered to put the phone down properly, so had to pop over the road and ask them to put their receiver down.

Never ate out, the best we ever had (and a treat) was a bag of chips from the chippy...oooooh can smell them now!

The elver man comming round and shouting at the top of is voice...ELVERS. Dad used to buy a pint of elvers for mum to cook. YUK!

Me and sis used to buy a bag of sherbert and share it, went home with either a red of yellow finger, depending on what flavour we bought.

Oooooh 2 shrimp from the penny tray, or happenny for one. I used to buy at least 2d of sweets a week, thats about 1p. Which meant I could pick up something from the penny tray at least a couple of times a week.

Dad had on old black Citroen, with running boards and always trapped my fingers in the door, but was so well padded it never hurt. Having said that the flippin thing never used to start, still hear my dad swearing at it.

And to leave the best to last....proper winters, where we had snow every year. Spent many an happy hour with frozen fingers and solid wollen gloves, then warming up in front of a real coal fire.

Yes those were the days. Have I gone on a bit...sorry!!

Murtle

Don't be sorry! I'm finding this really interesting!!!

But.....what is this???

The elver man comming round and shouting at the top of is voice...ELVERS. Dad used to buy a pint of elvers for mum to cook. YUK!

I'm thinking I might have come from a different generation!!!

se999

Elvers are baby eels!!!

Pictures on this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20040126.shtml

They are still a delicacy in parts of Europe :eek:

There's a recipe here too

http://thefoody.com/fish/elvers.html

I normally like trying new foods, but I think this is a step too far for me

Davidboy

Ah sorry, unless you are from my part of the world (Gloucester) elvers are an unknown.

Elvers are baby eels, look like little worms, grey/see through in colour. They used to be caught in the River Severn (I think illegal to catch them now). But the elver man used sell them street by street. Only happened certain times of the year cos thats when baby eels were about..spring I think? Used to be a big bucket of these things swimming about in the back of his van, always attracted the kids (me). He used to shout "ELVERS" in a big bellowing voice to announce his arrival. You could buy them by the pint. Yes he used to have a pint mug put it into the squirming mass, you took some sort of container to put them in. They were then cooked alive, never used to watch that bit!! Or eat them Yuk yuk yuk!!!

Wish you hadn't asked now dont you? Hee hee

BWZN93

elona wrote:

Does anyone else remember buying shampoo in little sachets from the newsagent?

I was a teenager before I realised they came in bottles!

I remember being around 10 and having a sachet of Linco Beer Shampoo - I loved that stuff! I dont think that ever came in bottles - or am I wrong?

I miss the snow too - I think the last proper decent snow I saw was in dec 1996, I remember that I couldnt get to work and tried to walk to the corner shop, but got a leg stuck in a snowdrift that came up to my knee and falling over!

Proper snow that is really deep - I miss that. I lived in Durham in the late 80's - in a tiny little village that had only a farm and a pub where we could either use our pocket money on a coke in garden, bombay mix, peanuts, or mars bars - they didnt even sell crisps! Ot was great because there were so many fields and hills around - and went sledding all the time during winter, and my sisters and I had homebuilt ones - we thought it was posh to have one of the lightweight plastic shop bought ones, and were so pleased to get one each the next winter!

I miss coal fires too, im not fond of gas even thought they are convenient, as I love watching a real fire, its so comforting, and the firelighters smell lovely too!

Jo xx

Murtle

Davidboy wrote:

Ah sorry, unless you are from my part of the world (Gloucester) elvers are an unknown.

Elvers are baby eels, look like little worms, grey/see through in colour. They used to be caught in the River Severn (I think illegal to catch them now). But the elver man used sell them street by street. Only happened certain times of the year cos thats when baby eels were about..spring I think? Used to be a big bucket of these things swimming about in the back of his van, always attracted the kids (me). He used to shout "ELVERS" in a big bellowing voice to announce his arrival. You could buy them by the pint. Yes he used to have a pint mug put it into the squirming mass, you took some sort of container to put them in. They were then cooked alive, never used to watch that bit!! Or eat them Yuk yuk yuk!!!

Wish you hadn't asked now dont you? Hee hee

ick ick ick - that's as bad as the cat and it's mouse....please see one of my other posts if interested.....

Kind of going off food this month