General Chat

When checking out at the supermarket, an old lady asked if she could have some plastic bags, the young cashier suggested to the old woman that she should bring her own bags because plastic bags were not good for the environment.

The old woman apologised and explained, we did not have this green thing back in my younger days. The young cashier responded, that's our problem today, people of your generation did not care enough to save the environment for future generations.

Back in our day my generation may not have had this green thing - but ;-)

Back in our day, we returned milk bottles, lemonade bottles and beer bottles to the shop or pub and they sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, thereby using use the same bottles over and over again.

Back in our day shops bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable apart from putting household rubbish in them, was the use of brown paper bags to cover our schoolbooks to ensure that they were not defaced by our scribblings.

Back in our day we walked up stairs, because we didn't have lifts or escalator in every building, and we didn't climb into a vehicle every time we had to go to the shops, we walked.

Back in our day we washed the baby's nappies because we didn't have the disposable kind, and we dried our clothes on a line, not in a tumble drier, wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our days, and kids in those days did not always get brand-new clothes, they often got clothes handed down from their brothers or sisters.

Back in our day, we had one TV, or radio, in the house, not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, unlike the screens on modern plasma and lcd televisions of today.

Back in our day in the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have gadgets to do everything for us, and when we packaged a fragile item to send in the post we used old newspapers to protect it, not foam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back in our day, few had powered lawnmowers, most people used a push mower that ran on human power, and we exercised by walking, we didn't need to go to a health club to run on a treadmill operated by electricity.

Back in our day we drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We used refillable fountain pens with real ink, and we also replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade was blunt.

Back in our day, kids either walked, took the bus, took the train, or rode their bikes to school, they did not use their mums and dads as a taxi service.

Funny really how the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back in our day ;-)

:-D :-D

We have just stopped weekly bin collections. Now that sounds ok, but I am in the Rhondda. It is all tight terraces of houses so no chance of having bins - all the non-recyclable goes in black bin bags that burst open pretty easily. No back gardens often to put black bin bags either!!!

And that lady would have to pay at least 5p a bag in Wales. Farm Foods charge 55p for a good bag, and their 5p ones are hopeless. Morrisons 12p for a decent one, Asda best value at 6p - really good ones. Not been to Sainsbury in Ponty, but can imagine a security guard there prevents you from entering if you do not have your bags for life with you.

We are supposed to take our bags with us when we shop. But like loyalty cards and coupons, women take them, men don't :-( :-(

I think that old lady has a memory problem - back in the day we lways took a shopping bag with us - grocery shops did not hand out free bags - it was unthinkable not to have a shopping bag

Most things were recycled - pop bottles back to the shop, milk bottles back to the milkman

Even our toilet was recycled - every so often my Dad had to dig a big hole in the garden to empty it - now that is what I call recycling!!

Newspaper was cut into squares and hung on a nail in the toilet

Back in our day the young cashier would have got a clip round the ear for not respecting her elders ;-)

And our toilet was in the garden closet with newspaper squares too Ann.

We also had no electricity until I was 5 and only one cold tap in the kitchen until I was 8 *shudders and wonders how the heck Mum managed 3 under 5's in that tiny farm cottage*

......and shoes went to the cobblers, unless they had a Phillips stick a sole...j

This story has now been doing the rounds for about 5 years!!!!!

Must have been quite a few people with print on their bum :-D :-D :-D :-D

George :-)

I wonder how much tonnage we do not recycle compared to 50 years ago. Also, countries that have also become wealthier over that period and have increased wrapping and packaging like USA, Canada, Australia etc.

Think it might be quite a shock how dark our shade of "green" has become. And where is it all dumped :-S

I can vaguely remember that when we lived in in the miners rows in Glencraig we had an outside loo which was shared with our immediate neighbours.

It my memory is not playing tricks, it was constructed from corrugated iron sheets with a wooden door and on the inside of the door was torn up newspapers on a nail, the men of the families took turns at emptying it every week into a hole they had dug - as you say AnnCardiff that is what is called recycling.

Hmm why am I imagining the smell of Jeyes Fluid while I type :-D :-D :-D

They may have been hard times but they were good times ;-)

we first had electricity when I was in the grammar school - up until then it was gas light downstairs and candles upstairs

no bathroom, tin bath, one cold tap drawing water from a spring across the road - when we had a hot summer and the spring got low we had to go over to the spring to collect water

tilet recycling was interesting - in the summer when we had eaten a lot of tomatoes, the seeds of those we had eaten germinated in the garden and hey ho - lots of tomato plants!!! :-D

PigletsPal - yes various versions have been doing the rounds for several years, but thought I would post it as just as a bit of fun to invoke a few bygone memories ;-)

my Dad had a last and repaired all our shoes

AnnCardiff :-D :-D :-D

I still have a last - three sizes on it, man/woman/child - use it as a door stop. Also a flat iron. No one mentioned Blakies - hammed into heels of shoes.

The pig man came and collected swill. Stale bread???? bread and butter pudding/baby rusks.

Remember those old shopping bags we took everywhere - invariably snagging our tights!

Wasn't it lovely when the plastic carrier was invented - probably by someone young at the time!

Now it is trolleys being pushed by people on mobile phones ;-)

Tights???? Not in MY day they werent,
the only people that wore tights were Ballet dancers........

In MY day ladies wore REAL stockings with seams, and held up with suspender belts.

And the only women that wore trousers might have been Clippies
( lady Bus conductors)

OK Bobtanian
I've been caught out - almost giving my age away. But those wretched baskets ripped my nylons as well, but it was easier as only one leg was ruined not a whole pair as with tights.

Didn't those baskets ever scratch your knees?

Back in our days we got fish and chips in Newspaper not Polystyrene.

We had to walk over 10 yards for our toilet so if you were bursting to go you had to run like hell just in case someone got there before you.

No cars for going shopping in had to drag bags of food home from shops..

We also had polite shop assistants not mouthy ones like that assistant sounded.