General Chat

While reminising with friends over our childhood I realised that I had forgotten about quite a few things when they brought up an incident for e.g. how everyone coped with the fuel shortages of 1947 and the harsh winter then and 62/63.. So I wondered if it might be an idea for us all to add our memories on here of different decades. It could go in our family tree folder perhaps for future generation/s to see how we lived then. We could perhaps copy and paste everyone's memories I am assuming that if you all agree to add copyright would not then be infringed. I will not add any memories at this stage in case you think it's a daft idea. Pat off for a coffee

Patricia I think its a lovely idea. I also will not add at this stage but will later if everyone agrees Regards Jackie

Like the idea, not daft. I remember the summer of 1976 for being one of the hottest. I went playing on the slide in local park, can you remember the cast iron steps we had to climb, well I didn't realise at the time, they were so hot my feet were burnt underneath, ouch, I was wearing those flip flops that were all the rage. My poor feet were bandaged up for weeks! Also remember doing my homework by candlelight in the seventies when we had the powercuts. Bread strike, can't remember what year that was though, we could only have 1 loaf at a time, cost quite a bit too. Heather - will add more if I remember any.

Good idea. Lets see how some of the replies shape out and establish some sort of format. Late 30's and early 40's for me meant a bout of dipthiria(sp) - Isolation Hospitals and all that. 'Touch my fingers touch my toes - never go in one of those'. Diptheria and Scarlet Fever were the ones. Anyway lets see how it goes. Perhpas the best way forward is for members to ask questions on specific subjects.

I don't think it's a daft idea, Pat, but I, for one, could fill reams of A4 with all the things I remember happening throughout my lifetime. How boring is that? LOL >*|*<

I think this is a great idea. You have such a diverse pool of people here who could share, covering a wide area. I have no knowledge of the coldest winters, but the summer of 1976 is fixed in my mind. I was six. School did not request sunscreen and hats for children then. I would head out onto the parched school playing field at lunch time. Cracks zig-ziged through the turf. The daisys and plantain were shrivelled and brown. As you walked you tried not to step on the lady birds everywhere you looked. If you sat down, you would get bitten by these normally harmless insects.

Winter of 1963 The year I got married. It was so cold I had planned to get married on March 2nd and there was so much snow. I lived in a little Welsh Village in Breconshire and we could not get to the next village to see the vicar to organised our wedding. I had to wait until the snow melted to get up the mountain to the next village. We eventually got married on the 23rd March. There was still snow on the ground the day we got married. Close by where I lived was a picturesque beauty spot with beautiful water falls. It was so cold that year that one of the larger water falls froze solid. It was the most beautiful sight you could ever wish to see. It was in all the newspapers about it and a great big picture in the News of the World that particular week. My father owned the local pub in the village and because there was so much snow no vehicles could be driven too buy shopping etc. The next village did most of their shopping in our village so what they did was put chains on tractors so they could get through the snow, to take food to the next village. My dad's pub was used as a trading post because it was in between the two villages. It was the coldest time I ever remember but was also a lot of fun and happy times. It is marvellous how people help each other in time of need. There was a little Welsh tradition I remember also. The day I got married all the local children came and stood outside the church and the wedding group had to throw pennies to all the children. I thought that was rather cute. These poor kids stood in the freezing cold watching me and hubby waiting for their pennies. I may think of something else later Regards Jackie

I remember having to wear 'smog' masks, does anyone else? many a winters day I had one of these on going to school, I remember it so well.

Heather I rember the bread strike we were taken round several differnt shops by mum to get one loaf each!

Summer of '76 - wow what a year - we were lucky enough to have a public swimming baths near us and we spent every day there.... fortunately daddy made us wear sunscreen - or at least we'd pinch his cos it look like a fun thing to do!! :O)

Oh you little darlings those are the sort of Gems I meant. If we get enough maybe we could put them into the right decades but I bow to your experience I,m pretty useless on the boards. The coats reminded me of an old lady who used to cut the old ones into pieces and make rugs I think she used a bobbin. People were so poor that it was the only covering on the floor. 1940,s War and peace. Sitting in the air raid shelter singing songs to drown out the sounds of the planes and bombing. Feeling scared for my father who worked at the aircraft factory in Coventry. Finding shrapnel and swopping it for comics at school during playtime when we had our free bottle of milk. Listening to ITMA on the radio ,taking a neighbours accumilator (sort of battery for the radio) to be charged. Crying when my eldest brother was called up. Making friends with evacuees from London. The street party to celebrate the end of the war unlimited home made lemonade. Visiting Coventry and seeing the Catherdral ruins 1947 coal shortage freezing in school Scrumping yes I,m sorry to say I did that but it was a lovely apple tree. Rationing. Exchanging sugar for marg or vice versa Seeing folk fetch a jug of beer from the offlicence ( for just a few pence). Walking everywhere. playing outdoors. Top and whip, hopscotch, rounders - in the street - skipping using Mom's old wash line. Hearing 'speak when you are spoken to' and 'children should be seen and not heard. Enough for the mo Pat

have a photo of me in a coat cut down from one of dads , for the winter of 63.- no snowsuits then! I well remember mum pushing the pram - big coach built shiny black thing with bycycle sized wheels - thru the snow to fetch my older brother from school. I was 'plonked' in the handle end to provide ballast I think, with my little legs dangling minus my wellies, cos it wouldn't 'do' to mark the pram! (blow my cold toes!) Wasn't half the fuss there is now when the snow fell !

Not particularly the winter of 63 - piles of snow all down the footpath we walked to school that lasted until late march - but EVERY winter was freezing. Frost patterns on the windows every morning. And dad insisting the windows were kept open during the day to try to dry off the condensation. So bedrooms really were freezing. We didn't have central heating of course. One coal fire, in the living room, that ran the back-boiler for the hot water. A paraffin heater at the bottom of the stairs to try to take the chill off the upstairs rooms. Pyjamas kept downstairs, in the sideboard, so they wouldn't be damp when we went to bed. Bedsocks. Candles or an oil lamp left on in the bathroom to stop the sink & toilet freezing. Sounds prehistoric doesn't it! Only 35-45 years ago. Are we too soft now?

I remember the summer of '76' I was 8. The trips to Seaburn beach and going to the 'Cat & Dog Steps' on Roker Beach with Nana, eating egg & sand sandwiches, and being covered in Ambre Solaire suntan lotion...when I smell it now it takes me back....Mam used to make us sun dresses and all the girls in our family seemed to have one ...LOL...We went to Chester Le Street and swam in the River Wear, it was a great year... A xx

Patricia, What a good idea. Reading other peoples memories is very interesting. I was never allowed to leave for school without first having to take a spoonful of malt and a Halibut oil capsule ugh! The milkman delivered milk from a cart pulled by a little horse and you had to take your jug to be filled up. 'Donkey stoning' the step until it was a beautiful cream colour. If we couldn't afford a donkey stone I had to search on the bomb site for a decent piece of sandstone to use as a substitute. Blacklead the firegrate and Cardinel Red the floor tiles. My Grandmother spitting on the iron to test the heat as it was taken from the trivet over the fire. All fantastic memories of times past.

No Daft at all! The winter 63, I was due to 'do' the 11+ that year, The pipes in the school were frozen, so school was closed........to all except us, who needed extra lessons in preparation for the exam! we were allowed to wear trousers for that short time and wore gloves in classroom. Didn't do me any good, I still failed! Suex

No light polution in the 30's and street lamps went out at midnight. In 1936 the Crystal Palace burnt down on the 30th.Nov. Dad got me out of my bed to see this tremendous red glow in the sky and we lived right out in Staines. No news flashes so it wasn't till next morning that we knew what had happened. Stone Hotties, ice cold fresh sheets, I slept in the box room over the stairs and always pulled back the curtains to watch the stars.with breathing holes through 'Jack Frost ' patterns. Open Coal fires, mottled legs and when small, a galvanised bath. Rag rugs made from old stockings and bits of material Learning to play Cribbage with Grandad, and 'Beecher nayber' (Beat Your Neighbour Out of Doors) with Mum. Childrens Hour on the Radio with Uncle Mac, Auntie Muriel, Romany and his dog Raq.Sunday always had visits from far flung relations(Walthamstow or Enfield) took them about the same time on the Green Line buses as it does by car today. Green Line buses. Wonderful comfortable Coaches which linked up from Victoria Station London ,out to Windsor Ascot .Down to Kingston and to the east and north London. Ascot Boiler over the bath, Turn bar so that pilot light would fire main gas heater, Most people moved behind door as gas was often slow to ignite and it would go off with a window shaking Bang!! Think we will be triggerin other peoples memories for a while yet..hope So Jay

A lot of my kin came from Streatham 1880s so i thought it would be a good idea to put articals about life there and then just to show how hard a time they had,the clothes they wore,no shoes some of the poor kids, Just tryingmto get through to them, to realise how lucky my kids gran/kids are. Not sure if it will work my lot are insensative.

Are you patricia or Pat? Whatever, it is a good idea. but before we get muddles why don'r you start off different threads (i.e. memories of the 20s, memories of the 30s etc. then all the decades will be together. Ann glos

Camberwell Beauty. You can fill as many A4 pages as you wish - I'll read them all.