Bring back the memories!!

[nigelb]

I must be ancient because I remember most of those things. Our first car was affectionatly known as "The Old Rip" and it started with a hand crank. I think it was a 1930 something Rover. After the old rip died, out second car was an Austin with the side turn indicators. It also had built in wheeel jacks. I don't recall either the year or the model.

I do remember watching the Coronation at a releatives house. We did not get our own television until 1954 and it was second hand. Never had more than 1 television channel when we lived in the UK because our telly would not get ITV. Anyway we still listened to the wireless a lot because I remember "Journey Into Space as one of my favourties. I had a clockwork gramophone and lots of old 78's given to me by a great aunt (I still have both).

Corona had some weird flavours including dandelion and something I can't recall. There was a special delivery on Wednesday for the football pools. Milk and bread were delivered and I think it was an electric cart. When I was ten, Davey Crockett was huge. I had the coonskin cap and other paraphernalia. The nearby field we played in became the wilds of Tennessee. They are now covered with housing estates. Teddy Boys were something to avoid if you didn't want a spot of bother. Conker fights were fine though and I remember trying all sorts of methods to harden the conker. I think vinegar was fairly good for that.

Sixpence would buy a lot of sweets and a big Ice cream cone from Tonibell or Walls. Walls gave away this circular cardboard device that had all sorts of facts about the planets - you turned the wheel to the planet and could find out a lot of info on each planet. It is all out of date now, of course. I think sixpence also got you into the Saturday matinee at the Granada in Bedford after we moved there. We watched old Little Rascals and Shirley Temple films. The show was preceded by some bloke playing the organ and lyrics to songs flashed on the screen for the kids to sing along to. That is where I first heard "Singing The Blues" which I loved and brought the inexpensice 78rpm from Woollies. Crisps cost a threpenny bit and came with a little pouch of salt wrapped in a blue wrapper inside the bag. Gobstoppers were only 1 1/2 pence. We had no refrigerator, so it was trips to the markets, butchers, fishmongers and greengrocers nearly every day. I started to collect the Match Box series and had a fairly big collection. I foolishly gave them away as a teenager. Riding the Northern Line for fun! Bob-A-Job week. This list could go on and on but ...........

Enough geezing!

Nigel²

[Tomliner]

Right,well as I remember pretty well everything previously mentioned that must mean that I am positively ancient.Guess what-I don't care!As I read through the posts,I was trying to recall things that may have been missed-eg the rag and bone man,Corona bottles,sweet cigarettes etc but obviously there are one or two other oldies here as well!
What about power cuts,the flashes at night from trolley bus pick-up arms,and the 'snowflakes' on an old b&w tv set caused by a passing unsupressed car,liquorice sticks called Spanish root-Oh don't start me off! EricT

[Garry Russell]

Nigel

There was until the early eighties at least 5here was a flavour called Dandelion and Burdock.....not Corona here though, we never had that brand.

[Molyned]

Oh dear I graduated with top honours having recognised all the above !! You forgot one - teenage girls (or whatever we called them then) who 'didn't do that'.
Time for bed me-thinks. Ah well, nostalgia 'aint what it used to be.
Cheers
Dave M(oly)

[Tomliner]

Garry,Dandelion & Burdock flavoured drinks are still widely available in some outlets such as delis and garden centre cafes.Who remembers Cream Soda flavour drinks?EricT

[Tako_Kichi]

Garry,Dandelion & Burdock flavoured drinks are still widely available in some outlets such as delis and garden centre cafes.

Believe it or not we can get imported Dandelion & Burdock from our local grocery store here in Canuckistan! They also supply Tizer, Vimto and Irn Bru too.

Who remembers Cream Soda flavour drinks?EricT

Oooh I do...and I loved it too.

[Garry Russell]

One thing I don't see much of now is wasps.

They used to be everywhere.......all the little bins were infested with them, I I hardly ever see on now

We used to have to have traps made up of sticky goo to attract them and they'd fall in.

[DispatchDragon]

I remember the Corona man when we lived in Brockworth my brother and I won a Table tennis out kit from some competition he had

Lets see what else

Ice cream men --- I remember there was an Italian family called "Tartaglia" that had both bicycle delivery and vans -- you would find the vans in some really off the wall spots in the Cotswolds.

Sammy Moreland Matches -- real wooden ones that had red heads and could be struck anywhere.
Anyone else have a Parafin man that made home deliveries?
Coop mobile grocery vans -- they all seemed to be the big Commer variety.
My goodness my Guiness billboards (The real ones)
"The Birds is coming" signs on London transport buses (the signs they put on the wrap around corners at the front of doubledeckers.
Billy Cotton's Band show on Sundays?
those stick on car window defrosters?
real Steam Rollers? Gloucester CC had a couple they used until the early 60s?
ATC and "YJAC" parades through the center of town (Luton was good for those)
Honest to god "Watchman" huts at building sites - complete with brazier and those square red caution lanterns?
When most motorcyclists wore the bi lensed flying goggles?
oh yes and when really really cool motorcyclists wore their Sidcot suit jackets? (demobbed variety)
speaking of which -- Demob suits?

Ah trivia -- who remembers what song was played when Radio London went off the air in 1966 ?? better yet who listened and felt like the whole world had ended?

ok Ive shown my age enough

Well bugger me -- I found a Tartaglia van -- although I dont think they used Bedfords in my day --



Leif

[Garry Russell]

Ah yes.the stick on defrost patches.

Remember the little vents in the forward side wall under the dash you could open to let the breeze in..and or course quarterlights

Stick on blue paper Sunblinds on 'busses.

We had the parfin man

We used to be able to buy coke from the coal merchats which was for you younguns, house coal that had had the gas extracted by the gas company and the remaing coal was ideal for solid fuel cookers and boilers.

Steam steriilsers that sat chuffing away pumping steam trought the growers ground before grow bags swept all that away with fresh soil each year.

Cows being hand milked in the field and turning over the cow pats so they would dry and then could be burnt.

Road gangs with pick axes and large weights on long handles to pound the ground flat after reinstating.

Aeroplanes with more than one wing and two or three tails and also seeming normal to fly with your car.

Cars being craned on and off ferries

Even ultra modern inventions or so we thought seem to be fading away now like Hydro-foils and Hovercraft.

We have, in recent times, witnessed the birth and death of music casettes, video tapes, 5.5 inch floppys and BASIC language......CB radios have largely faded now.....this side of the Pond at least.

[AndyG]

"The Birds is coming" signs on London transport buses (the signs they put on the wrap around corners at the front of doubledeckers.
Billy Cotton's Band show on Sundays?

No, I think you're wrong with that one - all London buses had that advert for Pearl Assurance surely?

Which reminds me of the Friday visits from the Man from the Pru.