If you watched Grange Hill and Worzel Gummidge, had 5 TV channels, started school with singing in the main hall, played in the woods, made a den, a game was Kerby, Kiss Chase or British Bulldog with not a computer in sight, rode your bike, had to be in before dark, got grounded if you were late, not even the home phone was mobile,... vandalism was scratching the school desk with a compass, you recorded the top 40 off the radio on tape, got 10 sweets in a 10p mix and you turned out ok, .... THIS IS WHEN BRITAIN WAS GREAT
RANT OVER......JIM
A pair of compasses Jim, I know there is only one but there it is. Write out a hundred lines. . :-* . . . .
Cheers, Tony.
Actually I climbed trees, lit fires scrounged food off allotments to cook on the fires... played hockey in the street , made and fired bows and arrows and all in a dress. no jeans in sight....
I also had jeans pulled up, laces in my boots, "replayed" the cup-final up the park immediately after the game finished, collected esso coins, did airfix models only went home when hungry. If I hung around the house Mum would tell me to go out and get from under her feet
Didn't have a telly, went to school 6 days a week, got beaten regularly by suspisious older men at said school, two hours of homework every night, got left outside the pub for hours as kids weren't allowed in, everything shut on Sunday, power cuts, bread shortages, strikes, crap restaurants, no computers (bad!), no telephone, acne, forced prayers,....
Quotehad 5 TV channels,
fom jimtheworzel
What do you mean 5 TV channels- we only had three! (and that's plenty in my view)
Pubs shut at 10.30, you got the last bus home and were in bed early enough for
school work the next day ;)
I missed the Great bit then, was too busy at work ::)
Typical 1970 day.............im 10
Skooooooooooooooooools out !!!!!!!!
"Behave yaself "sez mum,yeeeeeeeeeees says I !!!!!!!!!
Slam goes the door,im up within seconds reaching for airfix models,introduce glue and plastic bits to bed linen.
Leave that to set and go to kitchen,the cats are sprawled in front of the rayburn in the kitchen,"dont let it go out" says dad....so I riddle the hell out of it and remove clinker and whilst dragging me jarmy bottoms along the concrete garden floor coal scuttle in hand,kick a ball that rebounds off the shed and into next doors garden,Ill get it later when they aint looking.
Fill scuttle,and notice a few bees flying around the garden....back to them later.
Load the Rayburn,reposition moggies to roast on a low heat on the mat whilst wiping dirty feet on it at same time.
Black and white TV goes on,ok so im not watching it really as im more interested in trying to work me sisters new
record player,stack about 20 singles on it including Layla...not fussed about the song really but the young girl that cuts me hair is always playing it in the shop ""and a young lad can dream"" !!!!!!!!
Survey the previous days carnage on the new 3 piece suite
,leatherette material now has air conditioning from where me and sis where playing sword fighting ...guess who grabbed the poker......oooooops.,,,my behind is still sore from the good hiding dad gave me even though I tried to blame me older sis....got what I deserved.!!!!
Back to the bees,they are not annoying anybody buts thats no excuse is it .....go into shed and get two powder extinguishers (dad works for chubb fire)and within seconds the back garden looks like a winter wonderland scene......the bees aint impressed though as they buzz around like mini cue balls with wings.
Thatll hold em me thinks !!!...extract glued airplanes from bed sheets and stuff fusilage with bangers....open window and a 4 second dog fight happens as said models fall to floor before bangers have desired effect......lovely !!
Leave jarmies on floor and throw whatever cloths there are to hand,meantime door is rattling to sound of mates arriving.....for brekky...."what we having sez allan"
same as usual french toast says I.
Frying pan is assembled on ring as me mate beats eggs and milk and before ya know it we are stuffed with 10 slices of brekky with chins dribbling with juices.....lovely grub tell ya mum..!!!
"well what we up to"says allan....how about some serious scrumpin ....before the words have faided we are across my back fence and in me neighbours plum orchard and as allan sits below me I am dropping pounds of victoria plums for us to stuff our faces with.
The back door of the house is opened and we know we have about 10 seconds before the owners dogs are upon us.
Its that childish adrenalin rush that only kids get when theyve been up to no good and have limited time to escape the retribution that is snarling teeth in your behind.
As we sit in my lounge larfing like kids do and congratulating ourselves on getting away with a fine haul of goodies,the back door goes and in walks mum...ye gods the mornings gone and shes home for lunch.....well,her face is a picture as we munch on our ill gotten gains,
"What you been up to" she says"knowing full well shes already walked over burnt airfix remains and been agosh at the back garden resembling a snow storm......nuffin sez I..as I try to ram the bag of plums behind the suite cushions.
shes soon gone back to work with the words "get this place cleaned up afore ya dad gets home " ringing on my ears......yes mum.....fat chance as we plan our afternoons shenanigans............................................
Oh to be a kid again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gazza
Gazza, your tale did make me laugh! I didn't really have that kind of childhood unfortunately, although we had a big backyard so I spent all day out there faffing around.
Was just thinking that kids today hardly know where fruit and veg come from! Wonder if they would be scrumping? My dad had very fond memories of scrumping, in Farnborough in the 30's, they would send my uncle up the tree cos he was scrawny and he chucked the apples and plums and things down to the others.
I am also a terrible scrumper and on holidays in warmer climes (or even around here) when we go for hikes, I almost always find a wild apple or plum tree or blackberries (errrr and occasionnally trees that are not wild but just well positioned) and fill my pockets up. This embarrasses my kids no end, but I know that most times, the windfalls just rot or there is too much fruit to use up. Last year it was figs, we stuffed our faces with wild figs last year, and had excellent bowel health for the whole holidays. ;D ;D ;D