Things from the past you would not get away with today....
Discussion
My best friend at secondary school was a farmer's son, and I spent many happy days playing on their farm. We used to go shooting, the back room of their farmhouse always had several guns lying around that we were welcome to use, from .22 air rifles to a nice bolt action .410 shotgun and a couple of 12 bores. This was in the mid 70s when we would have been young teenagers, even his very straight laced mum didn't have a problem with us taking the shotguns out.
And driving, we had a couple of old motorbikes that we hacked across the fields, so it didn't seem outrageous when a family friend let us have a go on his new Ducati 900, then the fastest road bike in the world (1976ish), as we were only about 13 we had to put a couple of straw bales either side of the bike to set off as we weren't tall enough to get our feet on the ground - out the drive, up the road and back, no problems. I learnt to drive on the farm in an old column change A35 pickup truck, from the age of about 12 we just used the farm vehicles as needed, it was never considered strange even.
And driving, we had a couple of old motorbikes that we hacked across the fields, so it didn't seem outrageous when a family friend let us have a go on his new Ducati 900, then the fastest road bike in the world (1976ish), as we were only about 13 we had to put a couple of straw bales either side of the bike to set off as we weren't tall enough to get our feet on the ground - out the drive, up the road and back, no problems. I learnt to drive on the farm in an old column change A35 pickup truck, from the age of about 12 we just used the farm vehicles as needed, it was never considered strange even.
RYH64E said:
My best friend at secondary school was a farmer's son, and I spent many happy days playing on their farm. We used to go shooting, the back room of their farmhouse always had several guns lying around that we were welcome to use, from .22 air rifles to a nice bolt action .410 shotgun and a couple of 12 bores. This was in the mid 70s when we would have been young teenagers, even his very straight laced mum didn't have a problem with us taking the shotguns out.
And driving, we had a couple of old motorbikes that we hacked across the fields, so it didn't seem outrageous when a family friend let us have a go on his new Ducati 900, then the fastest road bike in the world (1976ish), as we were only about 13 we had to put a couple of straw bales either side of the bike to set off as we weren't tall enough to get our feet on the ground - out the drive, up the road and back, no problems. I learnt to drive on the farm in an old column change A35 pickup truck, from the age of about 12 we just used the farm vehicles as needed, it was never considered strange even.
Don't think that's really changed, just the bonus of living on a farm out of the way...Same as what I was up to in the 90's anyway. And driving, we had a couple of old motorbikes that we hacked across the fields, so it didn't seem outrageous when a family friend let us have a go on his new Ducati 900, then the fastest road bike in the world (1976ish), as we were only about 13 we had to put a couple of straw bales either side of the bike to set off as we weren't tall enough to get our feet on the ground - out the drive, up the road and back, no problems. I learnt to drive on the farm in an old column change A35 pickup truck, from the age of about 12 we just used the farm vehicles as needed, it was never considered strange even.
HorneyMX5 said:
zb said:
prand said:
16 year old Page Three girls?
I seem to remember they started very young, back in the day...
Didn't the Daily I seem to remember they started very young, back in the day...
I don't recall the Spurt doing a countdown to Charlotte Church's 16th but the good folk at the Star weren't too fussy about making a comment about the size of her ginockapods next to an article about the 'sick show' that was the Brass Eye paedophilia episode.
Ganglandboss said:
I don't recall the Spurt doing a countdown to Charlotte Church's 16th, but the Star weren't too fussy about making a comment about the size of her ginockapods next to an article about the 'sick show' that was the Brass Eye paedophilia episode.
Also a thing you probably wouldn't get away with today: Brasseye itself. Funny as f
k. 
The Hypno-Toad said:
When I were a lad...
On a Sunday afternoon myself and a couple of friends used to pack up our air-rifles, wander up to the public woods at the top of the hill and just shoot things. Mainly tin cans and paper targets but the odd bird and rabbit too. People used to just say hello and wander past on their afternoon walk.
These days we'd have the firearms squad making us assume the position.
Me and a friend used to put bread on the lawn and shoot birds with his air rifle...On a Sunday afternoon myself and a couple of friends used to pack up our air-rifles, wander up to the public woods at the top of the hill and just shoot things. Mainly tin cans and paper targets but the odd bird and rabbit too. People used to just say hello and wander past on their afternoon walk.
These days we'd have the firearms squad making us assume the position.
ClaphamGT3 said:
Through to my Grandfather's death in 1982, my Grandparents would never have contemplated undertaking a long car journey without taking a thermos of gin and tonic with them.
Sounds fantastic. Drinking whilst driving, but making sure to pay the requisite attention to the road 
Mobile Chicane said:
As would the sight of a ten year-old girl, alone in a car with a packet of crisps, parked outside a pub while my father went in for a snifter (or three). 
My dad always used to buy us pineapple juice when he went to the pub 
He also used to take me to work in the holidays, which either meant sitting in a side room in the surgery with some books for hours at a time, or sitting in the car whilst he was on calls. When I was little he used to do locum work so he had a radio in the car which I thought was dead cool. Still involved me having to sit in the ruddy car all day though.
Actually I seem to have spent half my childhood sitting in cars. Sundays we'd queue at the tip in the car most of the afternoon too. Then going on holiday meant a 2-3 day road/boat trip to grandmas, each way, in eastern Finland (2 boats, 3 long drives).
I started helping the receptionists in the surgery out of boredom, just filing etc initially. I ended up working at it properly, manning the desk on my own, by the age of 14 and was AMSPAR qualified by 16.
My OH is from a farming background. He was operating tractors with assistance at 4 and already driving unassisted aged 7 or 8.
Edited by oldbanger on Sunday 15th July 11:39
At school sports day in the 80's there's was a thing that we all did when just about to cross the finishing line. Either a moony or for extra coolness a sunny. I always went for the sunny.
We'd get a detention at worse.
Roll forward to last week. My mates boy got suspended for doing the exact same thing. "Indecent exposure" is not ok among friends it seems nowadays.
He's 12yo. (he wasn't aware of his dads exploits beforehand, but I was on hand to remind him.)
If you can't get your cock out in front of all the year on a sports day at school I don't know when you can!
(No, I wasn't a teacher.)
We'd get a detention at worse.
Roll forward to last week. My mates boy got suspended for doing the exact same thing. "Indecent exposure" is not ok among friends it seems nowadays.
He's 12yo. (he wasn't aware of his dads exploits beforehand, but I was on hand to remind him.
)If you can't get your cock out in front of all the year on a sports day at school I don't know when you can!
(No, I wasn't a teacher.)
Zwolf said:
Ganglandboss said:
I don't recall the Spurt doing a countdown to Charlotte Church's 16th, but the Star weren't too fussy about making a comment about the size of her ginockapods next to an article about the 'sick show' that was the Brass Eye paedophilia episode.
Also a thing you probably wouldn't get away with today: Brasseye itself. Funny as f
k. Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff