Nostalgia not as good as it used to be?
Discussion
We all moan about our lot and the state of the country/world but are things really that bad? Has it ever been better?
I was child of the 1960's and 1970's and as much as I may look back on them with a warm feeling, if I think about it the reality was not all Hovis and Horlicks by any means. I am guessing a number of PH'ers had a similar dire experince if they are honest. I was brought up on a small council estate in the West Mids by working class parents without much money and the things I could well do without are;
Freezing cold houses. No central heating, just a coal fire (we got free coal from the local pit) which was lit after tea at night. In the mornings we all sat in pyjamas around a small electric fire and were allowed two bars for just a few minutes then one bar until we had breakfast and got dressed.
Beds were enormous. Winciette sheets with Witney blankeys and an eider down, so heavy you could hardly breathe but you were still frozen to death and the bedroom windows had ice on the inside in the mornings. Cutrains were so thin you were awake at 4am in the summer.
Clothes were s
t. Invariably hand-me-downs with an odd new pair of school trousers each August. One jumper and 2 shirts to last the week and the bottoms had to be completely out to get new shoes. Trousers were always to big innthe waist and held up with an old snake belt, but too short in the leg. One family next door ahd 4 boys and the last one up had wellies for school whatever the time of year. We had a coat but it was often unsuitable and had to be work all year around. On wet days you arrived at school after the 1 mile walk, wet for the day.
Everybody smoked. Everything must have smelt of smoke bit you didn't notice. They smoked at home, in the pubs, cafes, buses and school staff rooms. No wonder my chest wheezes at the first sign of winter, trapped 24/7 in a blue haze of Woodbines.
Medicines were rubbish: half old wives remedies and half expensive but ineffectual foul tasting sludge. No nobody had anything other than asprin for a fever and indian brandee for ear ache. If you had a cold, you had a cold and were snotty from October until March.
Public transport was awful. I once fell off a fence and split by eye open and my mum repaired it with patches of bed sheet and black electricians tape because we had no way of getting to the hospital. I still have the scar. There were no buses to school unless it reallyu hamered it down when we wee allowed to take the bus for 2D, but only there, never back.
There truely was nothing to do. The 6 weeks in the summer, once you had built camps, played 14 hour football games, made french arrows, gone fishing were endless and God forbid you got a wet Easter and were trapped in the house. The nearest Cinema (which showed 2 films back-to-back once a day and twice on Saturday) was 2 bus rides away, along with the swimming pool.
Holidays were crap. A week in Rhyl, but miles from the beach, in a 4 berth caravan with 6 of you and 2 bob to spend.
The dentist and dotors only did one thing. Doctors gave penicillin for everything and dentists filed teeth for fun. I now have teeth like Sloth from the Goonies.
The only days out with Mum and Dad were the annual works outting to Blackpool and the works kids Christmas party.
Everyone did the religion thing. Not seriously but you had Sunday school and the little lavendar stamp on your card otherwise no Christmas Ladybord book from the Vicar. FFS, 52 Sunday afternoons for a book about David and Gloiath worth one and six.
There were no proper cars. They were all old, unreliable, slow and noisey. Buses had seats like churches and the trains were never on time.
The schools were just places you went. None of the parents had REAL aspirations forn their kids beyond a 'good' job at the pit, foundry or at the council. They didn't put themselves out go to parents evenings, go to watch sports matches or check home work (at least not on our estate). The school careers service was like an out-take from 'Kes' and the teachers onkly expected the kids who were shipped in from the posher areas to stay on in the 6th form.
Years later we found out that some of the kids on our estate were being abused and nobody did anything about it. They were all so in bred and the familes knew each other nobody wanted, or knew how, to rock the boat.
All in all, I say good riddance. Give me central heating, Asda, Japanese and German cars, out of town leisure complexes, cheap flights, medical centres, social services, school with targets, unrealstic expectations of going to university and geographical mobility.
I was child of the 1960's and 1970's and as much as I may look back on them with a warm feeling, if I think about it the reality was not all Hovis and Horlicks by any means. I am guessing a number of PH'ers had a similar dire experince if they are honest. I was brought up on a small council estate in the West Mids by working class parents without much money and the things I could well do without are;
Freezing cold houses. No central heating, just a coal fire (we got free coal from the local pit) which was lit after tea at night. In the mornings we all sat in pyjamas around a small electric fire and were allowed two bars for just a few minutes then one bar until we had breakfast and got dressed.
Beds were enormous. Winciette sheets with Witney blankeys and an eider down, so heavy you could hardly breathe but you were still frozen to death and the bedroom windows had ice on the inside in the mornings. Cutrains were so thin you were awake at 4am in the summer.
Clothes were s
t. Invariably hand-me-downs with an odd new pair of school trousers each August. One jumper and 2 shirts to last the week and the bottoms had to be completely out to get new shoes. Trousers were always to big innthe waist and held up with an old snake belt, but too short in the leg. One family next door ahd 4 boys and the last one up had wellies for school whatever the time of year. We had a coat but it was often unsuitable and had to be work all year around. On wet days you arrived at school after the 1 mile walk, wet for the day.Everybody smoked. Everything must have smelt of smoke bit you didn't notice. They smoked at home, in the pubs, cafes, buses and school staff rooms. No wonder my chest wheezes at the first sign of winter, trapped 24/7 in a blue haze of Woodbines.
Medicines were rubbish: half old wives remedies and half expensive but ineffectual foul tasting sludge. No nobody had anything other than asprin for a fever and indian brandee for ear ache. If you had a cold, you had a cold and were snotty from October until March.
Public transport was awful. I once fell off a fence and split by eye open and my mum repaired it with patches of bed sheet and black electricians tape because we had no way of getting to the hospital. I still have the scar. There were no buses to school unless it reallyu hamered it down when we wee allowed to take the bus for 2D, but only there, never back.
There truely was nothing to do. The 6 weeks in the summer, once you had built camps, played 14 hour football games, made french arrows, gone fishing were endless and God forbid you got a wet Easter and were trapped in the house. The nearest Cinema (which showed 2 films back-to-back once a day and twice on Saturday) was 2 bus rides away, along with the swimming pool.
Holidays were crap. A week in Rhyl, but miles from the beach, in a 4 berth caravan with 6 of you and 2 bob to spend.
The dentist and dotors only did one thing. Doctors gave penicillin for everything and dentists filed teeth for fun. I now have teeth like Sloth from the Goonies.
The only days out with Mum and Dad were the annual works outting to Blackpool and the works kids Christmas party.
Everyone did the religion thing. Not seriously but you had Sunday school and the little lavendar stamp on your card otherwise no Christmas Ladybord book from the Vicar. FFS, 52 Sunday afternoons for a book about David and Gloiath worth one and six.
There were no proper cars. They were all old, unreliable, slow and noisey. Buses had seats like churches and the trains were never on time.
The schools were just places you went. None of the parents had REAL aspirations forn their kids beyond a 'good' job at the pit, foundry or at the council. They didn't put themselves out go to parents evenings, go to watch sports matches or check home work (at least not on our estate). The school careers service was like an out-take from 'Kes' and the teachers onkly expected the kids who were shipped in from the posher areas to stay on in the 6th form.
Years later we found out that some of the kids on our estate were being abused and nobody did anything about it. They were all so in bred and the familes knew each other nobody wanted, or knew how, to rock the boat.
All in all, I say good riddance. Give me central heating, Asda, Japanese and German cars, out of town leisure complexes, cheap flights, medical centres, social services, school with targets, unrealstic expectations of going to university and geographical mobility.
Edited by Brown and Boris on Saturday 7th February 19:47
OMG you've just described my eary life in West London.
My dad's remedy for all and any ailment was TCP. Our place always smelt of it, mingled in with the smell of fags, the smoking kind, I think.
My dad's remedy for all and any ailment was TCP. Our place always smelt of it, mingled in with the smell of fags, the smoking kind, I think.
Edited by ianash on Saturday 7th February 19:58
Edited by ianash on Saturday 7th February 19:59
Shaw Tarse said:
I bet you could share a bottle of pop with your mates!
If your teacher slapped you, your mum would slap you for being slapped.
If you fell out of a tree & broke your arm your parents wouldn't sue!
& you respected policemen?
Ok, many good things but much of what it was, looking back, were not golden days. As my brother says; because we all lived like that nobody knew any better.If your teacher slapped you, your mum would slap you for being slapped.
If you fell out of a tree & broke your arm your parents wouldn't sue!
& you respected policemen?
Darkslider said:
Christ, sounds like you grew up in the bloody dark ages!
Yep, the 50's,60's and 70's were not great. However, I did feel we were on an improving curve. I'm not at all certain that today's youngsters will see the same relative improvements experienced by my generation.
funk odyssey said:
Shaw Tarse said:
funk odyssey said:
no people carriers
I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
Pah!I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
8 in a Cortina!
Dad's mate driving.
Dad passenger(wearing seat belt), me on his knee
Mum, driver's wife & 3 kids on back seat!
Now the Granny Estate ws a people carrier
Shaw Tarse said:
funk odyssey said:
Shaw Tarse said:
funk odyssey said:
no people carriers
I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
Pah!I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
8 in a Cortina!
Dad's mate driving.
Dad passenger(wearing seat belt), me on his knee
Mum, driver's wife & 3 kids on back seat!
Now the Granny Estate ws a people carrier
I had a brilliant childhood although my mum and dad were buying their own house we still had solid fuel central heating (if you could call it that) and the ice still formed on the inside of the windows in the mornings. That was only when I was really young. We didn't have a telephone and when my mum was in labour with my brother my dad had to go down to the local telephone box and phone the midwife who delivered my brother at home.
We were lucky in the respect that my mum and dad both had cars which was quite rare especially for the woman to drive. My dad used to take us out as a family on a car journey quite often on a Sunday afternoon and we used to stop at a park and have a picnic, fly a kite, play rounders etc.
We used to have so much more freedom when we were kids I can't say that I recall being bored for any length of time. My 3 boys say they are bored in the school holidays and they have all the things kids have now a days.
We were lucky in the respect that my mum and dad both had cars which was quite rare especially for the woman to drive. My dad used to take us out as a family on a car journey quite often on a Sunday afternoon and we used to stop at a park and have a picnic, fly a kite, play rounders etc.
We used to have so much more freedom when we were kids I can't say that I recall being bored for any length of time. My 3 boys say they are bored in the school holidays and they have all the things kids have now a days.
funk odyssey said:
what made ours even more uncomfortable was that we were wrapped up in several layers of clothing so the old man could drive with the window open so he wouldn't fall asleep
Painful memories of this! My parents were a bit more ambitious with holidays, taking us to France and even Spain, a family of 5, windows down, parents both smoking like trains, and a big wooden box on the roof for luggage, all set for a 24 hour drive, to some God awful campsite in the middle of nowhere, or some ruin my dad had read about.Best still my dad would invariably invent some crisis necessitating doing the return drive in one go.
Until well into my teens, I thought French people all lived in tents by the motorway.
Shaw Tarse said:
funk odyssey said:
no people carriers
I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
Pah!I remember getting 6 of us and holiday cases into a Golf
2 in the front, 2 in the back and 2 in the boot - with all the stuff wedged in around us!
8 in a Cortina!
I often think back to these sort of days when you use to sit on your parents lap in the front of the car (with no seat belt on) or as a treat on a long journey in the boot (without the parcel shelf in place) waving at the people driving behind your car!
Happy days!
Edited by dustybottoms on Saturday 7th February 20:42
AJS- said:
funk odyssey said:
what made ours even more uncomfortable was that we were wrapped up in several layers of clothing so the old man could drive with the window open so he wouldn't fall asleep
Painful memories of this! My parents were a bit more ambitious with holidays, taking us to France and even Spain, a family of 5, windows down, parents both smoking like trains, and a big wooden box on the roof for luggage, all set for a 24 hour drive, to some God awful campsite in the middle of nowhere, or some ruin my dad had read about.Best still my dad would invariably invent some crisis necessitating doing the return drive in one go.
Until well into my teens, I thought French people all lived in tents by the motorway.
slow, smoky, noisy but diesel was cheaper and we had a big tank for trucks and tractors..
people on here talk about diesels being noisy dirty and smelly --- they've come a long way
Thats a very skewed view of "then".
I grew up in a new semi just outside of oldham (1966-> ).
We had a coal fire with a back boiler, that was replaced with gas central heating after the coal strikes of the early 70s.
We went on holiday to spain every year (and flew).
My dad has a rotten taste in cars but bought a new one every 3 or 4 years or so.
Long summer holiday with lots of friends, we had bikes and could go miles. Catch the bus down to the airport and watch the planes land for 2D/2p (about that time)
I went to a good school that had ambitions for all its kids. Even Glynn who sat behind me and he was thick as pigst.
I think it depended where you lived mate.
And before you think I come from some well off family, both my grandparents were cotton mill workers and my dad started at ferranti on the shop floor but went to night school and got himself into the drawing office.
So to me mate, they were golden days, and I'm not using rose coloured glasses.
I grew up in a new semi just outside of oldham (1966-> ).
We had a coal fire with a back boiler, that was replaced with gas central heating after the coal strikes of the early 70s.
We went on holiday to spain every year (and flew).
My dad has a rotten taste in cars but bought a new one every 3 or 4 years or so.
Long summer holiday with lots of friends, we had bikes and could go miles. Catch the bus down to the airport and watch the planes land for 2D/2p (about that time)
I went to a good school that had ambitions for all its kids. Even Glynn who sat behind me and he was thick as pigs
t.I think it depended where you lived mate.
And before you think I come from some well off family, both my grandparents were cotton mill workers and my dad started at ferranti on the shop floor but went to night school and got himself into the drawing office.
So to me mate, they were golden days, and I'm not using rose coloured glasses.
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