The past is a different country. They do things differently there.

[LizzieW]

We lived behind my mum's rented shop, but we had a telephone - shared line - washing machine, with hand rollers, big old cream coloured electrolux fridge, indoor bathroom, separate toilet and we got a TV in 1953.  We also had a van, my brother and I used to sit in the back on cushions when we went out.  Funnily, I didn't think we were rich, my friends all lived in "proper" houses.  In 1954 we moved to a newly built detached house, where we had all mod cons and dad bought a pink    Citroen car, just because he liked the way the suspension moved when he started it! 

I remember wearing white gloves whenever I went out anywhere in the late 1950s and sugar starched underskirts to make the skirts stick out.  But during the day we still wore white ankle socks at school even in the 6th form!

Liz

[Gadget]

In the summer vacations when i was a student, I did temping. One was at the BBC  - Portland Place and then Television Centre. Now that was fun, especially Television Centre because you could walk along to the gallery above the studios and watch.

 

[Siamese Girl]

My dad is still keen on reminding everyone that when I came home from the Nursing Home (it wasn't usual to be born in a hospital then) as a baby I came home in his Gay Look Hillman Minx .....

In the future will people look back on the 1980s/90s and think how alien life was then?

Carole

[Gadget]

I was born at home. Dad was out of work sick and they didn't have a crib. They put me in a nicely lined drawer from a chest 

Gadget

[LizzieW]

I was born in a nursing home in N.Manchester.  There was an air raid shortly afterwards and I, and all the other babies, was put in the airing cupboard until the raid was over.  I'm sure it wouldn't have helped us if a bomb had landed on the nursing home.  The mothers were left to fend for themselves.

Liz

[ozlady]

I was born in a nursing home, too. Unfortunately, it was on top of a mountain in South Wales, and it being December when I was born, Dad couldn't get to see me for a couple of days because the snow was so bad!
   Does anyone remember the little contraption the ice-cream man had for making wafers? It used to fascinate me.
   I remember my grandad being carried home from the pit by workmates after he had an accident that broke both his legs. He always had a limp afterwards.
   The 1961/2 winter was really severe wasn't it? There was still snow in some of the mountain gullies in May.

[Gadget]

Hi ozlady 

Do you remember the blue marks on miners' skin from cuts that had coal dust in them. My dad had them all over.

Gadget

[LizzieW]

Ozlady

Your ice cream contraption brought back memories.  I had a boyfriend whose father owned a dairy and sold home made ice cream.  Boyfriend climbed in through the window one day when dairy was closed to get me some ice cream.  My OH always says said boyfriend was my one great love - is he right

Funny thing is I don't like ice cream now.  I'm sure Freud would have something to say about that.

Liz

[indiapaleale]

I was born in a nursing home in Acocks Green, Brum....and spent the first 2 years of my life under the stairs .....while Brum and Coventry got bombed.........No..I don't remember it!   But Ma did and would not talk about those awful years.

We got our first tele in 1953 for the Coronation....I remember that.......it was a 9 inch tele in a 300 inch cabinet!.....LOL......but the Coronation was wonderful...and tele was wonderful....we even used to watch the test pattern!

I remember the rag and bone man coming down Bromford Road...with a nasty old cart full of smelly old rags behind an even nastier old horse...!! Ma would give us a few rags to give to him and an apple to give to the horse. I also remember the Davenports man who came to the house...I think it was on Mondays......we were the only people in the street who had a beer man.......I was embarrassed!

The winter of 1961/2 was horrible.....I had 2 babies ...one in nappies... and the pipes froze all the way out to the street.  I had to wait for the water man to come round each afternoon...this went on for about 5 days....what a nightmare.

I remember chopping firewood to light a fire which was the only source of heat in the house.....and waking up to frost on the INSIDE of the bedroom windows.....

Ah........the joys of being old!

Hehehe!
Indi