What did people do of an evening?

[genjen]

I don't remember that but my best friend had her own transistor radio and I was so jealous. I used to sneak the one we had, from the kitchen, when my parents were watching television on a Sunday night, so that I could listen to the top twenty.  My mother was always angry as she was convinced that moving from the Home Service to Radio Luxembourg would cause irreparable damage to the radio.

Before we had the transistor version, we had a bakelite radio, which my mother still has, though not working I think. It was extremely modern and posh compared with the previous wireless which was so big that when it broke forever, we took the insides out and it became one of my many dens!

Jen

[genjen]

Gloy - it came in a squeezy bottle and replaced that lumpy stuff we mixed up ourselves at school.

Jen

[KateJones]

BUNTY!!! and the Four Marys - my problem was that quite often my mum would nick it before I'd finished it!

In reply to the question, however - yes, the activities must have been very different in towns and the country - and even in different parts of the countryside.  The book "A Pocket Guide to the Customs and Traditions of Wales" details a number of things that happened in the evenings in previous centuries in rural Wales.  These include the peeling of rushes around harvest time for rush lights (poor families) to use in the winter; knitting nights were begun around the autumn equinox and a woman might produce four pairs of stockings a week (an addition of about 1s to the weekly income).  There are also descriptions of various summer and winter social gatherings with seasonal entertainments of traditional story telling, songs, etc.
Regards
KJ

[genjen]

 There are also descriptions of various summer and winter social gatherings with seasonal entertainments of traditional story telling, songs, etc.
Regards
KJ

They'd be glad to know, then, that some of us keep that tradition alive.

Jen

[honey-roma88]

My family practically lived in the pub but I do know of a game that they used to play at Christmas which involved two people holding up a sheet, another person holding a torch who would move the torch around behind the sheet while yet another person followed the torch with their nose but when the torch reached the top of the sheet someone would hit them over the head with a newspaper. 

My great great uncle Felix also used to fit very large things in his mouth.

[KateJones]

My great great uncle Felix also used to fit very large things in his mouth.

I'm really not sure I want to know that, thank you!

KJ

[honey-roma88]

My great great uncle Felix also used to fit very large things in his mouth.

I'm really not sure I want to know that, thank you!

KJ

  He got a torch in there once and it got stuck.

[genjen]

KJ - my thoughts exactly but I hadn't quite the nerve to say so!

Jen