Remember When...

[Rishile]

One year I asked for an Etch-A-Sketch and found out where my mother hid it.  Any time I was alone in the house for the two months before Christmas I would go and retrieve it making sure it went back in the same place.  It was probably worn out by the time I finally got it on Christmas Day and, of course, I had to pretend to be surprised. 

Also, tin cans with string that we walked on.  Condensed milk tins were the best because they made a lovely sound when they hit the ground.

I also received a washing machine that worked.  It was ideal for washing my dolls clothes but took ages for the water to drain out of the small pipe at the back of the machine.  I suppose I could have tipped it upside down to get the water out but that would have spoilt the fun.

Rishile

[Greensleeves]

I loved the Famous Five books too - wonderful stuff.  And the William books, and Biggles and his female counterpart, Worrals.  And all those wonderful  Chalet School books.

And does anyone remember the 'Classics' comics where they presented classic novels in comic-book format?  They used to have an amazing range: I particularly remember The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Moby Dick, Treasure Island.  Great stuff, I wish they still made comics like that. 

[Treetotal]

Many favourites of mine here too GS...I always had my nose in a book and nothing has changed...I loved Enid Blyton's "Secret" series...One morning during the school holidays...Mum brought in the post that had been delivered...I said rather touch in cheek..."Have I got a letter from Great Aunt Dorothy inviting me to stay for the summer in her fishermen's cottage in Devon?" My Mother gave me a withering look and said..."Don't be so stupid...you haven't got a Great Aunt Dorothy...and if you have nothing better to do than daydream....you can fetch me a loaf from the shops....you read far too many books!"
Mum and I talked about that conversation many times over the years 
Carol

[groom]

Famous Five, Secret Seven, Swallows and Amazons and of course, as GS said, The Chalet School books. I have to admit that I read a few of those fairly recently as well and they were as good as I remembered. I always wanted to go to boarding school after reading those.

I remember getting a toy post office for Christmas one year - miniature envelopes, stamps, postal orders, a franking machine and till.

[missmolly]

,
The Chalet School books. I have to admit that I read a few of those fairly recently as well and they were as good as I remembered. I always wanted to go to boarding school after reading those

I had a taste of what it was like going to boarding school for 2 school terms, do any of you older Lancashire ladies remember Whiteacre School at Whalley where you could through L.C.C. choose to go.
I loved it and was sad to leave and go back to my old school

Mo

[Greensleeves]

I used to love those toy Post Office kits with all the forms and the stamps.  Used to amuse me for hours and in those days I wanted to work in a Post Office when I grew up, simply so I could tear stamps off a sheet.

When I was about ten I saved up my pocket money to buy a toy shop which had real glass bottles of sweets, a scoop, scales, paper bags, a till, plastic money.  That was really good fun.

[candleflame]

Oo yes I had a toy shop that was painted wooden shelves in cream with a red trim with a front counter and little plastic pots with lids  that you could put sweets in. Howver they were very small so mum used to fill them with the hundreds and thousand sprinkles that you put on the icing on cakes, and the silver balls likewise.
Its a pity I don't have pictures of any toys apart from my bike. Would have been lovely to see them again.

[groom]

Remembering all the toys and games we had, it occurs to me that we had to use our imaginations when we were playing - the toy shops, the toy post office, miniature garden, dolls houses, farms, games of cowboys and Indians etc. Nowadays a lot of even very young children spend time in front of the Wii or the computer and are entertained rather than entertaining themselves. My niece, who works in an Infants' school, said that a lot of the children come to school not knowing how to play and have to be taught.

[Maggie.]

What an outdoor life we led as well, in fact It never seemed to rain, although I'm sure it did 

We were allowed to get dirty as well.  I remember playing at cake shops with my friends - we would gather soil, which around here is very black, and mix it with a bit of water to make mud, then mould it into pies and cakes to sell to our mothers who were game enough to come to our shop and enter into the spirit of things.