Remember When............

[JenB]

Interesting - thanks for sharing, Carol.
I love the artwork too.

You prompted me to have a closer look.

Did you notice the naughty pillion passenger apparently kissing the driver? I don't know what's the matter with young people today.......

[Ray T]

Have I ever driven the wrong way down a one way street???

Back in the 70s, I was driving, overnight, from just south of Manchester to Hampshire. About 01.00 in the morning I arrived on the outskirts of Oxford and decidd to drive through the town rather than round th bypass. I found my way nto the middle easily enough but I simply couldn’t find any way out again.

I pulled up next to a plod, explained my predicament and asked him how I could head south. ”Difficult”, he said. “You see that one way street over there, drive down it the wrong way and just keep going. If the police car at the far end stops you, tell him I told you to do it.”

[Top-of-the-hill]

  When I was a teenager, and we bought me a new bike on hire purchase, my mother had to get her brother to guarantee the loan, as we had never used credit. The bike cost £25 in about 1963.
   Going further back, that same uncle had a tale of his youth when he and a friend cycled from East Kent to Maidenhead, Berkshire to visit an aunt. The trouble was that only my uncle had a decent bike, the other boy's was rather decrepit, so they took turns to ride the good one.
   My son kept up the tradition - when he was studying at Norwich in the 90s, he cycled back to Kent. His problem was the Thames crossing - no bikes allowed, so the crossing police took him over in their vehicle!

[andrewalston]

When I was learning to drive, you had to be able to describe the signals given by a policeman on point duty, and to signal your intention of, say, going straight on.

I'm sure these things were still in the Highway Code well after point duty became history.

My mum and friends were great cyclists just after the war. If they were setting out having worked Saturday morning, they would do a "short" ride - to Southport, 30 miles away, but with few hills. New Brighton and Chester, each about 45 miles away, were common destinations. If they were feeling energetic, Rhyl was only 70 miles from home.

Returning the same day, of course. All on a second-hand bike without the benefit of gears!

[Top-of-the-hill]

  I sometimes think we could do with a "straight on" signal at a junction near here. Relatively minor roads, but much used locally, one classed as the major road, but the ones joining or crossing it carry nearly as many vehicles.

[Rena]

That brings to mind a day a mate and I cycled from Faversham to Sittingbourne.

At one point there was a long decent and assent, a good "big dipper"

As we were going down, on the way home,we were pulled over by a policeman, for doing more than the posted speed limit

I cannot remember what the speed limit was, but we both were very chuffed at
a) being able to do that speed, and
b) being pulled over

You must have been good!   You've reminded me back in the 1940s when our dad bought an old banger so that he could take the family out into the countryside at the weekend.  We were chugging up Skidby Hill, which was a one in 10 hill, when a large group of male cyclists shot passed us.  I looked at the milometer and saw we were going as fast as the car would allow at 25 mph.,  "Put your foot down Dad.  Pass them Dad" was the chorus from the back seat

[andrewalston]

I remember coming home from work one evening. The route I used was used by quite a few recreational cyclists.

The speed limit went from 30 to 40, and I came upon one such keeping up about 38 mph.

Not having the chance to pass him, I noticed his calf muscles. Most peoples' calves are rounded; his showed defined muscles, and he was using them.

Only when the limit upped to 60 did I get a chance to overtake, and then I noticed the distinctive sideburns.

Bradley Wiggins heading home!

[brigidmac]

thanks for sharing Carol
before my time but i did have experience of driving a double de clutch  car which was practically an antique at the time . An extra difficulty for a new driver. It was a Ford .

[coombs]

When my ancestor moved from Norwich to London in about 1780, the journey would probably have taken about 16 hours if across land. (He may have gone by sea though, up the river Yare to Yarmouth then down the Suffolk and Essex coast to London). By 1816 the horse and cart trip from Norwich to Liverpool Street took about 14 hours. Hence why travelling today is a breeze compared to back then, but people did it if they wanted to find work.