What Do You Miss From The Old Days?

[ranworthbreeze]

Maybe the topic ought to be "what you don't miss from the old days"

Regards

Alan

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

What a great thread.  I'm at work (tea break)) at the moment, so don't have time to comment. I'l comment later on tonight when I have more time at home. 

[Timbo]

At some point...Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen will rear its head...but although it did cross my mind I present instead a monologue which would often be recited as her party piece by Mrs Floss Couch at the Friday Night Singalong at my local pub. Instead of Karaoke the regulars would either join in with a singalong or perform themselves. It was my job to accompany them as best I could on the piano/organ or guitar. Friday nights would be packed out, great entertainment and great comradeship. There was Fred and Brian who did a Flanagan and Alan routine. They had first met at the invasion of Italy as young men. There was Leslie Garrets (opera singer) Dad who would sing, there was the two young ladies who did the milk round who would learn a new song each week, Hans a German chap who played jazz trumpet who Fred and Brian discovered was manning a machine gun shooting at them at a particular town in Italy...they became the best of friends, there was a number of ladies of a 'certain age' who sing to their husbands, one chap would play the zither, another chap did the best Peter Cook and Dudley Moore impersonations I've heard, Jock in his eighties would come and play jigs and reels on his button accordion, one guy would turn up and play the 'shadows' on his electric guitar, another old guy would tell jokes and make everyone laugh until their faces hurt. It seemed as though the villages and towns were all turning up to do their party piece but sharp in my memory was Flossy Couch, matronly, prim and proper, who after a few too many dry sherries one night performed her party piece in her broad Yorkshire accent, so serious...

I'll never forget that first day at t'pit.

Me an' mi father worked a 72 hour shift, then wi walked home 43 mile through t'snow in us bare feet, huddled inside us clothes med out o' old sacks. Eventually we trudged over t'hill until wi could see t'street light twinklin' in our village.

Mi father smiled down at mi through t'icicles hangin' off his nose. "Nearly home now lad", he said.

We stumbled into t'house and stood there freezin' cold and tired out, shiverin' and miserable, in front o' t' meagre fire.

Any road, mi mam says "Cheer up, lads. I've got you some nice brown bread and butter for yer tea."

Ee, mi father went crackers. He reached out and gently pulled mi mam towards 'im by t'throat. "You big fat, idle ugly wart", he said. "You gret useless spawny-eyed parrot-faced wazzock." ('E had a way wi words, mi father. He'd bin to college, y'know). "You've been out playin' bingo all afternoon instead o' gettin' some proper snap ready for me an' this lad", he explained to mi poor, little, purple-faced mam. Then turnin' to me he said "Arthur", (He could never remember mi name), "here's half a crown. Nip down to t'chip 'oyl an' get us a nice piece o' 'addock for us tea. Man cannot live by bread alone."

He were a reyt tater, mi father. He said as 'ow workin' folk should have some dignity an' pride an' self respect, an' as 'ow they should come home to summat warm an' cheerful.

An' then he threw mi mam on t'fire.

We didn't 'ave no tellies or shoes or bedclothes. We med us own fun in them days.

Do you know, when I were a lad you could get a tram down into t'town, buy three new suits an' an ovvercoat, four pair o' good boots, go an' see George Formby at t'Palace Theatre, get blind drunk, 'ave some steak an' chips, bunch o' bananas an' three stone o' monkey nuts an' still 'ave change out of a farthing.

We'd lots o' things in them days they 'aven't got today - rickets, diphtheria, Hitler - and my, we did look well goin' to school wi' no backside in us trousers an' all us little 'eads painted purple because we 'ad ringworm.

They don't know they're born today!!!

[ranworthbreeze]

25 minutes ago, Timbo said:

At some point...Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen will rear its head...but although it did cross my mind I present instead a monologue which would often be recited as her party piece by Mrs Floss Couch at the Friday Night Singalong at my local pub. Instead of Karaoke the regulars would either join in with a singalong or perform themselves. It was my job to accompany them as best I could on the piano/organ or guitar. Friday nights would be packed out, great entertainment and great comradeship. There was Fred and Brian who did a Flanagan and Alan routine. They had first met at the invasion of Italy as young men. There was Leslie Garrets (opera singer) Dad who would sing, there was the two young ladies who did the milk round who would learn a new song each week, Hans a German chap who played jazz trumpet who Fred and Brian discovered was manning a machine gun shooting at them at a particular town in Italy...they became the best of friends, there was a number of ladies of a 'certain age' who sing to their husbands, one chap would play the zither, another chap did the best Peter Cook and Dudley Moore impersonations I've heard, Jock in his eighties would come and play jigs and reels on his button accordion, one guy would turn up and play the 'shadows' on his electric guitar, another old guy would tell jokes and make everyone laugh until their faces hurt. It seemed as though the villages and towns were all turning up to do their party piece but sharp in my memory was Flossy Couch, matronly, prim and proper, who after a few too many dry sherries one night performed her party piece in her broad Yorkshire accent, so serious...

I'll never forget that first day at t'pit.

Me an' mi father worked a 72 hour shift, then wi walked home 43 mile through t'snow in us bare feet, huddled inside us clothes med out o' old sacks. Eventually we trudged over t'hill until wi could see t'street light twinklin' in our village.

Mi father smiled down at mi through t'icicles hangin' off his nose. "Nearly home now lad", he said.

We stumbled into t'house and stood there freezin' cold and tired out, shiverin' and miserable, in front o' t' meagre fire.

Any road, mi mam says "Cheer up, lads. I've got you some nice brown bread and butter for yer tea."

Ee, mi father went crackers. He reached out and gently pulled mi mam towards 'im by t'throat. "You big fat, idle ugly wart", he said. "You gret useless spawny-eyed parrot-faced wazzock." ('E had a way wi words, mi father. He'd bin to college, y'know). "You've been out playin' bingo all afternoon instead o' gettin' some proper snap ready for me an' this lad", he explained to mi poor, little, purple-faced mam. Then turnin' to me he said "Arthur", (He could never remember mi name), "here's half a crown. Nip down to t'chip 'oyl an' get us a nice piece o' 'addock for us tea. Man cannot live by bread alone."

He were a reyt tater, mi father. He said as 'ow workin' folk should have some dignity an' pride an' self respect, an' as 'ow they should come home to summat warm an' cheerful.

An' then he threw mi mam on t'fire.

We didn't 'ave no tellies or shoes or bedclothes. We med us own fun in them days.

Do you know, when I were a lad you could get a tram down into t'town, buy three new suits an' an ovvercoat, four pair o' good boots, go an' see George Formby at t'Palace Theatre, get blind drunk, 'ave some steak an' chips, bunch o' bananas an' three stone o' monkey nuts an' still 'ave change out of a farthing.

We'd lots o' things in them days they 'aven't got today - rickets, diphtheria, a dictator - and my, we did look well goin' to school wi' no backside in us trousers an' all us little 'eads painted purple because we 'ad ringworm.

They don't know they're born today!!!

Tim, all I can say is you were lucky!

Regards

Alan

[Guest]

I'd reply to this thread but it's too conversational for a youngster like me, I'm far too busy messing on my phone and ignoring the neighbours knocking at the door, I wish they'd pipe down the old buggers

Anyway us young uns are plenty respectful innit, and I screamed that fact at a bloke stepping in me way yesterday (Sunday) whilst out doing me weekly shop in Tesco.

Oh but here's a pic of my breakfast today as modern tradition dictates, enjoyed whilst sat on the settee I bought last Boxing Day after finishing in the Next sales I had queued up in since 4 in the morning......

 

[grendel]

48 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

they all went to work by bus or bike. None of all these dedicated lanes in those days

Now down in Kent there were dedicated cycle paths way back then, they were there to allow the miners to cycle to the collieries from the local towns below shown the cycle path from deal to Snowdon Colliery from 1960, you can see the road, cycle path then footpath, though they dont appear in the 1940 aerial shots, they do show the cycle path follows the line of the 1940 road.

[grendel]

1 hour ago, Jayfire said:

Nice starter, what did you have for breakfast?

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, grendel said:

Nice starter, what did you have for breakfast?

A moment on the lips G.....you know the rest 

[YnysMon]

This is a brilliant thread. I was going to say 'when kids could play in the street', but someone's already mentioned that one, so I thought a bit...

What I miss the most are my Mam and my grandparents. They were all great, in their different ways.

[VetChugger]

5 hours ago, Smoggy said:

My marbles, no not playing marbles, MY marbles....

Hmmmmm....   when did you actually have some of these mysterious marbles???

[addicted]

I miss being able to buy attractive clothes  or shoes that don't look as if they were made by Swan Hunter! Why does so much of todays'  fashion have to look  so ugly? Colours  for example, the  most popular seem to me to be various shades of sludge.  Oh how I long  for the return of the sort of clothes such as those typically worn by Doris Day in her popular films made in the 1960s.

 

 

Carole

[RumPunch]

3 hours ago, ChrisB said:

I wonder how many could tie a Windsor knot when the tie has to go in a loose collar. I remember one of my sons asking " what are these" when he came across my collar studs.

Any of my Air Cadets …..

[JennyMorgan]

A pint of beer for 12.5 pence!

[vanessan]

Fish and chips for 1/6d, fish was 1/= and chips 6d! (Think that’s cheaper than your pint of beer JM!)

[vanessan]

What do people miss from the Broads going back in time? Say 30 years or so. (Yesterday for some I know but a lot has changed in that time.)

[webntweb]

14 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

A pint of beer for 12.5 pence!

A remember a mate saying when beer gets to 2/6d he would give it up. Didn't understood why he said that because he never bought a round anyway.

A sixpenny mixture: chips, mushy peas and scrapings.

[NorfolkNog]

The Bure Court. I never did get in before it burnt down 

And the Castle which was an excellent pub. And the Railway Tavern...............

[Lulu]

23 minutes ago, vanessan said:

What do people miss from the Broads going back in time? Say 30 years or so. (Yesterday for some I know but a lot has changed in that time.)

Dad driving over the hump back bridge into the Porter & Haylett yard in Wroxham. It used  to scare me every time but also the sheer excitement of knowing we were just about to start our holiday. 

[hazelgirl]

I miss going to my Dad's at the weekend and being a spoilt little princess, being able to watch Saturday morning kids TV blissfully ignorant to the troubles of the world. 

I miss my Nana (Dad's Mum) she was such a beautiful warm family lady, all birthday parties before the family fell out were always at Nana & Grandads.

Nana's stash of sweets and chocolate in the livingroom cabinet, me and my cousins all got sent home with a packet of tissues and some sweets in little party bags  

Grandad's colouring draw in another sideboard, full off all art and craft delights. 

 

[FairTmiddlin]

4 hours ago, grendel said:

Now down in Kent there were dedicated cycle paths

Plenty of Cyclepath's still here in kent

Especially since they closed Chartham

[Lulu]

28 minutes ago, hazelgirl said:

Nana's stash of sweets and chocolate in the livingroom cabinet,

That has just reminded me that my grandma always had a box of maltesers in a desk drawer whenever we were over and me and bruv putting the poker in the fire heating it up till it was glowing pretending we were blacksmiths, with grandfather saying ‘children who play with fire will wet their beds!’   

[Polly]

Nope, apart from loved ones, not a thing.

I have many and vivid memories, which I can, and do occasionally revisit; but do I have nostalgia? No. Today is just fine by me. 

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, NorfolkNog said:

The Bure Court. I never did get in before it burnt down 

I was in there, the night when it did!  Mind you, it happened after it had closed.

[Minigem]

Being able to go out on my bike without being run down by a homicidal white van man.

[Minigem]

6 hours ago, Jayfire said:

I'd reply to this thread but it's too conversational for a youngster like me, I'm far too busy messing on my phone and ignoring the neighbours knocking at the door, I wish they'd pipe down the old buggers

Anyway us young uns are plenty respectful innit, and I screamed that fact at a bloke stepping in me way yesterday (Sunday) whilst out doing me weekly shop in Tesco.

Oh but here's a pic of my breakfast today as modern tradition dictates, enjoyed whilst sat on the settee I bought last Boxing Day after finishing in the Next sales I had queued up in since 4 in the morning......

 

Now, that is a proper breakfast, especially with the black pud. That would probably last me three days. I have to look after my figure you know.