The Grumpy Old Women takes a trip back in time to recount good old memories.
Looking through old photos and grieving yet again for my lost youth & looks…. I wondered: Where have all the other things of my youth gone?
The Shops: Home and Colonial; The Maypole; the Co-op (remember your Mum's divi number?) Waring & Gillow who had the poshest shop window in Nottingham and furniture to match.
Home Life: Our Mam in cross-over pinnies.
A plump aunty, deftly cutting off a pre-buttered slice of bread whilst the loaf was clamped firmly under her arm.
The family's intimate relationship with the small piece of meat that served as Roast on Sunday, Cold cuts on Monday and Shepherds Pie on Tuesday. However did she make it stretch that far?!
Meat safes, cold slabs in the pantry and the lovely cooked tongue being pressed under heavy irons for a week until it was deemed good enough to be devoured in our sandwiches.
Multi-coloured Spills in the kitchen to light the gas stove. We used to get the flame from the Ascot water heater on the wall.
Fanlight paper pasted onto the little window above the front door so that “her, opposite” couldn't look through into our room from some imagined, obscure vantage point at the top left corner of her upstairs window….
Home made Cream Cheese, concocted from stale milk, hung in a muslin bag over the tap in the kitchen sink.
Making our own washing up liquid from bits of old soaps & a dishcloth.
Searching out the old Blue Bag for whitening the laundry on Mondays.
Twice a year being sent to “Stand at the end of our Entry & count how many bags the coalman delivers! There should be 20!”
The springtime order to “Stand at top of our yard & shout when you see the sweep's brush come out the chimney!”
The Ewbank carpet sweeper (that now needs to make a comeback to clean the new Torrox football pitch!!)
The advent of The Radiogram given pride of place where visitors couldn't fail either to see it or bump into it! Ours was an ornate confection that closely resembled a coffin and that my Mother referred to as “The Muck Trap”
Entertainment then where did that go???
The politically O.K. Black & White Minstrels; Sickly, Sickly Corbett & Sooty; Skippy the Kangaroo; Tony Hart & his drawings; Macdonald Hobley & Sylvia Peters. The intervals fish, ploughing with horses & the champion – The Potter's Wheel when TV didn't come on until 7pm! Radio Luxemburg & the Ovaltinies! (bet the song's just gone thru your head…!!) Valentine Dyall & the Man in Black. Uncle Mac with Children's Favourites “Good bye children. Everywhere!” It was the “Everywhere” that told me he knew I was listening every Saturday morning.
And what have we got now? Tesco, Big Brother, Hoodies & Quad Bikes. No wonder I'm Grumpy! What about you Bashful?
