Light hearted - how things change

[Universal VR]

Originally Posted by EssexSue

Oh I love these sort of threads but I have to go out soon - to Boots while we are talking blasts from the past.

We had a phone which for some odd reason was in top of the TV so everyone sat round and listened. It was a busy corner too because the budgie cage and stand were there (blue budgie called Joey of course). At night the cage was lifted onto top of mantelpiece and cat was allowed into room.
As not all our neighbours had phones they used to use ours and there was a sort of egg timer in a phone box and a little pot for money.

We had a beautiful large front room which was rarely used, we all clustered into "dining room" which had large table and chairs and matching sideboard, armchairs as well as TV phone budgie and cat.

Oh and all neighbours were Mr and Mrs.

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Something I’ve noticed is that children call adults by their first name. When did that happen? All my parent’s friends were Auntie or Uncle and other adults were Mr and Mrs.

[Elmhurst 5]

We had a party line when I was around 9ish, the other party had been talking for ever. well it seemed like forever at that age. I needed to speak to my Mum had to be an emergency as was not allowed to use the phone. Got fed up waiting so shouted down the phone 'shut up' she complained to my Dad, and boy did I get into trouble.

[Princess Alison]

Originally Posted by Universal VR

Something I’ve noticed is that children call adults by their first name. When did that happen? All my parent’s friends were Auntie or Uncle and other adults were Mr and Mrs.

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As a young child, my best friends mum always asked me to call her by her first name. I found it incredibly awkward as I was used to being more formal.

This has continued and I have spent my youth onwards waiting to make eye contact with friends parents if I wanted to speak to them or ask for something, to avoid having to call them something!

[Gryff]

We refer to them as pc days pre children
Oh we both remember frost/on the windows DH in Canada me on a small holding in Scotland and we did have central heating from an Aga mum used to put our clothes in a biscuit tin in the warming oven of the Aga in the winter overnight and we got dressed under the covers in the morning as we’d been bathed in the deep sink in the wash house the night before
When we were first married like Mum I was a a rural district nurse and I had one day off a week if it was a Sunday it was bliss DH would get up walk the dog ( we bought a Weimaraner Coco with the money we’d saved for a 3 price suite and sat on cast off furniture for 10 years and 2 more dogs pure bliss ) bring in the Sunday Post /Mail stick on the coffee percolator we’ve still got it 39 years later bring coffee toast the papers and the dog back to bed we’d getbup to listen to the Archers put the roast in the oven walk the dog
Then a lazy Sunday lunch and the radio DH taping the top 20 or was it/Radio 2 now I can only remember a phrase like pop pickers and it was the hits from this week what ever Year and what ever Year or family choice and washing up to sing something simple
Then settle down to watch The Odenine Line ,Hadley and itbescapes us both the one and we think it was about a boat builder and then Van Der Valk with the good tune
Oh and we never complained it was all reapeats on the telly either
We still now as grandparents have that very very odd Sunday
When we just walk the dogs enjoy a lazy read at the papers on line have the radio on faff around all day enjoy a peaceful non hectic ( I love a full on family Sunday lunch and can’t wait till I can have all 17 of us back under one roof to eat together) roast dinner and dig out an ancient DVD to watch
Only difference DH moans now it’s roasting in here as I’m now very much ifvits not 80 degrees I’m frozen and that’s indoors no kind of sitting out side without jeans and a jumper below 85 minimum now for me

[Mqt]

Yes I remember the frost inside the windows and mum once trying to wash my hair with frozen shampoo which came out of the bottle like toothpaste! My dad used to warm my school clothes up on an airer in front of the gas fire.

We had little money and I remember my parents using next door’s phone to ring my older sister once a week.

Like others, I was allowed to wander freely with friends and once spent a happy afternoon ‘skating’ on a frozen pond in a wood!

[stecee]

It was only in the 60s that we had no inside loo, it was in the backyard and we had a potty under the bed in case we had to “go” in the night.
Heating was a coal fire which had to be lit each morning, I remember my Mam putting a sheet of newspaper across the open fire to help get it started.

[Smilesonfaces]

We didn’t have a telephone until I started work after university and I paid for it to be installed. There was a phone box just outside the house and mum said that was as good as a house phone so there was no need. We we had to arrange times with friends to phone each other and you would get really mad with people if they were using it at your time slot !

My very earliest memory is making twists with newspaper for the coal fire. The water was heated through coal fired central heating so even when it was a hot day the coal fire had to be lit.

The house was never locked, during school holidays we just wandered in and out from playing while mum was at work.

All the six weeks holidays were always glorious sunshine !

[myaquarium]

I can remember going to pick up my dads newspaper and 10 woodbine with my mate. We found a fiver on the floor and decided on a trip to Southport.
We travelled 30 miles on a bus and train using our 30p saveaway (scouse travel passes)
Spent a few hours on the fair, had our dinner and sweets and got home in time for our tea. No one batted an eyelid or wondered were we had been and we were still in the juniors maybe only 10. We still laugh about it today. How life has changed.

[munmun]

Originally Posted by myaquarium

I can remember going to pick up my dads newspaper and 10 woodbine with my mate. We found a fiver on the floor and decided on a trip to Southport.
We travelled 30 miles on a bus and train using our 30p saveaway (scouse travel passes)
Spent a few hours on the fair, had our dinner and sweets and got home in time for our tea. No one batted an eyelid or wondered were we had been and we were still in the juniors maybe only 10. We still laugh about it today. How life has changed.

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When we were 14 my friends and I used to go alone to London 70 miles away by train for a day's shopping on Oxford St/Knightsbridge. We took the money we had earned from Saturday and evening jobs and would by clothes not available in our town. I used to love platform boots from Sasha.

One day when staying with Granny in Kent my friend and I at 13 took a Hovercraft to Bologne for the day alone!

[Cherrypie]

Life seemed much simpler then didn’t it? I feel for kids now so much pressure on them 24/7 with social media and having to grow up too fast