The good old days.

[marshbrewer]

Of course, I remember now @Clint ; the knives. We all had one, people had a totally different attitude to them then - Aunts and Uncles would give you penknives for Christmas, I remember having a really nice American Buck sheath knife with a gut hook, that was fantastic for rabbits, that I'd walk around with on my belt like it was a normal piece of clothing. My dad the same. These days, you just wouldn't see that. Funny thing was, nobody ever thought of stabbing anyone with one, even if you got into a bit of a scrap.

 

[Clint]

Fires...always had a fire going down the woods! Pinch tins of beans from home and heat them up...I had a knife with can opener and a spoon and fork.

 

[Clint]

Why did you do that? Or, if it was not deliberate, how?

Climbing up the steep, overgrown bank to get out the hole...it was an old sand pit...there was loads of glass.

 

[Cwrw666]

What's central heating?
We keep warm by rubbing two sticks together.

 

[kelper]

It wasn't until 1986 that 50% of homes had central heating!

 

[marshbrewer]

We got a couple of radiators in two of the upstairs rooms about then, both running from the Rayburn downstairs, but it wasn't until I'd pissed off to Uni in 89 that my parents invested in proper central heating.

As a kid, only people who lived in new builds seemed to have it.

 

[marshbrewer]

I tell you another thing that has massively changed, and that's the reliability of cars. Back in the 70s, they were just so unreliable (unless you could afford a premium brand or buy a new one every couple of years).

Our occasional day trip out would always begin with my Dad swearing at our car and trying to get the old banger started. These days, you can buy a relatively cheap car and expect it to be fairly reliable.

 

[Slid]

Children used to walk to primary school and back unsupervised, from just weeks after starting.

I remember one summer evening returning home from the local park as it was getting dark, maybe around 9pm or so. I got a bit of a talking to, as a sensible 9 year old, with three younger siblings. Now there would be an official search party by 9pm.

It used to snow a lot in the 1960's as well. Thank goodness for global warming.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

It wasn't until 1986 that 50% of homes had central heating!

Our house had it when we bought it if it hadn't i wouldn't have bothered as the coal fire kicks out a hell of a lot of heat, i wish they hadn't removed the back boiler (remember pulling the metal loop down with the poker to heat the water) as you got free water back then the down side was having to light the fire in summer to heat the water.

 

[Covrich]

Of course, I remember now @Clint ; the knives. We all had one, people had a totally different attitude to them then - Aunts and Uncles would give you penknives for Christmas, I remember having a really nice American Buck sheath knife with a gut hook, that was fantastic for rabbits, that I'd walk around with on my belt like it was a normal piece of clothing. My dad the same. These days, you just wouldn't see that. Funny thing was, nobody ever thought of stabbing anyone with one, even if you got into a bit of a scrap.

Funny how things change, I saw a bit of pinocchio the other day and after he runs away he is in a bar playing pool drinking and gets a greenie after having a big drag on a cigar. Can't see pixar doing that now

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I tell you another thing that has massively changed, and that's the reliability of cars. Back in the 70s, they were just so unreliable (unless you could afford a premium brand or buy a new one every couple of years).

Our occasional day trip out would always begin with my Dad swearing at our car and trying to get the old banger started. These days, you can buy a relatively cheap car and expect it to be fairly reliable.

I remember our fan belt snapped on the motorway and the charge light came on (that seemed to be a regular thing back then) we stopped at the services and my dad had to use my mams tights to make a makeshift fan belt until he got to our destination. (the surprise was it worked)

 

[MmmBeer]

As kids we used to stay out all day, either playing football, or out on our bikes, travelling all over, often into some of the dodgiest areas that you would only dare enter now with an armed police escort, but it was ok then, because mugging hadn't been invented.

We would build camps in the park or the woods, climb trees, build fires, play with worms, fight with sticks, run with scissors, travel in cars with no seat belts and no-one died. If you got hurt, you just ran it under the cold tap, or your Mum would put some witch hazel on it (what on earth was that stuff?).

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Your mam licking her hanky to wet it then wiping your mouth, i hated that.

Thank god for wet wipes.

 

[LED_ZEP]

Jumpers for goalposts.

 

[Clint]

Having a bath in the kitchen sink..once a week...mam struggling to get a comb through my hair!
Leaving my younger sister in the woods..running off thinking it was a great laugh...until I got back and had to explain where she was...then a search party would be organised..like a witch hunt out of a Hammer film...she was where I left her...stood crying on a fallen tree over the stream...oops!

 

[Clint]

Me and the lad next door found a hidden, underground shelter in the orchard up the road...we spent ages digging it out and found old boots and a radio receiver set in there amongst other things...it was probably a secret home guard hide out from the war.

 

[An Ankoù]

Having a bath in the kitchen sink..once a week...mam struggling to get a comb through my hair!
Leaving my younger sister in the woods..running off thinking it was a great laugh...until I got back and had to explain where she was...then a search party would be organised..like a witch hunt out of a Hammer film...she was where I left her...stood crying on a fallen tree over the stream...oops!

Well what are little sisters for, I ask you?

Edit: Best not answer that if you live in Swanage.

 

[Norfolk79]

When I was about 10 my dad was looking at the brewing stuff forgot about us and left my sister and myself in Boots. His excuse was he thought we were with my mum. I remember being gutted when he’d remembered and came back for us as we were then about to have a lift home in a police car!

 

[Michael Burnley]

Pulling the choke out to get the car started, 3 channels on the telly, oh and getting up to turn the telly over, net curtains frozen to the inside of the windows, toast toppers, not being able to see mum or dad though the smoke haze, taking the clock off the wall to reveal what colour the walls started out as, being sent to the shop to buy **** ..... Those were the days !

 

[chopps]

toast toppers!

Oh my! I need toast toppers back in my life.