Good old England! Things to reflect on from times gone by.

There were shops similar to this where I'ved as a child, ahh the memories. You couldn't help yourself, you had to wait for the shopkeeper to get everything for you. There's wasn't the selection like there is today in the supermarkets, but it was more 'personal' and friendly I think.

Picture by Sharon West

Now that's what I call a shop Lyn!! Spending pennies on things instead of pounds was a pleasurable experience. Nowadays, I bet penny bubblegums are 40p or something just as ridiculous. I well remember popping into the local shop with my pocket money and buying the packs of cards with chewing gum in (do they still exist?) that lovely pink gum with the powder on that made the cards smell so sweet. And the walk to the shop was always so nice....that shiny round thing was very often in the sky, and summer really did exist, in the pre ''global warming'' days. Didn't we used to walk a lot then as well? On summer afternoons, after school, I and some friends used to walk over Portsdown hill to Southwick (Hants) and out into the countryside. Fantastic times! Perhaps that's why I enjoy strolling about nowadays, although it's not the same anymore, just because I'm older maybe, or because things have changed so much. I don't recall seeing so much litter then, there certainly wasn't the traffic there is today....and I'm sure there was much more wildlife. When did you last see a grasshopper? I know I've mentioned this before, in another thread, but it's mad. I've seen ONE grasshopper in the 12 years I've been in Yorkshire!! In fact, here it is, I was so amazed to see it, I took a picture of it on my hand.

 

Gosh Lyn you sure know how to make money, and I don't think I could come at the fried locusts thanks.

Do you remember the Saturday afternoon matinee at the pictures ?

Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Flash Gordon and the like.

On 16th July 2008 15:22, Sue H wrote:

Where have all the Primroses gone that used to grow in the hedgerows? When I was little they used to be everywhere.

Oh, how odd, only this year did I say to her indoors "Look, it's been ages since we last saw some primroses" she quickly put me right by telling me what I saw was dandylyons (bad spelling). I remember as a kid primroses on the banks of railway lines, millions of em. Do they still frequent the said locations?

 

As kids, when I was on a break fron the Hospital. We always went to my Grandmothers for R & R. She lived in a little old cottage in the cemetary, my Grandad was the grave digger. My uncle and I used to go out in the morning and hitch a lift all over South Wales.Very often we would be given a couple of bob to us get home too. We were safe as houses then.

Kids cant do that today. I went up to see the house and see if it had changed. Oh boy, had it changed. It is now a car park.Good job I have the memories because nothing else is left, even my uncle is dead, and he was two years younger than me as well.