TrueBlue Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Just for a minute, forget everything stressful and read this............... Close your eyes and go back in time... Before the Internet... Before semi-automatics, joyriders and crack.... Before SEGA or Super Nintendo... Way back........ I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park. The corner shop. Hopscotch. Butterscotch. Skipping. Handstands. Football with an old can. Fingerbob. Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the Menace. Roly Poly. Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass. Bazooka Joe bubble gum. An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune. Chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan or perhaps screwball. Wait...... Watching Saturday morning cartoons, short commercials or the flicks. Children's Film Foundation, The Double Deckers, Red Hand Gang, Tomorrow People, Tiswas or Swapshop?, and 'Why Don't You'? - or staying up for Doctor Who. When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Earwigs, wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings. Sticky fingers. Playing Marbles. Ball bearings. Big 'uns and Little 'uns. Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Zorro. Climbing trees. Making igloos out of snow banks. Walking to school, no matter what the weather. Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Spinning around on roundabouts, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles. Being tired from playing....remember that? The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Choppers and Grifters. Eating raw jelly. Orange squash ice pops. Vimto and Jubbly lollies Remember when... There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash The only time you wore them at School was for P.E. And they were called gym shoes or if you are older - plimsoles You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents. It wasn't odd to have two or three 'best' friends. You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas Eve. When nobody owned a pure-bred dog. When 25p was decent pocket money Curly Whirlys. Space Dust. Toffo's. Top Trumps. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny. When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there. When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving pupil at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc. Parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat and some of us are still afraid of them. Didn't that feel good? Just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that! Remember when.... Decisions were made by going "Ip, Dip, Dog Sh@t" "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in Monopoly The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one. It was unbelievable that 'British Bulldog 123' wasn't an Olympic event. Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a catapult. Nobody was prettier than Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true. Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors. If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girl89 Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Yeah, it was fucking terrible wasn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mission Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 There's an upcoming show that could address a lot of these issues:- Never did me any harm. You could even take part in it if you have kids - give them teh life you had and see how they cope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 Remember ... When your Mum got fed up of changing your white socks so made you go to school with the least dirty turned inside out - that'll do? Knowing how to light a coal fire as you had to do that if you were first in? Jumping off the coal bunker with a Mary Poppins umbrella and wondering why you didn't ascend into the sky? Having scabby knees? Yep, it was quite awful!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feelslikeitshould Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 The thing is, most of that wasn't all that long ago....how times change eh? I'd rather get my kids involved in messy, dirty, wet outdoor activities while they're young and have an interest, for some children their age it seems the most adventure they get is Dragons Castle or the cinema. Nothing beats climbing trees and falling in rock pools or streams! I'm a bigger kid than they are when I want to be, which is great for them I think. I was thinking the other day about 'the good old days' the ones some of you lot get talking about occasionally, the most recent one was in the NSC thread and talking about the old pool on Victoria Street, amazing stuff and genuinely interesting (to me anyway...!) There was another a few months back reminising about the cinema on Strand Street I think, don't remember the thread though....I often hear stories about the Aquadrome, the Lido and Summerland etc. and think how much we all (not just the kids with 'nothing' to do) miss out now these things are gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 and ..... frost on the inside of your bedroom windows in winter and leaving your clothes in a pile beside the fireplace in the kitchen hoping the fire stayed in all night when 'damped down' with 'slack' using the coal hammer to break up the big lumps small enough to put on the fire getting chain oil on your socks and hands when the chain comes off your bike having your gloves tied on a string up the arms of your overcoat, and a liberty-boddice and ballaclava to keep warm in the winter making a fishing rod out of a bamboo cane and screw-eyes and getting melts from the kipper houses in Peel to go fishing out the breakwater struggling to get through the crowds of visitors on the prom in the summer sitting on the hedge collecting car numbers ! putting a nail on the railway line to get flattened when the train rolls over it putting the milk jug out on the front step for the milkman to fill from the churn on the float waiting for Ffinlo to come with the bread and currant buns listening to 'Uncle Mac' on the wireless on saturday morning childrens' favourites printing your name on an aluminium strip in the machine at Glen Wyllin whitening your 'pumps' for school taking dinner money to school putting the milk bottles on the school radiator or heating pipes to warm for break-time, and the end of your straw getting soggy and going flat so you couldn't suck through it Izal toilet paper ( more like grease-proof paper) getting a shilling pocket money from Dad on saturday morning sailing your model yacht on the boating pool ..... forgetting what you did as a kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebees Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 My grandad still uses Izal, I dont know why. Awe, some of those things bringed a tear to my eye, again, I dont know why. I often wonder why we dont use slack on the fire. Ah, the triangle milk that we used to get for morning break at Murrays Road - blessed, we woz blessed. Those small wooden planes that you could buy in the joke shop at Ramsey (and the gift shop at The Waterfall Cafe). Aye the good old days. Modren life is rubbish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Those small wooden planes that you could buy in the joke shop at Ramsey Ah yes, the balsawood gliders which broke the wings after a few crash landings and we had the 1/3pt glass milk bottles with the cardboard push-in lids Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 How about shops from a bygone era? There was Conibears fruit and veg on Market Hill in Douglas.Further up the hill where Spar is now was lewthwaites a stationary shop. Just next to the bus station was Coopers the sweet shop.On the corner of Duke street and Victoria street, where Garrey Corniel is was the original Boots when they were here the first time round. Going up Victoria street from there you had Todhunter and Elliot a hardware shop which sold parafin.and Elders the bakers up near Colebournes, which has always been there , I think, in my memory. across the road was Curtis the fish shop and they had a huge cat fish in the window.Opposite the entrance to M+S car park was the Star hotel and right where the car park entrance itself is now there was a little sweet shop which sold everything in jars.especialy midget gems.I can remember my Mother (long dead now) stopping and pointing things out to me. I was never interested.But now my kids trip up over me when I stop suddenly to point out where places were from my youthfull days. Anyone remember the big cart horses with all the brasses glinting and jangling and the feather combs on their heads that used to pull the brewery carts from Drumgold Street? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheScope Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 How about shops from a bygone era? James Caines at the end of Athol Street. Me mum used to take me there for my new school uniforms. Now I work in the building that stands where it used to. Small world eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempus Fugit Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Blakemore's music shop, later incorporated into Manx Radio Rentals The Board of Ed library above Burtons RC Cain's James Lay's The 59 restaurant Victoria St church and youth club Emmett's menswear shops (two corners of Duke St) Quirk's grocers in Market Hill The butcher on the corner by the Market hall Hudson's cobblers Gellings Foundry Cubbin & Bregazzi furnishings Bell's tobacconist (Todhunter and Elliott were in Duke St near the Co-op) .. for starters .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollag Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 I regretfully have to inform you that Peggy's Lounge is no more, it is an ex lounge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Legend Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Always remember as a kid getting taken to Barry Nobles, where Burtons is now. And Liptons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcCann Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Charlie Wilde's in Peel. Now that was a shop Metal Mickey Sweets Toys Galore Penknives and fireworks. A 10 year olds dream. You can stick your Toys r Us up your arse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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