Web Page No 2630

2^nd November 2019

1st Picture: The traditional dustman

2nd Picture: Milk bottle in winter

3rd Picture:  Vicks Vapour Rub

4th Picture: Frosted window

Looking Back

It is strange how, over the years fashions in homes change and then some come back.

In the 1960’s the modern trend was to do away with the old-fashioned wooden panelled doors and cover them over with either hardboard or ply wood and finish them off with shaped beading around the edges. Now a days the old-fashioned panelled doors are all the rage in the modern home.

Did you home have an open fire? Complete with coal scuttles and companion sets? We had open fire places in two of our bedrooms which very soon were boarded over and electric fires fitted. The two open fires down stairs lasted a bit longer but by the mid 1960’s my father had filled them in also and we were reliant on electric heating all over the house. No central heating then!

One of the most popular things when houses were built in the 1930’s and in some post war Prefabs, were serving hatches between the kitchen and the dining room. We never had one but I can remember plenty of friends houses in which they were fitted.

Other things come to mind. Squares of carpet with stained wooden floor boards around the edge which enabled the carpet to be turned on a regular basis so as to even out the wear. This was my father’s idea. No fitted carpets in these houses until many years later, there were also heavy curtains hung behind the living room door to stop the draughts.

As the decade progressed television became more and more popular and a glance at the local chimney pots would reveal different designs of TV antennae. The two that I remember are the large Saint Andrews cross version and the ‘H’ shaped one. Now that’s providing that you did not have an indoor version which had to be moved around the room to get a descent picture and if anyone moved around the picture fluctuated enormously and this was always at the most exciting bit of the TV programme.

What else do we no longer see? The dustman on his rounds would cheerfully walk up the garden path, call out ‘Morning Lady’ and collect the dustbin on his shoulder and carry it out to the dustcart and then return it to where he got it in the back garden. Today we have to move the bins ourselves to a convenient spot or they do not get emptied.

The knife grinder on his specially prepare bicycle was a regular six monthly visitor and much used as were the Onion Men from France  with their strings of onions on their bicycles.

When the cold weather came it was out with the hats and scarfs, wellies and thick socks but the real mark of winter was when the milk froze in the bottle on the doorstep and the Blue Tits had a go at it. Another sign of winter was when Mum got the Vick Vapour Rub out and we had it plastered onto our chests to keep us healthy. Not forgetting waking up on a cold crisp morning with frost making beautiful fern like patterns on the inside of the bedroom window and Mum having to go around the house putting towels on the window sills to soak up the water. Not a problem today in the age of double or triple glazing.

Still enough of looking back but just remember it is now the beginning of November and all those years ago when we were kids we would have been out every day looking for wood for our Guy Fawkes bonfire.

Stay in touch

Peter

gsseditor@gmail.com

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ON THIS DAY 1^ST NOVEMBER 1960-1965

On 02/11/1960 the number one single was Only the Lonely - Roy Orbison and the number one album was South Pacific Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Bootsie & Snudge (Granada) and the box office smash was Psycho. A pound of today's money was worth £13.68 and Tottenham Hotspur were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 02/11/1961 the number one single was Walkin' Back to Happiness - Helen Shapiro and the number one album was The Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was One Hundred and One Dalmations. A pound of today's money was worth £13.25 and Ipswich Town were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 02/11/1962 the number one single was Telstar - The Tornadoes and the number one album was Out of the Shadows - Shadows. The top rated TV show was The Royal Variety Performance (BBC) and the box office smash was Lawrence of Arabia. A pound of today's money was worth £12.89 and Everton were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 02/11/1963 the number one single was You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & the Pacemakers and the number one album was Please Please Me - The Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Great Escape. A pound of today's money was worth £12.64 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

The big On 02/11/1964 the number one single was (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me - Sandy Shaw and the number one album was A Hard Day's Night - Beatles. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was Dr Strangelove. A pound of today's money was worth £12.24 and Manchester United were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.

On 02/11/1965 the number one single was Tears - Ken Dodd and the number one album was The Sound of Music Soundtrack. The top rated TV show was Coronation Street (Granada) and the box office smash was The Sound of Music. A pound of today's money was worth £11.69 and Liverpool were on the way to becoming the Season's Division 1 champions.The big news story of the day was 7 die in UK hurricane-force winds.