For those born before 1940.

I was born 1949 Andrew but know exactly what you mean.

Brilliant and very true. They were the good days when everybody helped each other. I have loved being a child of that era.

I was born in 1966 so all the changes had started. Loved reading this. ?

Oh,what a trip down memory lane,Derek..I was a 1940 baby,so I can vouch for all these things..some, I had forgotten about,so thanks for posting this,I loved reading it..the only item that was different in my case was,The Manchester Evening news...with me being a Yorkshire lass,but the equivalent served the same purpose !Lol...We were certainly built to last in that era..:o)

I was born in 1940 too. It was often my job to cut the Radio times into four and fasten the pieces together will wool threaded in a darning needle. A glass of water left overnight on the chest of drawers had ice on it in the morning. But worst of all was the coal shortage. We had one fireplace but hardly any coal and I clearly remember balls of damp newspaper left to smoulder in the fireplace as a substitute. And no, it didn't work...

Oh derekm ,I loved your blog,how funny,I really enjoyed a look back in time,how did we get to this age with no health and safety!!!!!!

......and I still have my original mouse-coloured hair and MY OWN TEETH!! :O)

I was born in 1958 but I remember most of that and my parents born 1916 always told us. we didn't get a fridge until late 70's as we had a meat plate on a marble slab in the pantry.
frost patterns inside my bedroom window was a given in winter
in 1963 our gold fish died as their water froze.
All the floors had lino and a rag rug. wall to wall carpets weren't an option.

I think most didn't have a fridge until the 70's, Sbg..my mum didn't,but we had local shops,where she bought fresh on a daily basis...a cold cellar,with a stone slab,and a meat safe,as it was known,which was a box with a mesh front ,to keep flies etc out :o) and none of us ever had food poisoning ! Oh ,those rag rugs..! I remember helping to make those at my Grandma's.I've still got the hook ..then in the 50's/60's we progressed to those half moon ones with a flower design ,which came in a kit with all the instructions and materials..'Readicut' I think they was called ? very nice ,till a log spitted on the fire,and left a burn mark,or a hole..and didn't it stink,with it being wool ? ...The good old days ??? yes,mostly :o)

I read this to hubby and he was saying that he feels that before we started relying on computers to work out everything for us, people were more inventive and used their brains for more and so bigger changes where now people just ask their computers. We where both born in the 60s and feel that we have seen less big changes then those born earlier.

Sandra that took me back again. When there was a heatwave my Dad used to go down to an ice supplier in town and bring back a huge lump that just fitted in the dolly tub. Mum used to put the butter and milk on top of it. It lasted abut 3 days.
I still have the hooks for Readicut rugs somewhere.

Sue,I have visions of butter and milk forgotten about,in the bottom,when your mum started filling the Dolly tub with water....:o)..did she have a " Posser" as it's known here,to bash 7 bells out of the washing ?? Ha ha..

A walk down memory lane, thanks Derek I really enjoyed going back in time, I was born in '47 so after the war but all you have talked about was my life as a child, its good to look back but wouldn't want those days returning, I've gone soft in my old age, need my appliances and my central heating, lol....Oh and of course my laptop, it would be very lonely without all my gardening friends...

I still have my Readicut half moon rug beside my bed.
The important thing about those days was we kept ourselves occupied with hobbies, or reading, in the evenings. Liibraries were an important part of every community. Not struggling to survive as they are now.

Thank you all for reading my blog, and the lovely comments, although I wasn't born until 1948, just 1 week before the N H S was born, and I was the first born of twins, so my parents had to pay the Dr double, and the midwife 1 and a half times the normal, [she wasn't exactly a midwife, she was good at it, but couldn't pass the exams], and being a bit out in the sticks, not much had changed from 1940, or before that even, although penicillin had been discovered, but coal was still on ration for quite a few years later into the 50s.
It was nice reading some of your recollections of the time, thanks again, Derek.

thanks for this, Derek, i'm the oldest here, born in 1932...lived with my Ganny in Hoylake until we moved to Canada in 1938..i have many fond early memories..Ganny making scouse..being safe and free to run everywhere...later in Canada, Mum a single parent..first Christmas tree, no ornaments, lights, just home made paper chains we thought were lovely..butter rationing during the war..sad letters from the war office..i cleaned the Post Office, saw many tears..you bet we're tough!..i still rely on hobbies...

Hi Odaatpat, thank you for reading my blog, my late wife, who died on Christmas day last year, was also born in 1932, [I was her toy boy 😊😊😊 ], Derek.

So sorry for your loss, Derek...i've never actually met a toy boy before..we make all sorts of discoveries here on GOY, don't we? LOL..not sure i can find that species around here... .))

Hi Odaatpat, I'm sure there's 1 around somewhere, many thanks for your condolences, Derek.