Born before 1959? Want to chat about your memories of the 1960s and 1970s?

[SequentialAnalyst]

This is a thread to do just that And to compare, contrast, and discuss our memories of living through those times with MNers around the world, and share good stuff from those days we might have overlooked back in the day

I'm sorry to have to write this: but please No BabyBoomer Blaming or Bashing.

Wherever you come from, whatever your experience, whether you saw the Stones in the Park, or whether you could only listen longingly to Radio Luxembourg on your transistor radio in your bedroom, this is the place for you.

@AcrossthePond55 Could you do a similar para re the range of US experiences?

Ooh hello@DavidChecker

I've been hoping this thread might be a runner, but had no time to tend it, as it were.

On Sundays, my DF Rang His Mother, and I, a child who hated talking on the phone, had to talk to her (my DGM of course), until the end of 3 minutes was up. On long distance calls (London to Devon in this case), beeps (or pips) sounded as a reminder every 3 minutes, because phone calls were expensive. I loved my DGM, but was always glad to hear the pips

Saw The Shadows when I was a teenager, without Cliff. He'd have cost more! I was in love with Jet Harris for a while.

Now that Christmas is upon us, do any of us have memories of 'Christmas Past'?

I remember 'back in the day' the family 'dressed up' for Christmas dinner. The women and girls wore 'party dresses' and nice shoes and the men & teen boys wore shirts, ties, sweaters, and oxford shoes. But the younger boys still wore jeans, although they were 'nice jeans', and their only sacrifice to the occasion was a collared shirt rather than a t shirt.

Nowadays we're much more informal on Christmas. Jeans all round, which works for me. I can't imagine myself cooking Christmas dinner dressed in a nice dress with stockings and heels and a fancy 'hostess apron' like Mum did.

I am impressed, @upinaballoon, and would love to hear more.

Great idea, @AcrossthePond55, and I'll be back soon to bore you all at great length regale you with tales of Christmas in the 1950s.

1954 or so, Came down amazed to find I was expected to enjoy a special breakfast with ham, and I think porkpie. Usually breakfast would be 2 Weetabix or a bowl of porridge.

Growing up in a northern town in the early 60s I remember walking to school alone from the age of 7, a distance of over a mile.

Sometimes the fog was so thick and black that I had to follow the edge of the pavement from lamppost to lamppost to find my way there and back. Coughing brought up big black lumps of phlegm (sorry!).

And there were very few cars on the roads, as they all belonged to, and were driven by, men who were at work. The women and children either walked or took buses.

Throughout my childhood I don't think I ever travelled more than a 10 mile bus ride from home.

I'd also echo what previous poster have said about the freedom we had as children. Turned out if the house after breakfast with an apple for lunch and not expected back until teatime.

The lack of cars on the roads, as I mentioned above, meant it was safer - we'd play football etc in the road without seeing a car all day, and walk or cycle safely for miles.

Also, full (male) employment meant there was a perception of minimal threat from them.

I was thinking about the couple of years in the mid sixties when the hour didn't change. I lived in Northern Ireland which isn't that far north compared to many places. I was waliking to school in the dark...nighttime dark not just slightly dark. We started the day in school with prayers and hymn singing . Then spellings.
Then mental arithmetic...by the time we had recited our tables daylight had arrived.
I don't think people who moan about the clocks going back realise how horrible the morning was. I can remember it 60 years on.
I can also remember our silver tinsel Christmas tree which I loved. And the grown ups drank cider with Christmas dinner. I still have the cider glasses and the Christmas pudding bowls. My inheritance 😀

Error in calculation. Sorry, bad post.

In 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971 they left us on Summer Time instead of going to BST in the winter and it was I think pretty-much universally hated. And yes, it was an hour darker in the mornings (as it were) and a thoroughly bad idea.

Sunrise happens earlier in GMT. I do slightly wonder why we bother with BST when we are not at war and trying to maximise the time we keep the munitions factories open!

I do love the long evenings. But I don't remember them being shorter those years. Or winter afternoons being brighter. Just the dark.

I think it might have been those years that a big deal was made about being visible when out walking- we had special reflective arm bands to put on over our coats to walk to school (which I and my brother did alone, except a neighbour would see us over the main road on her way to work) - my brother was 2 years younger than me and I seem to remember I was responsible for taking him to school from the age of about 8 (can that be right?)- this meant walking home to the adjacent infant school, so not even the same site!!

Yes walking to school alone was allowed at a young age.😐in the dark.

I was never taken to school, though many years later my mother admitted that when I set off on my own aged five to the school, she followed surreptitiously on that first day to make sure I remembered how to get there after I had ben shown the exact route the previous day.

When I was around 8 or 9 (early 1960s) we lived at the top of a rather steep hill. DM had to get both DBs ready, in the pram and then walk me to school down the hill, through the town, up another hill (school was at the top), then do that in reverse, and again to pick me up in the afternoon. One day she said to me 'Do you know your way?' nodded, of course I did. 'Good, because you're doing it on your own from now on.' Typical DM, but I don't blame her.

No-one raised an eyebrow at this timid little 9 year old walking right through town twice a day. The worst part was the last bit. DPs were renting a flat that was a wing of a former gentry home, and it had a long tree lined drive that had to be walked down to reach the flat. It was a bit spooky and very dark in winter.

(And I bet she didn't follow me to make sure I knew the way 😅)

I do remember Christmas in Australia as a kid - Christmas Eve we left out a slice of Christmas fruit cake and a glass of coca cola for Santa - in the morning there were only crumbs left on the plate and the glass was empty! Great excitement!

We'd unwrap presents Christmas morning and lunch was a big deal as my cousins came over so it was a big family do.

As it was summer and hot, we often went swimming in the afternoon at the beach - Boxing Day was another lunch and then the afternoon spent at the local public swimming pool.

It really was a carefree time for us kids, but of course now I understand my mother in particular must have been very busy - Christmas pudding was made by her at home well before time, I do remember her getting all the dried fruit ready! Christmas lunch was also roast chicken - chicken was so expensive back then that Christmas was the only time we had it.

Also my grandmother used to come up for the day from the south coast by steam train! It freaks me out now that I can actually remember as a girl, regularly travelling down by steam train to visit her with my mother. I used to like sitting in the carriage with the separate compartments that had a door. On the walls they had black and white photographs of tourist locations like the Blue Mountains. We always travelled second class because first class was way too expensive!

it was nice to be able to meet friends in the lighter evenings and just go for walks with GFs. Or play football with mates.

I don't remember the lighter evenings. Only the darker mornings.
I loved the last Blue Peter before Christmas with the presenters opening presents and the Salvation Army band. I don't remember Magpie at Christmas. I assume they were too cool.

You mean more about going to see the Shadows, I hope, because I haven't time to write about all the other years from my birth. Well, I guess The Shadows backed Cliff in those days but they did stuff on their own, too. I went in a coach-load of people, about 25 miles from home, with a school friend and another teenager she knew. I think Tony Meehan was the drummer then. Jet Harris played a guitar. I need to check on Wiki but I think they were both replaced later. I read in a magazine that Jet had a stomach ulcer.
When the concert was over we came home! Nothing exciting.

Almost every night there was a cowboy programme on TV, so you could be love with Rowdy Yates and Jess Harper and Bronco Lane on different evenings of a week. A girl needs heroes.

I was born in the 70s anyone remember the really hot summer of I think of 77

When the rain finally came, late in the summer, our milkman put down his crate as the first huge drops splattered on the path and did what he told me was a "happy milkman in the rain dance" on the front lawn.

And the petrichor smell of rain on parched earth was absolutely stunning.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime I remember going round and round the scorched grass in my little pedal car and getting my foot stuck ,worst year of my life lol

1976 was the hit summer

Hit means hot! Typo

@MollyJustMight no need to explain obviously a typo