Growing up in the 70's

[morethanpotatoprints]

I bet there's been one of these before but who remembers stuff about the 70's, looking back to me it was all a bit weird.

So some of my memories.

Mary Mungo and midge, the music in the lift. my orange space hopper, gridsy marbles and clackers.
Dehydrated potato, free milk you had to drink at school.
Playing out from after breakfast until dark or tea.

Lots of ladybirds one summer, and long warm summer holidays in England

Tupperware cups and warm orange squash
Nylon orange sheets and candle wick bedspreads
Tarmac melting in the summer
Broken brown glass and concrete in the park
The bakers van that sold cakes

The Sweeney. The Onedin Line. Fawlty Towers. The Goodies. Dad's Army. Porridge. Rising Damp. (Any number of sitcoms, actually, most of the rest not very good.) World in Action. Play for Today. Miss World contest. Parkinson after Match of the Day on Saturday nights.

We watched a lot of TV.

All of the above
Orange and brown and velour and swirly patterns
Space hoppers and clackers and chopper bikes
School milk and spangles
Decimalisation
Buying singles - Elton John
Flares
Swap shop and blue peter

My dads brown cortina had plastic leather-look seats. God they burnt your thighs on a sunny day ! No seatbelt a too for us kids.

We were allowed to ride in the boot when he got an estate.

OMG, ducking birds

Fondues & Black Forest Gateaux

Weird relief pictures made of shiny string stretched between metal pegs with a hessian background - mum made several of these

Chicken-in-a-basket

Phone boxes - always smelled of pee (you didn't dare stand on the floor if there was water on it) and the reciever always smelled of ciggies and was covered in condensation

Sweets were proper bright colours

Crimpolene (oh joy)

Scotbloc cooking chocolate

Tab and 1-Cal sugar-free drinks (vile)

Worzel Gummidge, The Ghosts of Motley Hall, Grange Hill, Starsky and Hutch....oh and those Sunday evening family dramas..

3 digit phone number on our avocado trim phone.... Out number was 776!

Horrible bottles of milk free at school, and the cream used to sit at the top of each bottle - using candles because of all the powercuts - food shortages (I remember there being no bread at one point and no sugar at another - I think it was all to do with the 3 day week) - Choppers - cheesecloth blouses, denim skirts, platform shoes (weren't the wedges made of some sort of straw type material, with denim on the top for the sandal bit?) - tank tops - your Mum had a long 'evening' dress to go to a dinner and dance - people would think nothing of drinking and driving - football hooliganism - you had to wait for the tele to warm up when you put it on - Miss World was a big thing on tele, as was the Eurovision Song Contest

Abba!!

Oh gosh yes, Top of the Pops. Everybody watched that, didn't they? It was on every Thursday. Pan's People and no music videos until Queen did one for Bohemian Rhapsody which stayed at #1 for ages.

"Home and Freezer Digest" magazine, it was a tiny A5 size. Then it started getting all sophisticated with microwave recipes.

God yes orange nylon sheets, I had a nylon nightie too, it's a wonder I didn't spontaneously combust.

IDo

there was nothing on the road though, motorways had a few cars on them, amazing really.

Starsky, oh he was so mmmmmm, I worshiped him and bought a jacket.
I had a chopper, I loved this too.

The 70s were complete and utter rubbish for me as I was sent to boarding school. It was the worst place on earth and is now no longer there, (although it seems to exist in another form, see Education).
Home wasn't much better :( and DB was sent to school in York at 8 years old.

Auntie Stella I mentioned Banda machines on the "Smells that remind you of your childhood" thread. I loved the smell - I even got to operate the one at my primary school teacher's pet

Maxi dresses (the first time round)

Soda Steams (the first time round)

A street party at school for the Queen's Silver Jubilee

Glorious summers

Playing two balls up against the wall

Elvis dying

Taking Coke/lemonade bottles back to the shop for the deposits

Going on the train with my dad to pick up his strike pay from the shipyard where he worked.

AllMimsey can i add Dave Allen at Large to your list. Though having been born in 73 ive seen some of his earlier stuff via youtube.

The later stuff from mid 80s onwards i watched the original broadcasts as i was finally old enough.

Cindy dolls, fuzzy felts, Lego, Magic Roundabout, Magpie, Osmonds and David Cassidy. TOTP every Thursday with Pans People. Hiding behind the sofa at Dr Who. Bay City Rollers. Horrid polyester fashion, flares and. Big lapels on flowery shirts...

My abiding memory is that Top of the Pops on BBC1 was on at the exact same day and time as The Six Million Dollar Man on ITV.

Sisters and I wanted to watch TOTP and brother wanted SMDM. No video at that stage so we had to take turns.

My god the sulks and tantrums when we had to miss TOTP

Dave Allen was funny insightful and intelligent.

I'll add The Generation Game to that list of tv.

i used to live Sapphire and Steel, was that 80s though?

I was going to say power cuts - always seemed to be at half-term at my Granny's house, and we had to get out the little candles.
Getting the first computer game - Pong - for Christmas. So exciting to be able to interact with your telly, blocking the little squares and bouncing them back to the other side - Pong tennis
The seaside in the 70's, all wind-breaks and deck chairs and jelly fish!

The Dukes of Hazzard, The Tomorrow People, Alias Smith and Jones, The Professionals..