The weather was a bit quieter yesterday, Saturday, but there are thunderstorms forecast for today, and into the week ahead. I'd arranged to go to lunch today with Pattisue but if there is any possibility of bad weather while we are out I'll suggest postponing it.
I've been reading books lately about wartime Britain, and one I am reading at the moment is growing up in the 1950s, which is my era. It is bringing back so many memories. The early 50s were the 'radio years' and the late 50s were the 'television years'.
During the radio years everyone sat down, like we did, to Sunday lunch at 1 o'clock, and the Billy Cotton Band Show. Remember that, those of you who are my age?
And the other popular radio programmes. The Goons. Dick Barton. Hancock's Half Hour. The Archers and Mrs Dale's Diary. I somehow thought these programmes were all still running, although I think I knew Dick Barton had finished.
And the meals we ate! Liver and bacon, toad in the hole, stews, egg and chips. I thought that was just my mother's repertoire, but no, everyone else was eating that as well. I seem to remember we always had Sunday's leftovers on Mondays, and egg and chips on Fridays. And who didn't love bread and dripping? And who of my age doesn't remember Spam sandwiches? I bought a tin recently and had a few sandwiches, but couldn't eat it all. There was something very salty about it.
And if you needed to see a doctor you just turned up at the surgery and waited your turn. There were no receptionists to manage the patients, the doctors retrieved your file from a filing cabinet. And heaven help you if you needed an injection, because the needles were all re-usable and huge. And up until 1954 children in hospital were only allowed to see their parents on Saturdays and Sundays. I didn't know that - no wonder I felt so abandoned when I went into hospital to have my tonsils out, when I was about 5.
This is all a real trip down memory lane for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment