When I was born........

I had to answer Grammaretto...£900 for a bike for a 12 year old !?!?!? Where were you looking, my power-assisted bike didn’t cost that !! Go to any bike shops and pick one up for £200

Oh, grannywannynanny my gran also had one of those - we'd get the job of beating a rug on a sunny day during the school hols - the dust flew everywhere! You had to wipe your face and blow your nose afterwards.

And the lino - it was very cold underfoot and the corners went all curly. We had to 'watch that bit' so as not to trip over it. Blimey, youngsters these days don't know they're born, do they?

Our houses were older, colder and damper. Now airing cupboards have disappeared - something I miss in a way. It was nice to put on warm underwear first thing on a winter morning - one of the few comforts as we shivered.

My teachers were all wonderful women who encouraged us and never insisted on being right or made fun of us.

But of course, north of the border we all know that the Scottish school system is better than the English!

We had a double sink in the kitchen. The large one was for doing the washing in. Outside, near the clothes-lines my mother had a wringer she put the washing through to get the water out of it.

A downstairs toilet with no hand wash basin, we opened and closed two doors on our way to the kitchen sink to wash our hands.

No central heating. The dining-room and sitting-room were moderately warm in winter. The rest of the house freezing cold.

The bathroom was only heated on Fridays when we took baths. The rest of the week, you turned blue while washing in the basin.

Two deliveries of mail every day, except Sunday. Shops delivered your shopping if asked to do so.

Children could play in the streets and walk home from school alone in safety.

No teenage drug addicts or boys with knives at school, although the 1960s did see some teenage mothers.

I still think that it’s pretty amazing that I can walk into a supermarket, and then walk out with a weeks groceries, and all I have to do is slide a thin piece of plastic into a machine , and even better what about the handheld scanners , zap zap zap , the items go straight into my bags and then out comes the thin piece of plastic and off I go ... amazing!

I remember the horrid Izal paper. I’m being transported back to the school toilets now and carbolic soap.

And Lino on the floors?

Does anyone remember Izal toilet paper? Horrible hard shiny stuff. Before that, squares of newspaper hanging from a string.

Growing up in the 40s. Passed the 11+ and there were still girls who had been paying pupils. Was told that ‘my mummy says I mustn’t play with scholarship girls’.
The teachers did little more than dictate their notes which we copied down. We were told to complete our studies in the town’s library. I didn’t know where the library was or its opening hours. I lived in the sticks with a sporadic bus service consequently I never made it to the library It makes me think of the poor kids today who have no internet access. Thank goodness things are better now.

* lovebeigecardigans1955* I’d forgotten about the advent of fitted carpets. I remember my Mum taking the rugs outdoors on a nice day and giving them a good beating and airing.

I still have her rug beater.

Speaking of photos, froglady it is astonishing how readily young people whip their phones out for a selfie (self-centred?) - my grandmother would be astounded. When out for a meal, for instance, they'll take a picture of the plate and put it on social media.

As a child our houses had large rugs with small mats by the doorways - fully fitted carpets were an expense we could not afford. When we married in 1980 they'd become the norm. Now, for all sorts of reasons the fashion is for bare floorboards again.

There wasn't too much interest in interiors. Our curtains, etc were bought because they were cheap, not because they co-ordinated with anything or the style had changed. Lots of things were 'hand me downs' which tends not to be the case now as we are so much better off.

That old cottage did have a bathroom in though, i remember the posh lady showing us it and being so proud her father had it put in a few years ago she said (it was not modern though, had an old cast iron/enamel fitted bath & toilet with the high up cistern,wooden seat & a pull- chain.& old 1930's sink) it was better than going outside though. they pulled down the old 2-up 1-down house in the early 70's& re-housed us all.

Born early 50s. Remember a saying. Those that can't teach. Especially in the secondary school system The attitude was if you did not pass 11+ you were factory fodder , if you had connections in a firm might get apprenticeship, girls office junior or shop, to work for Rackhams you needed at least 1 O 'Level and no amount of CSE' s even top grade would get you through the door. I went back education in the 80s loved the changes that has taken place

Yes Grannynw, we had a party line in our first house in 1970. I found out who it was (were we told?) and knocked on their door and introduced myself. We are still in touch after all these years.

The house we longed to buy was £1500 , a picture postcard cottage but because we couldn't get a mortgage, we couldn't afford it. I wonder how much it would cost now.

Gillybob I wanted to have my baby in hospital but due to a shortage of beds I was told there was nothing wrong with our house as we had our own loo so I would have a home birth.

Life is certainly easier now but not necessarily happier.

No tv,phone,fridge, washing machine hoover, car, disposable nappies, list is endless. Goodness don't think soft toilet paper was even standard. I enjoyed school, never felt scared of a teacher but did appreciate they were not my Mum and Dad so couldn't be cheeked back at. And if a police officer ever had occasion to speak to you well your parents knew before you got home to face the wrath of goodness knows what punishment. Definitely a changed world from when I was born.

I didn't write until I was 9 because I wasn't allowed to hold the pencil in my left hand. Also school diner had to be eaten right handed - I never finished one.

Gosh yes, Grannynannywanny, when we had a cottage tied to my step- fathers job when i was little, (before the 2-up1- down house) it had a very old 1930's style party line phone in it.The 'lady of the big house' my step- dads employer, used to 'listen in' if we got a call of our own.But we only really knew my aunt who had a phone so it was usually her.The phone numbers had only 3 digits.& i remember my mum asking operater for the town then 642 to ring my aunt.

I often tell teenagers in the school where I work about life without even a home phone let alone everyone having their own personal mobile. They think it such an imposition not to be allowed to use them in class! My mum eventually got a phone when I was away at university after my dad died, but I rarely rang her as I didn't have one until a few years later. We used to write to each other once a week!
We didn't have a car, went everywhere by bus or on foot. I once found a handbag in a hedge when out playing. My mum phoned the police to report it (probably on our neighbour's phone as the nearest phone box was about a 10 minute walk away) so my first ride in a car that I remember was the police car taking me to show them where I found the handbag! The first car our family had was my old banger bought when I was a student.

The way people rely so much on tv for entertainment. My mother enjoyed watching Sunday night theatre, but otherwise, we listened to the radio.
Children grew up using their imaginations. They also learned to earn a bit of pocket money by doing little jobs for people or collecting empty jam jars and getting the pennies back. These days, everything is handed to them on a plate.

I agree, most things we and our kids& grandkiďs take for granted now they can hardly believe how i tell them it was when i was growing up-born in the 60's- at one point we had an outside loo& a 2up 1 down house with a damp cellar, no gardens. No tv at first,then got a B&W but not colour till late 1970's. When i say we had only 3 channels they laugh we had no bath so had to either use a tin one or go to the local swimming pool for the 'slipper baths'- when my own older kids were growing up they talk to their kids how we were able to get a bulky microwave & a video recorder awhile after they were made & a twin-tub washer.(but at least we had a bathroom) No mobiles then either till late 90's and certainly not for children..No consoles for gaming like they have now, till super nintendo changed their world.again late 90's.I dont think the grankids believe them.

Did anyone have a shared phone line? We had a shared line with our neighbour with our first phone in the 60’s because it made the phone rental a bit cheaper. Only one household could use it at a time. If you lifted the phone and heard the neighbour in mid conversation you said sorry and quickly hung up.

It worked fine till our neighbours moved and their replacements were nosey Parkers. Mid conversation it wasn’t unusual to hear them lifting their phone and staying on to eavesdrop!

Carol54

I am still excited that I can carry books music magazines and newspapers in my pocket. We are so fortunate to have all the advantages of technology. Plus after a family virtual activity with our 7 AC and their children I wonder how much sadder this lockdown would have been without it.

Exactly how I feel, Carol54 !

As for my childhood, early 50s, it was a 2 bed Victorian terrace, one cold tap, toilet in the yard, no heating, no hot water, an open fire downstairs, no fridge or tv, no phone til I was about 14 and my poor mum never had a washing machine so handwashed everything the rest if her life. She had a mangle though, which helped .

My childhood was in the late 40's, we did have a telephone - a big black thing, it terrified me. Dad had a car which frequently ran out of petrol - I can remember crying because the car had run out of petrol, it was dark and wet and dad had to take a petrol can with him to find a petrol station - today, cars are more reliable (think there was a leak in the petrol tank). We would use our mobiles to contact a roadside emergency company!! I feel in this Lockdown, many of us (including me) would not survive without the internet, which helps to keep in touch with the outside world.

I was born in the 50’s. Like most houses just a coal fire in the livingroom. One of the bedrooms also had an open fireplace but was only used if one of the family was ill in bed. That became the sick room.

If we were cold we put another jumper on. There was no going around the house in teeshirts and bare feet.

When we got up for school in winter the inside of the windows were covered in ice. TV was a small b+w till the early 70’s. Then we rented a coloured tv it felt like we’d won the lottery.

I feel like there should sad violin music playing in the background of this thread! ?

I agree with everyone else. Technology and showers!

When I was first met my husband, 1970, his parents lived in Hong Kong. They had to book a phone call with the telephone exchange about 7 hours in advance! I remember sitting next to the phone excitedly waiting for the call from the operator who then put us through to them