Crumbs, that was a shock to the system

Indeed. Guilty secret time too: I have NEVER even confessed to my daughter how me and my friends swooned over The Bay City Rollers 50 years ago. Ha!Ha!Ha!

Kate1949

I hope it was clear that the mini skirts and Afghan coats were in my head only! I don't go swanning around in them now at 73.

My friend had an afghan coat which, when it got wet, used to smell like a damp animal. Those were the days.

Oh MOnica, you reminded me that one of my dearest friends and I met when we were 3 - 71 years ago. We moved in next door to them.

We don't meet up now as she lives in Scotland and has very poor mobility. But, when we talk on the phone, we revert to the giggling teenagers who used to walk home from the school bus pretending we didn't want the boys to notice us.

Last year I met with a friend, we hadn't seen each other since school. We fell straight back into our friendship but couldn't stop giggling about how "grown up" we had become.

A teenager was telling me about her class learning about the fall of the Berlin Wall in history lessons. That can't possibly be history, I still use the same radio I heard the news on originally.

Gdd1 will be 8 tomorrow - seems such a scarily short time since we were haring off to the hospital 60 miles away to meet her, just hours after she was born.

On a less cheerful note, during my recent fairly long hospital stay with a very nasty infection, it rather hit me for the first time that at 74 I’m officially seen as ‘old’. I’m extremely lucky in that I’ve never yet had mobility problems, and in fact have rarely needed to see the GP, but it was evident at first that I was more or less expected e.g. to have difficulty with stairs once I finally got home - because at my age people do often tend to, especially when weakened by illness. So thank goodness I found the ‘stairs test’ pretty much a doddle.

But at least nobody asked me whether I was prone to ‘having a fall’!! 🤞not yet!

albertina Yes, I met my best friend 67 years ago, at school, but I was 13 and she was 12. We have agreed not to discuss how long we have known each other.

1973 my second daughter was born and we decided to start the process to emigrate because we thought the kids would have a better life elsewhere. It wasn’t looking too good for the future in the UK then. Roll on 50 years, 4 kids later, many grandchildren and several greats , we think we made a good decision.

Don't you just love it when stark reality hits you in the face. Friends 'baby' son retired earlier in the year. That was a moment I can tell you!

My oldest friend and I met on our first day at school 68 years ago. Still in touch and both amazed that it was such a long time ago.

My DH and I got engaged in April 1973. When the date came round I was amazed to realise it was 50 years ago!
I also had a double-breasted midi coat at that time. My Mum gave me £10 to buy a coat and I couldn't find one that cheap in C & A, so I bought the fabric and pattern to make one. Mum went mad, she said I'd never be able make a lined woollen coat, so of course I had to prove her wrong. It was a lovely nutmeg colour and I adored it. When midi coats went out of fashion I shortened it so I could carry on wearing it.

I know what you mean kitty. My partner died 7 years ago this June and I just don't know where the intervening years have gone
I remembering reading George Orwell's '1984' way back whenever and thinking how impossibly far ahead that was. And yet it came and went and now it's history. As for grandchildren! The oldest if my five will be 30 soon and my youngest is about to leave school. And yet they were babies yesterday, I'm sure of it!

Time certainly has a habit of creeping up on us.

I wish everyone would stop talking about my age.

I remember silent films and cats whisker radio. The doctor coming out on a Sunday and charging half a crown. Paying six guineas hospital bill for the birth of my daughter.

At work recently I said I don't feel my age UNTIL I realise I have two daughters aged 40 and 37 therefore I cannot be 30 myself can I?

I remember in the mid 1960s having a maths lesson on binary numbers. When we asked the teacher what was the point we were told that it all to do with computers, which at that time were a quite rare and as big as a room . Almost 60 years later most of us carry a much smaller one around in our pockets !

My partner and I have been together less than a year. When people ask how we met and when we have to say… 1970 , when we were both at university and the best of pals. It doesn’t seem like 5 decades ago and I’m glad to say that we’re stilll best pals .

I’ll be 80 this year and suddenly I feel that I’m an old woman.
Still quite active but definitely slower. I wonder who is the oldest person on Gransnet? My oldest grandchild will be 28 this year .. I often wish I could have a chat with my late mum and we could compare notes about growing old! She would be 117 years old if still alive.

cc

I can still remember the smell (or should I say stench) of those Afghan coats. Someone I knew brought one home from Afghanistan and had to leave it out in the garden overnight rather than hang it inside the house.
And do you remember those maxi coats, often double breasted? Kept us all very snug. Mine was a lovely black and white herringbone fabric, very fitted. Most of the boys had dark ones, more military looking.
I saw an elderly man in a local restaurant wearing one the other night, he looked wonderful - I'm guessing he was an actor and it had been a costume as it fitted perfectly and he had a lovely patterned silk shirt and matching clothes. It had a look of Adam and the Ants.

I had a beautiful herringbone grey midi coat, made for me by a neighbour who was a tailor, probably the only handmade item of clothing I have every had, apart from homemade by Mum when I was young. It was a truly beautiful coat and the envy of my friends. I used to wear it with a pair of those black boots with pull up legs.

I volunteer at a National Trust property which has a 1970s bedsit.I enjoy reminiscing with visitors about the objects in there.But it's scary that it doesn't seem long ago,but now all these things are in a museum.

Anniel

Fleurpepper, loved your post about meeting your husband! My daughter was one of the first babies born on the day of our late Queen’s coronation. She is named Elizabeth. Age just creeps up on us. I wish my interest in family history had blossomed sooner as my grandparents and parents would have been a great source of knowledge. I do enjoy threads like this.

My mum used to tell me things about my family and I so wish I'd written things down. I just assumed I'd remember the details but now I only remember vague facts!

1973 was the year I left school and left home to go to University. We had a reunion in 2017 to recognise 40 years since graduation, but one of our closest friends is already not with us. That really brings it home! It made me realise I need to not just keep in touch at Christmas but actually get together with the people who matter to me while we still can.

The list of number one hits brought back a few memories, thanks for posting.

I had an afghan coat, which became more 'fragrant' in the rain and sometimes resulted in me having the seat to myself on the bus in wet weather. Also wearing mini skirts and long silver boots (what a poser!). I also had a silk jacket a la Marc Bolan. Anyone remember wearing loon pants? The memories of rebellious teen years!

Fleurpepper, loved your post about meeting your husband! My daughter was one of the first babies born on the day of our late Queen’s coronation. She is named Elizabeth. Age just creeps up on us. I wish my interest in family history had blossomed sooner as my grandparents and parents would have been a great source of knowledge. I do enjoy threads like this.

Surely someone has their finger stuck on the fast forward button.

I was appalled to read recently that 1970 was closer to 1918 than we are to 1970 today! That really pulled me up short!

I know Kitty where did those years go?My youngest 'child' is 20 today- the 2 youngest ones (20&24) are keeping me young!(60 in summer-how did that happen?) At least my eldest grandbabies are holding off making me a great gran - then ill know im really old!😂