My Nan used to have a mangle...

Toughens you up! I used to have pretty ice crystals on my bedroom window. Hard to believe any house had single-glazing - what were they thinking?

 

We still have single glazed sash windows they rattle a treat in the wind

 

Sounds a bit bloody draughty to me...

 

It's not as bad as you would imagine

 

Buncefield nearly got that when it went up

 

we had one coal fire and an immersion for the hot water a really deep cast iron bath .Black and white 12 " TV with two channels and one radio .No telephone ,no car , dad had a moped which he used for work and to get to the golf course.
Nextdoor had one condom which they would wash and reuse it would hang on the washing line to dry

 

You lot are making me feel young.

 

romans pah , you sin the flintstones

 

I remember the iced up bedroom windows and I had one of those stone hot water bottles in bed. In the winter, the old school was very cold and the classrooms had a 'tortoise' round coal fired stove with metal chimney pipe up through the roof, near the teachers desk and us kids had to sit with our coats on all day, great days indeed. That was the primary school and the infants school for 5 and 6 year olds is also still there and being used as a library and community centre. Both buildings are Victorian and are a feature of the village compared with the modern buildings and homes which are carp.

As said, family life was good and neighbours were very nice people and we shared stuff. I remember one family had less than most of us so we gave them groceries to help them. It was a time after the war when we still had rationing and I remember going to the shops in the village with the ration book.

Nobody had any money or possessions, so we were equals and supported each other. Buses were the transport or bikes and in the sixties motor bikes appeared and I remember when my brother (11 years older than me) got his first motor bike a 350cc Matchless, lovely bike. He used to pay me to clean and polish it so it always looked like new. Probably why he got the nice ladies. That was a time when I went to the pictures every week as my brother gave me money to be out the house for a few hours. I didn't know why at the time, probably thought he was being generous.

 

Our neighbours do the same...but they're from Cornwall.