The Good Old Days?

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

I miss green grass like that. Texas grass is more of a straw colour, often with bare patches.

The good old days was a place as well as a time.

 

[Boozad]

You ended up quite often playing a game of football all afternoon with people you had never met before (and might never see again) through a friend of a friend etc.

Also had a recent conversation with an 18 year old relative about how you arranged to meet up with people before phones. When I explained you went to a landmark (generally man on the horse) and just waited, looked shocked.
When he asked how long you would wait if they were late to see if they would come & I said probably half hour to an hour, he just couldn't get his head around the whole concept.

Been trying to explain to my daughters how you'd arrange something with someone on Monday to meet up Friday then it was pot luck if they turned up or not, they were just gobsmacked. Flipside being I've had some of the best nights up town ever joining up with other people when certain ones didn't turn up.

 

[Tredman]

I miss green grass like that. Texas grass is more of a straw colour, often with bare patches.

The good old days was a place as well as a time.

You can probably buy that type of grass if you want

 

[WolfMan]

Social media probably one of the biggest changes, it's hard to lose touch with anyone now. Mobile phones make it's almost impossible to be lost. Photos aren't a gamble on whether they will turn out right. Never have to ask anyone for the time or directions, arguments over trivial facts in the pub are gone, as are phone boxes. Adultery has become easier with the advent of mobiles, whether that's good or bad depends on your perspective I suppose. A to Z's, personal stereos, newspapers all pretty much redundant now.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

On the kids part if I look at my childhood versus that of my kids and our generation was much more spontaneous. The thought of going to knock on someone's door to see if they were coming out, going out on your bike to see who's around or going to the park and joining in would bring today's youngsters out in hives. Everything has to be so planned. I blame mobile phones

Oh yeah 100%, you could sometimes spend hours trying to find someone before mobile phones.

I remember in summer holidays in the mid-90s waking up at midday, ringing my mate Neil who's mum told me he was up at Toms house, calling up at Tom's house, he was gone down to the park, so head down the park - no-one around.
Walk down the town, ask around if anyone had seen Tom, hes apparently down the riverbank, head down there, meet the girls but no Tom, apparently he's gone to the beach, so walk half an hour down to south beach, no sign, walk up to North beach - still no sign.
Head back to town, check the riverbank and the park again before heading home after spending 6hrs walking around looking for Tom. Head home and play video games.
Ring Neil the next day who tells me he was in his gaff all day with Tom after they left Tom's house...

 

[Johnny75]

Oh yeah 100%, you could sometimes spend hours trying to find someone before mobile phones.

I remember in summer holidays in the mid-90s waking up at midday, ringing my mate Neil who's mum told me he was up at Toms house, calling up at Tom's house, he was gone down to the park, so head down the park - no-one around.
Walk down the town, ask around if anyone had seen Tom, hes apparently down the riverbank, head down there, meet the girls but no Tom, apparently he's gone to the beach, so walk half an hour down to south beach, no sign, walk up to North beach - still no sign.
Head back to town, check the riverbank and the park again before heading home after spending 6hrs walking around looking for Tom. Head home and play video games.
Ring Neil the next day who tells me he was in his gaff all day with Tom after they left Tom's house...

Kept you fit though.

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

Kerbs was another one from my youth.

We had perfect kerbs in front of my house, 6 inches high, used to spend hours playing it.
You never see kids play that anymore

 

[The Bear]

You mean Kerbie?

 

[Kenny]

Kerbs was another one from my youth.

We had perfect kerbs in front of my house, 6 inches high, used to spend hours playing it.
You never see kids play that anymore

End of the street I live on have 2 kids who visit their grandparents play it. They still haven't reached the age where they try to carry on playing as I drive down the street though

 

[Dublin Drummer Wolf]

20pts for getting it over a car and back off the kerb!

 

[Parkins left foot]

I'm not going to list what I remember as it would take too long & I've forgotten some of it anyway!

Having said that i took the family on holiday to Devon last week & went in a local museum - they have toys that I used to have on display plus the exact model of washing machine we had when first married & that was only 45 yrs ago.

That's taking the piss really

 

[Quirkafleeg]

I'm not going to list what I remember as it would take too long & I've forgotten some of it anyway!

Having said that i took the family on holiday to Devon last week & went in a local museum - they have toys that I used to have on display plus the exact model of washing machine we had when first married & that was only 45 yrs ago.

That's taking the piss really

No please do Im really interested..

 

[Tredman]

Fairly concrete proof that the good old days were shite

 

[Kenny]

So many people seem to think because it was like that once we should all suck it up and enjoy it being shit again. Such a fucked up view.

 

[Walshes Wolves]

One of my favourite things is to look for old pictures of the place I live, I find it fascinating to see how things have changed over the years. I love to imagine how life was different back then, and reflect on how the present will be seen in years to come.

I also like listening to and reading accounts of how life has changed. It's interesting that alot of people say things were better in the past, is this really the case, or is it nostalgia? I get the sense there was more of a sense of community back then, but life was alot harder in objectively measurable ways in terms of healthcare, working conditions etc.

I am in my 30's, I get the sense I'm probably one of the younger posters on here. An example of how things have changed since I was young, is we used to have a coal burning stove in our house, we had a coal man that used to come and deliver the coal to our back garden, I had to go out and fill the bucket up with coal, regardless of the weather. I can remember sitting in our living room and my dad having the vents open all the way, and the stove getting so hot it would glow red. I think central heating was quite common at this time, so we were probably outliers in still using coal. But I don't think coal burners are even allowed now, and no doubt the job of the coal man is extinct.

So what are peoples thoughts on whether life was better in the past, and has anyone got any good stories about jobs or things that are no longer around?

The bath was in the kitchen when I was a youngster and the toilet was in the garden. We used to have an open top washing machine and you rinsed the clothes with a mangel, if I remember correctly. There was a pop man, who used to bring different flavours of fizzy drinks, cream soda, dandelion and burdock, Cherryaid and other wonderful flavours. We used to dip bread in beef dripping.

 

[pavlosmacwolf]

Yep, and there was an order to it, friday night without fail, tin bath in front of the fire, dad first, big brother, then me, rhen the little fella.
When we were small enough me and the little fella, had to stand up in the kitchen sink, and mom gave us a top to bottom wash with a flannel.
Reminds me of when i first moved here and the house i bought had no bathroom.
Hosepipe tied to a nail up the olive tree outside, plastic on the floor so you could spot the scorpions.
In winter it was so cold, the fire was banked up to roaring in the living room, no towel outside, the minute the last bit of soap was gone , rush in, in front of the fire, get warm, and towel off there.

 

[Quirkafleeg]

I miss swinging around the death tree on the Clay Hill...

 

[Hereford Wolf]

People my age (66) seem to think the 70's were fantastic. They really are looking through rose tinted spectacles.
I much prefer the time we are living in now. The only thing that was better was the music!

 

[sycophantia]

People my age (66) seem to think the 70's were fantastic. They really are looking through rose tinted spectacles.
I much prefer the time we are living in now. The only thing that was better was the music!

Hmm, dunno about that 70s we're my happiest times as a teenager, sex, drinking, football, motorbikes, I had it all.....and that was just Mondays

 

[leedswolf]

I do miss no longer having to live for three months in a paper bag in a septic tank...