It was fun and usually the clock could be found in the
kitchen.
Whilst the more accurate of us liked the traditional clock,
this was a ‘funky’ accessory and was an instant conversational ice-breaker. Of course it was no good to cook by, but who cared, it was
fun and enjoyable.
There are still a few examples I came across, so if you want
to relive the 1980’s in your kitchen, get a ‘ish clock.
The view-master was one of those special
toys that could be fun as well as educational.
It was my sister, Valerie that owned one in
our family, a Christmas present from my parents to her in the mid-1970’s.
I remember that it came with a free
cardboard ‘stereoscopic ‘ 3-D card to view Disney movie pictures. This 3-D
images really came to life in a wonderful kaleidoscope adventure for any young
kid in the Seventies.
My Mother was insistent that it had to be
educational before it was fun. So my sister was subjected to 3-D reels of the
Cotswold, London, Historic houses and Castles. Occasionally we would be treated to a
film or a Disney cartoon, but these were very few and far between. Needless to
say that although we enjoyed the ‘educational’ slides, it was the cartoons we
all loved. I think my sister still has her View-master’ it was a much loved childhood present
For those of us that grew up in the 1970’s the Moulinex Electric Carving Knife holds a special place. It was the preferred choice of any man that wanted to carve the Sunday roast. My father loved his carving knife and he used it regularly.
When he died I inherited the knife and now it sits happily in the cupboard ready for those special occasions, like Christmas and Easter when I need it to carve.
Quick, safe, easy to clean I can see why my Dad was so found of it.
Every time I use I get this feeling I am turning into my Dad, nice memories but very scary.
When I was a 14 year old teenager in 1974,
there was nothing quite as magical as those day outings to exotic destinations
and for me that mainly consisted of a trip to Brighton.
If it wasn’t a family relative taking me
there, it was my Sunday school teacher at AllSoulsChurch, a
portly, kindly Mr. Arthur Spackman. Mr. Spackman who was a dentist, treated us
with miscellaneous technological gadgets and the weekly concoction of
educational magazines and a Milk Tray chocolate bar. Every summer he would take
the Sunday School class on a magical trip to the popular resort.
Our trip to the city was usually finished
off in Debenhams’s restaurant where we were treated to a Knickerbocker Glory
and for any 14 year old boy this was a treat worth waiting for.
Ice Cream, cream, fruit, meringue. Layers
of different sweet tastes alternated and jammed into the tallest glass topped
with whipped cream, syrup and a cherry.
It even had its own special very long spoon
so to could reach right down into the bottom of the glass and get every last
tiny bit of delight.
Even today the mere mention of one takes me
back to the restaurant overlooking the tiny park in Brighton. There is nothing quite like the pleasure of
diving into this world of glorious sweetness.
Every kid that i knew in the 1970’s had to
attempt at least one substantial “Airfix” model. Now these were the days before
computer games and the internet, so we had to busy ourselves with other forms
of entertainment. There were many, many models you could choose from but on the
advice of my Dad I purchased the ‘Golden Hind’ Francis Drakes famous sailing
ship.
This project was of magnificent
proportions, sails, masts, rigging, decks; cannons all had to be lovingly put
together and painted. I recall 8 paints that i needed all in little pots.
Newspaper was laid across our dining room
table and every night, bit by painful bit i assembled and painted the ‘Golden
Hind’.
I cannot remember how long it took me, but
it seemed to take forever and i do recall feeling very proud of the finished
model.
What happened to it? I don’t know, probably
went to the great ship yard in the sky when i left home. To be honest, i don’t
ever remember looking for it. But for a few months the ‘Golden Hind’ was the
center of my life.
I didn't attempt another Airfix model that
one was enough for me.
Long before Scrabble became popular there was an old card
crossword game. Kan-U-Go was a Christmas present from an Uncle and Aunt in
1974.
It consisted of small cards with letters and values and
thankfully had simple rules for playing and scoring.
There were 58 letter cards in the pack plus two Kan-U-Go
wild cards.
One of the great advantages of Kan-U-Go was that it could be
played from 1 to 7 players. Therefore all the family could play it, but if
everyone had fallen out with you, it could be played solo with the solitaire
version. A crossword patience.
The aim of the game is to form words in a crossword and to get
rid of all your cards. You add to words already formed or form your own words.
A simple but winning formula.
It is what I would call an educational present, one that
educated the child by increasing spelling skills but also by having competition
and fun.
I loved Kan-U-Go small enough to take on holiday and a good
family game.
One of the strangest confectionery delights to grace the
counters of the local newsagents in the 1970’s was the Milk Tray chocolate bar.
A whole box of Milk Tray Chocolates molded together into one
bar, with 9 different centers to choose from:
Coconut Ice
Turkish Delight
Crème Strawberry
Almond Swirl
Orange Creme
Caramel
Coffee Creme
Lime Barrel
Fudge
It was always difficult to keep your favorite to last, but I
loved the – Lime Barrel and Fudge
.
I must admit my least favorite was Turkish Delight, so I always
ate this first, to get it out of the way.
There was only one down side to this incredible invention,
sometimes if you were very unlucky the chocolate bar broke and split causing
the crèmes to spread and infect the other choc’s. It was heartbreaking to open a bar and
discover that the ‘best’ one (Lime Barrel) had been obliterated.
Our Sunday School teacher gave me a bar every Sunday when I attended church, together with the magazines
‘World of Wonder’ and ‘Look and Learn’ . To be honest I loved the magazines but
the Milk Tray Bar was the real treat.
My two sisters’s used to fight over which chocolate they
wanted and that still left 7 for me.
It was a timeless classic that still brings a smile to my
face.
Some chocolate bars have instant
recognition, everyone remembers ‘Marathon’ bars and no one can forget ‘Mars’
bars, there was one chocolate bar that brings back vivid pictures of breaking
your teeth when in a moment of madness you tired to bite into it.
The Buttersnap was just a thin brittle
layer of caramel covered in thick milk chocolate. But it was impossible to bite
without causing injury. The only way to eat a Buttersnap was to suck it. There was a skill in taking off the chocolate
layer with your teeth to expose the caramel but no one had a hope of chewing
the rock solid caramel inside.
It took forever to suck a Buttersnap!
There was a TV commercial: -
“Man at the kiosk cannot remember the name
of what he wants, says things like “it’s a … er …. snappy, snappy taste” to the
bewildered kiosk lady; cue a schoolboy swiftly into view “Butter Snap, please,
thanks!” and out again, and the chap remembers too late as the kiosk lady pulls
down the shutter
Voice-over: Sharp’s Butter Snap, a name to
remember!”
Buttersnap’s were great fun to eat and suck
and I am sure many a 70’s child will have found memories of these teeth
breaking delights.
The 1970’s was an amazing time of technological advancement.
One of the best of these breath-taking inventions to hit the
unsuspecting teenager was the ‘Digital Pen Clock.’
Sitting in History class and being able to flash my amazing
pen at my friends and look at the digital clock was just brilliant.
It was an excellent piece of the finest quality, whoever
invented the ‘Digital Pen Clock’ was a genius.
Easy to use, practical, helpful and impressive this was a
must in the pencil case of every young man.
Unfortunately they didn’t last long on the market as new
advances soon made them seem outdated. But in the mid 1970’s they were the best
thing around, everybody wanted one.
Growing up in the early 1970’s there were
many things to collect.
Petrol Stations gave away numerous free collectible coins and every one had a stamp album. Collecting rare Eastern
Communist countries stamps was all the rage. My mates and I argued and fought
over stamps from Hungary and Czechoslovakia.
But one of the best things to collect was
The Sun 3-D Starcards.
What could be better than them combination
of football, 3-D and collectors cards.
The collector’s album of 99 pages could
hold all the cards available
.
There were 50 cards 3-D Galley of Football
Games
There were 52 cards of Football Action
And 6 cards of how to play the game.
You got these amazing cards by collection
Sun Starcard tokens and you could order them.
They were all in dazzling 3-D.
Comparing these with your mates. Watching
your album fill up was great excitement.
I spent many hours arguing over the best
cards with all my mates
Timothy Whites was a houseware store from my childhood.
Located in Terminus Road in
Eastbourne, my mother swore by the store and its
products.
I remember numerous visits on Saturday afternoons, but the
product that summed up Timothy Whites for me was a Tree Vase that had a little
rabbit snuggled at its base. This vase once purchased proudly stayed in the
entrance of our home, welcoming any visitor into the Stevens home.
I loved this vase; it was cute, funny and just looked great.
Okay, it was not worth a lot in value and was not a collectible work of art, but it was just great.
I found out that it was a piece of Fauna Pottery from
Eastgate England.
This is the description of the vase:-
“This jug is fashioned in the shape of a tree with a forked
branch to the right forming the handle of the jug. Adorning the tree in the center and above the handle are swathes of large green leaves. The tree is
coloured brown and has yellow highlights on the various knots.
A flattened plinth at the base forms a niche where a large
rabbit is seated erect. The rabbit is reddish-brown with a white face and black stenciled eyes.”
Sometimes when we visit antique markets I catch a glimpse of
them and they are being sold for a tenner.
They make me smile, I almost buy them but my wife is not
convinced, memories are often more special.
Just a glance at a box of New Berry Fruits and I
immediately recall my Grandma settling down on Christmas Day evening in front
of the TV with a box whilst watching Mike Yarwood.
My Grandma didn’t like
chocolates, so she always bought with her a box of Newberry fruits.
My mother had a tin of
toffees always on hand just in case, but it was never needed.
Tucking into the sweet
jellies with the liquid centre was a real Christmas Day highlight.
Vibrant colors, pack full
of sweet fruity yummiess was just heavenly.
Christmas would not be so
delightful without these little treats.
I was in a Garden Center
a few days ago when I spotted a box and it all come flooding back.
Great memories of happy
times, well that’s how I recall them.
The world around me seemed to be overflowing with new
technological advances.
The marvelous Concorde elegantly dominated the sky.
The American’s dominated space
Bruce Forsyth dominated TV (and still does!)
And the Airwaves were dominated by Radio Luxembourg.
And when my Dad gave me Transistor Radio, I could join all
my mates in listening to the ‘Top 30 Rockshow – with Stuart and Ollie
Henry’.
I remember stuffing my transistor radio under my pillow at
bedtime and staying up late listening to anything that had the slightest
resemblance to rock music.
The ear-piece was forever uncomfortable in my ear, but I didn't mind,
It was a whole new world had opened up for me.
I would try to pick up music from various European stations;
I recall that the Dutch played some good progressive rock late at night.
A whole world there in my bedroom on my cheap little
transistor radio.
All I had to do was close my eyes and listen to the radio.
Growing up in the 1970’s my parents allowed me a small
amount of pocket money each week.
And I could spend it on what I wanted
This usually meant
Sweets!
In addition to this I could also buy a comic
My mother said it had to be educational!
So each week I purchased ‘The Victor’
The greatest comic ever printed.
Full of great stories and great characters
Exciting tales of Valor
Heroism
True stories of courage
Victoria Crosses won
And in alongside these wonderful acts of bravery, were the
fictional characters,
And everyone no doubt has their favorites and I had three
that I followed religiously.
Alf Tupper – Tough of the Track
A working class runner, who despite having everything thrown
at him, persevered, overcame the obstacles of life and came out winning,
Chell Puddock – Hammer Man
Chell Puddock – An Englishman with amazing strength and
instead of using a sword he uses his trusty hammer!
And my all time favorite
Is it Cricket? With the Little Pudlington Cricket Team –
Lead by Colonel Clutterbuck
The village of Little Pudlington, along with other English
villages took part in a knock-out competition to become the Village Cricket
Champions of All England. They triumphed over suspiciously dodgy umpiring
decisions and other teams scheming.
Then it was off to Australia and the outback to play against
local teams. It was a wonderful series with many twists and turns as the team go
on the adventure of a life time.
The Victor was for me the greatest comic ever printed.
I could not wait for each weekly edition and I always had
the annual waiting for me, at the bottom of my bed on Christmas Day.
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