Oh how childhood has changed - I consider myself one of the lucky ones

I grew up in a small town in Ireland  during a time when everyone treated each other like Family, every adult that came to your house was address as Mr or Mrs  We went outside to play on streets, build dens and make tree swings, we played shop with mud pies and old tins cartons etc, we had dressing up for concerts, we got dirty and only bathed on a Sunday if you had siblings you shared a bath, we didn't eat fast food...we ate jam sarnies an Marie biscuits a great treat, home made proper food and chips cooked in a lard chip pan  we got ice cream as a treat once a month . We played roll the hoop, pillar jumping, skipping, Hopskotch, Hide and Seek, and sometimes knock the door and run, There was no bottled water, we drank water from the tap or the spout spring  if we had a drink we would share the same bottle of pop...after giving it a wipe with our mucky sleeves, We had no tv channel until I was about 12 then black and white and one programe. We watched Felix the can and the Three Studges.  We rode our fathers bike  for hours  There was no such thing as a mobile phone or any other electronic device. We weren't AFRAID OF ANYTHING. If someone had a fight, that's what it was...a fist fight. Kids didn't have guns or knives.The street lights were your curfew or until your mum shouted out the window. School was mandatory, no ducking out, we walked 4 minles every day to and from school. We watched our mouths around our elders because we knew we'd get a clip, a belt or some shoe , slipper. We never answered back when told off, we never had tantrums, One word from Mum or Dad was all it took to keep us in line. We were good kids
I am  proud that I came from a close knit community and I will never forget where I came from .

You are taking me a long way back Berni....

I was almost five years old before I lived in a house which had the electric connected...I was nine years old before went to a school which had an electrical connection, of any sort. During that time, I travelled 64 miles to school and 64 miles back every day...all on unsealed, muddy or dusty roads.

I saw television for the first time when I was 12 years old (black and white and only two channels). It was availalable for about six hours per day. Adults were always addressed as Sir or Madam (or Mr and Mrs, if you knew them)...failures almost always resulted in a wack around the ear, or worse! We amused ourselves by building cubbies, forts, treehouses or going chasing kangaroos (even the girls loved doing this). Mud pies, catching tadpoles or tiddlers was something we all enjoyed...no sexism back then.

You mentioned street lights Berni......I was almost 13 years old before I saw one of those things!!


I wonder where all those years have gone.

Ah the good old days Bazz

How many people do you see now cooking a fresh meal, home made Yorkshire puds, not Aunt Bessies, Roast Potatoes not frozen, fresh veg, and fresh meat again not frozen, bring back the days when a meals were made from scratch, today there is to much pampering going on, I will not buy potatoes if they have been washed,, I like to see dirt on them and know they are grown in soil

Daisy wrote:

How many people do you see now cooking a fresh meal, home made Yorkshire puds, not Aunt Bessies, Roast Potatoes not frozen, fresh veg, and fresh meat again not frozen, bring back the days when a meals were made from scratch, today there is to much pampering going on, I will not buy potatoes if they have been washed,, I like to see dirt on them and know they are grown in soil

Living here in the BG village brings back lots of memories they only cook food from scratch never use the supermarket foods. They have washing machines but still have the tub ouside and hand wash. Dre not throw away the veg skins as they will go to the chickens. Can't throw paper or cardboard away either as this goes in the fire in fact there is no waste really.

That's pretty much how we live down our way. We plant out a quite substantial vege garden each year...140 sqm of potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and a few other things like peppers and cucumbers...all in tight rows and watered by a snazzy drip system which is fed from our well. A flick of the switch in the late afternoon and every plant in the garden is watered for 2 - 3 hours.
Towards the end of July we have our first serious harvest and all the potatoes are raised, cleaned and stored, tomatoes picked, turned into puree and bottled. We use garlic, onions, basil and a few secret herbs and spices, which when added to the basic puree, produces the best tasting sauce for spag bol, lasagna or similar pasta type dishes. Tomatoes picked after sundown, washed, sliced and served in the salad an hour later have a taste that city folk rarely experience.

Mrs Bazz also is a dab hand at making yoghurt and white cheese...we have a sizable dairy just up the road and they happily sell her fresh milk whenever she asks...5 minutes from the cow to the bottle is what I call really 'fresh'...10 minutes after that and it's in our sterilizer. I don't eat either of these products, but it must be nice because we have standing orders from more than a few people back in the city who are always asking for some.

Our hens are pretty good at producing eggs and as we hatch our own stock, are very good at producing meat for the table as well.
We raise them, keep them for one laying season and then cull them...between 25 and 28 eggs per day for 6 or 7 months and then 18 to 20 chickens for the freezer works well for us. The little bloke with a good market stall opposite our city apartment has a standing order for all of our eggs...he's happy and so are we.

Fresh fruit is in plentiful supply in our village, so preserves and jams are stored in good quantities in our cellar. The only things we really have to buy in are wine grapes...I seem to have a talent for wine making (surprising, because I don't really like the stuff), so I've got all the gear and manage to turn out 100 or so litres of it every year. I don't sell it....I usually rack it for a couple of years and then give it away...or use use it in various recipes when I cook. From memory, I have about 250 litres in the 'blackout cellar' right now...varies from 3 to 9 years old.

Anyway, now that I've bored you all witless, I'll just get my coat and..............go.

I apologise if it sounded like I was bragging, because I wasn't intending it to be like that. I learned all that stuff while growing up and still find it easy to do....68 years later!

The only things we need to buy from a shop (food wise) these days, are fresh red meat, pasta base (spagetti, macaroni etc), flour, sugar and the odd condiment.

justbazz wrote:

I apologise if it sounded like I was bragging, because I wasn't intending it to be like that. I learned all that stuff while growing up and still find it easy to do....68 years later!

The only things we need to buy from a shop (food wise) these days, are fresh red meat, pasta base (spagetti, macaroni etc), flour, sugar and the odd condiment.

Not at all great, love to hear how others live here. We are still supermarket bods for most stuff especially meat, I will not eat meat on a bone, nor do I eat the sausages and burgers. I just eat chicken breast and pork. The neighbours all know this and where ever we go to them for dinner or with the group one of them always gets to the meal before me and makes sure there are no bones. I am spoilt rotter here, every day someone comes to see us and if I am away they ring. They plant the onions and garlic. This year I will plant some myself in big tyres as they also bring me bags fulll, there is only so much two people can eat and I am not into this jaring, they even do a few jars for me too, even though I have a stock cupboard like a shop. Just love this people.

They don't seem to want for much although when I see flour, sugar and oil etc on sale I always get it for them but tell them I bought too much. They bring me the eggs as well but won't take money so it all evens itself out.