Remember that my mam used to send me to the Co-op on Price Street with 2/6d and I used to come back home with 5lb spuds, bacon, cheese, milk, sugar, veg and 2 bob change.. You can't do it in a shop these days, bloody security cameras all over the place.

So it was YOU!

Just had a look at 'Will History repeat itself' which brought to mind 'Pay Day' in early years. We used to get paid cash in an envelope on a Friday. That's when wages were small. Working in Liverpool city centre we'd go off to spend some before we went home.
Couldn't get it in an envelope now. I don't think many ordinary folk had bank accounts then, they didn't need them.
No one forcing people to pay by direct debit or standing order or to get a good deal, must pay by direct debit and have a two year contract.
I think this little gimmic often used by phone companies, amounts to blackmmail. If they can give cheap calls etc with a binding contract, why not without?

Ah, the pay packet. Then the banks went about persuading everyone to go to banking, because it was free and all the services were free and it made sense because the bank did everything for you, for free and a free banking system was the way to go. Now they're taking money off you to access your own money so what was that all about?

I'm sure that nice MISTER Fred Goodwin will explain the benefits of our wonderful banking system to you Bandy.

The local children would play pretend games in the street such as
Cowboys and Indians with bows and arrows.
Pirates and we would have to walk the plank and jump off the end (about 2ft high)
Girls would play with their prams and dollies
We made dens and we could climb trees and shoot peas from pea shooters.
Dad would make go-carts out of old prams or such and when it snowed we could tobogan anywhere with a slope, without all the permission, or health and safety rulings.

The children don't seem to play out now and their imaginations must be stifled.

So true, Granny.

I think you'll find they do still play out pretending to be real-life gangsters...

Is that what they call re-enactment?

Can't think of a better place to put this Elizabeth. 1940 right through to 1999.

It can be moved along by clicking the arrow on juke box. Hope it works o.k.


http://upchucky.org/JukeCity/1960/OldJukes/player.htm

There were two "children" out playing yesterday, sitting in the middle of the roundabout at the junction of Warren Drive & Grove road, pretending to shoot at cars passing. How cute!

Really cute!

The water rates have just arrived with yet another increase. In 1985 council tax and water rates combine £238.00 per annum. That was when the roads were clean, the drains were cleared before the leaves blocked them up. The trees were pruned or lopped regularly, the parks and gardens were kept in order. etc.etc.etc.... At that time my husband earned the same amount that I am getting today, with the same bills now totalling almost 10 times the amount!

My friend called yesterday who only uses a quarter of the water I use. Not only are we paying for the clean water used, but the amount used also impacts on the amount of sewerage charge part of which increases every time you flush the toilet.

I will use my bathwater now to use as loo flushing water.Visitors will probably still flush direct.Will see how long I can do this without getting fedup, and to see my bill reduce. I am seriously thinking it is wrong to waste water when so many in other countries spend most of their day collecting water and have to live with impure water and it's health consequences.

My friend is devising a way to link his outside water butt to fill the toilet system and so will not be billed for flushing water. We don't need purified water to flush.

You do not get a reduction on water bill for collecting rain water. it's how you use this water to reduce your overall consumption that counts.

Any kettles with unused boiled water I put this in flask to use again which saves on electric.

I have a downstairs toilet that I use for No. 1's only. It is outdoors & a lot of people call it a grid!

Errr. Come on Tatey, be fair and stop showing off. It's not quite so easy for the female of the species,particularly in the snow and frost!

Going back to Paxv. post and saving water. The drought of 1976 was a task. We lived in Kent then and for some reason all the natural wells which had once been used were no longer (they must still be there now, somewhere) So we did our water saving bit for the country, although keeping the vedgetables going (which husband had planted) was a major task. Every bath full of water was saved and I would attach a bucket to a rope on ground level, race upstairs and haul it up through the bathroom window. Fill up the bucket and lower it again to the back garden. Rush down and take it to poor over the vedge (which didn't wet the surface much). Then, do the same thing over and over again until the bath was empty. Husband away at sea and on his return said 'those leeks have done well, haven't they..do you like leeks? I replied 'not much' to which he replied 'neither do I'
Not being on a water meter, which is certainly a consideration now, would put paid to growing any vedge as I most definitely can't visualize a repeat performance in an effort to reduce water usage. Got no spring and bounce left!