Norq From Ork

 

The other day I stumbled upon this picture and was instantly transported back in time to my childhood era of 1970s.  The children are playing an exciting and fast paced party game of Hunt the Thimble. You can see the joy on their little faces while the mother casually sits  in clashing blue skirt and green heels with the thimble hiding in plain sight.  Oh the fun.

A million memories flooded my brain through this one picture.  Parties where we had no entertainers, clowns, or bouncy castles just good wholesome hunt the thimble fun and jelly in the shape of a rabbit; and when it was all over we got to go home and read about it in a Ladybird book. I remember this very picture from said book and ventured further to the Twitter account where I found it @LBfyawayhome.  There were hundreds and hundreds of pictures taken from the equally numerous Ladybird books we all knew and loved.  We had tons of them on the book case on the landing and while mum and dad were downstairs watching The Two Ronnies, I was upstairs geeking out organising the books into coloured order.  I contacted the owner of the Twitter page and asked her if I could use some of her pictures to blog about and she kindly gave permission.  I could’ve stayed looking for hours, it really was incredible how familiar the pictures were; so readers from the 70s era sit back and enjoy the trip down memory lane.  Younger readers, have a look at how we really rolled in the 70’s.

Every day at ‘playtime’ we were subjected to warm milk in a little bottle.  Unless it was winter then it froze out the top and gave you a headache when you drank it too quick.  (Leaving it was not an option) The top was stabbed with a knitting needle enabling you to push your straw in.  Being the milk monitor and delivering the knitting needles to all the classes or doing the stabbing was the highest honour.

Women knew their place and didn’t tell the man where he could stick his stupid mountain of hair, or whatever it was that he wanted spinning. Neither did she tell him that he had forgotten to put on his trousers and was wearing really ridiculous shoes.  Nope, she knew to keep quiet.

If they did tell the man he was wearing no trousers, bad tights and winkle pickers he would throw a fit and damage the floor.  There was no point.

No, we just left them to it and didn’t ask questions.  They seemed happy enough.

Women kissed toads and they turned into funny looking men that they then had to marry. Sometimes it’s best to leave a toad a toad.

We knew how to party

We had peeping Toms who ran about in nighties.  We saw nothing wrong with this, in fact we even sang nursery rhymes about it.

and pets were allowed in shops

Kids went sailing with no adults or life jackets.  No one thought anything of it.

We enjoyed books with pictures of pegs

Swines had flu

Cats did weird stuff

This made women more beautiful

and there was always a house in a forest

We always found a use for those left over milk bottles

and boys wore ties to breakfast

Everyone listened to records, and all parents were subjected to their children playing the recorder.

These never stayed on your feet, giving risk  of broken neck/wrist/leg etc

and fishermen looked like this

Instead of taking a selfie to see what you looked like, you simply looked in a mirror.

Until the invention of computers and then all the fun stopped

It’s a pity we can’t go back there really.

 

And finally, one just for my parents.   They will know why 🙂