Simple childhood pleasures
Simple childhood pleasures
I was reminded on my ride today of a couple of things that used to amuse me when I was pretty young. Can’t imagine that many kids do such things today.
1) Making “granny pop out of bed”: squeezing the base of a bindweed flower causing it to launch into the air
2) Poking a stick into a cow pat. If poked into one too-recently-deposited it is no good, ditto poking into one that is too old. Most satisfying was (is) the delightful knife-into-crispy-Yorkshire-pudding sound which is obtained when the “skin” of the cowpat is sun-dried to perfection (The sound was all: there was no unpleasant intent like flicking it or anything).
Did anyone else indulge in such things?
1) Making “granny pop out of bed”: squeezing the base of a bindweed flower causing it to launch into the air
2) Poking a stick into a cow pat. If poked into one too-recently-deposited it is no good, ditto poking into one that is too old. Most satisfying was (is) the delightful knife-into-crispy-Yorkshire-pudding sound which is obtained when the “skin” of the cowpat is sun-dried to perfection (The sound was all: there was no unpleasant intent like flicking it or anything).
Did anyone else indulge in such things?
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
I used to pop fuschia buds.
Also in the days when things came in paper bags and when houses had working fireplaces, myself and my friend used to set a paper bag on its open end on the hearth, light the corners and watch the bag shoot up the chimney like a rocket, that is until we set the chimney on fire.
Also in the days when things came in paper bags and when houses had working fireplaces, myself and my friend used to set a paper bag on its open end on the hearth, light the corners and watch the bag shoot up the chimney like a rocket, that is until we set the chimney on fire.
A bike does more miles to the banana than a Porsche.
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
summer of 76 playing out in the park with the local kids till I was hungry then finding out it was 11.30pm and I was in trouble. for my 8th birthday I got a cheap watch.
not sure if it ever got dark that summer.
being able to wander off all day and not having the police out searching for lost children.
and that was living half a mile from Jimmy savilles mums flat
not sure if it ever got dark that summer.
being able to wander off all day and not having the police out searching for lost children.
and that was living half a mile from Jimmy savilles mums flat
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
bogmyrtle wrote:I used to pop fuschia buds.
Also in the days when things came in paper bags and when houses had working fireplaces, myself and my friend used to set a paper bag on its open end on the hearth, light the corners and watch the bag shoot up the chimney like a rocket, that is until we set the chimney on fire.
blow up and pop paper bags - dont work so well with plastic ones. Use as darts those grass things that look like wheat/corn heads, look for a 4 leaf clover( or is it 5 ?). make daisey chains.
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
crazydave789 wrote:being able to wander off all day and not having the police out searching for lost children.
and that was living half a mile from Jimmy savilles mums flat
I was in junior school when Hindley and Brady were carrying out their evil (though not in their area). I remember being told not to accept sweets from strangers and thought it was because they might be poisoned, like Snow White’s apple . But there was never any attempt to imprison me in the name of safety.
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Making dams in streams and rivers near my home.
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Thornyone wrote:crazydave789 wrote:being able to wander off all day and not having the police out searching for lost children.
and that was living half a mile from Jimmy savilles mums flat
I was in junior school when Hindley and Brady were carrying out their evil (though not in their area). I remember being told not to accept sweets from strangers and thought it was because they might be poisoned, like Snow White’s apple . But there was never any attempt to imprison me in the name of safety.
I remember, aged perhaps 7or8 when walking with a mate back from one of our escapades being offered a lift by a car that stopped. We knew enough to remember his number all the way home.
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Grans homemade lemon curd.
Percussive maintainance, if it don't fit, hit it with the hammer.
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
play ground fighting where you ended up pinned down and subjected to the typewriter - something I excelled at getting out of.
dead arm competitions on the school bus.
cycling three miles to school rain or shine.
rushing home for dangermouse.
dead arm competitions on the school bus.
cycling three miles to school rain or shine.
rushing home for dangermouse.
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
The pleasure of having a clean piece of paper on which to draw instead of on the back of something. 1960s that was.
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Hi all, Number one pleasure in childhood? Got to be proper toilet paper, rather than cut up pieces if the Liverpool Echo! TTFN MM
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
+1 for disappearing all day aged 9 and coming home to unworried parents when it got dark, often as result of cycling to far and getting lost. What about buying a box of bangers aged 11 and wandering the fields blowing up cow pats?
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Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Cow pats are great for learning about biology
I have a grownup activity, collecting fruit for free. Eating a lot of cherries at the minute
I have a grownup activity, collecting fruit for free. Eating a lot of cherries at the minute
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
We love safety cameras, we hate bullies
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
Stradageek wrote:+1 for disappearing all day aged 9 and coming home to unworried parents when it got dark, often as result of cycling to far and getting lost. What about buying a box of bangers aged 11 and wandering the fields blowing up cow pats?
How do you blow up a cow pat with a sausage???? Mind you, our butcher...
A thing that crossed my mind was how it used to be perfectly normal to carry a penknife in my school-blazer pocket. I suppose nowadays I'd be suspended and sent for counselling, while my parents were hauled in for a word with the head.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
Re: Simple childhood pleasures
We used to have a back service road to RAF Wyton
It was ideal for us as it was the end of the taxiway and the start of the runway, so aircrafts use to sit there for a few minutes just a hundred yards o so away.
We had everything from Canberras, Lightnings, Phantoms, Victors and even Vulcans
Spent hours and hours up there.
Funnily enough we hadn't realised the "Network" that my Mother had!
One day one of our friends twisted his ankle and we were limping home when his Father picked us upon the car...... what we hadn't realised that she knew the woman in the nearby Farmhouse, and would get the occasional progress report on what we were doing. In this case it was a simple phone call to get us sorted.
It was ideal for us as it was the end of the taxiway and the start of the runway, so aircrafts use to sit there for a few minutes just a hundred yards o so away.
We had everything from Canberras, Lightnings, Phantoms, Victors and even Vulcans
Spent hours and hours up there.
Funnily enough we hadn't realised the "Network" that my Mother had!
One day one of our friends twisted his ankle and we were limping home when his Father picked us upon the car...... what we hadn't realised that she knew the woman in the nearby Farmhouse, and would get the occasional progress report on what we were doing. In this case it was a simple phone call to get us sorted.