Crafty in the Med

I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.

Sunday 11 October 2020

I remember when...

 

....an in between other thoughts post ......

 

I know we don't always want to remember but as  Betsy at The simple life of a Queen says in her comments below ... "so many memories. Some good, and some weren't so good but they all had a part in shaping who I am today." exactly that..... they shape us!! 

 

 

I remember:

when Dad would go to his Buff meeting at the British Legion and bring me back coke and crisps. I always threw the coke down the drain but scoffed the crisps!! I hated and hate coke!

 

 

when Smith crisps had a little twist of salt in blue paper in the pack so you could sprinkle it over your crisps.  
 

 I think they were better then!

 

 when the WC was in the garden and we had to carry a torch and roll of toilet paper with us. I was scared stiff of it at night and would sometimes leave my undies behind!


 

I blogged about the outdoor loo a few years back....if you want to read the gruesome story go here !

 

 

 

Not my Mum!!!
 

when Mum's washing machine only washed and did not rinse and she used a mangle in the yard to wring out the excess water and I had to stand at the other end to catch the clothes and shake them out and hang them on the line.  

Very painful in winter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

when we had weekly baths in the big tin bath in front of the kitchen fire, usually in twos.



 when there was a little bottle of milk for each child every morning during the school break


when we collected conkers (Horse chestnuts)from the woods,skewered them and thread a strong cord through the conker to play conkers in the school yard.



when I saw the Beatles filming  a part of the film a "Hard's day night"  at the old railway station in my town. Nobody could get into the station it was blocked by a mass of hysterical girls so my older sisters dragged me across the fields and marsh to get in. I was 10 years old. March 1964




 

when Princess Anne married Captain Mark Philips in November 1973 and we were given time off from work at Ministry of Education in County Hall,London to see her pass in the royal carriage across Westminster Bridge. 

 

 

 

when I discovered in the Canary Islands, the very first day there, that there was no tap water! Water supply in the Canary Islands was based on desalination and I had to wait until the end of the week for the water lorry to come and fill up the tank on the roof to have a week's water supply.

 

 

 

when we were still living in the Canary Islands, on Nov 20 1975 Generalissimo Franco died. The streets were empty,there was nothing on the TV except religious music and prayers for the deceased,the churches were full and women whispering in the bakers about what would happen next.

 

when we were stopped in Alicante by a TANK  during the curfew on the night of 23 February 1981 when Colonel Antonio Tejero lead an armed coup de'état against the Spanish government.  


When I bought my first computer in 1985; an Amstrad CPC464 green screen monitor with key board and tape deck. I thought it was top notch...no Wi-Fi of course!! 


When I travelled to Australia in 2009 on my own to visit my sister who I hadn't seen in 11 years. After the initial shock and marvel of flying over some tiny dots which were the islands of Indonesia I remember thinking the world isn't such a big place after all!!



 

and you?

 

 

Have a great weekend 

 

 Keep well

Amanda 😊


32 comments:

  1. What amazing memories you shared. I remember my grandma's outhouse. I saw the Beatles live in Seattle in 1966 with my boyfriend who has been my husband for 50 years. So many memories over the years. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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    1. Hi Teresa, I really enjoyed writing this post more so because it was very spontaneous. I have never seen the Beatles in concert I can imagine it was fabulous...what a memory!! Sr P and I have been together 49 years this year :-) take care A x

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  2. I loved this post. Some of our memories are similar, some completely different. I, too, remember the mangle wringing water out of our clothes and hanging them outside in sub-zero temperatures. Brrrr. Also, we had little cartons of milk every morning at school.
    So many memories. Some good, and some weren't so good but they all had a part in shaping who I am today.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Betsy. You are so right....our memories do shape us....the good and the bad. keep well Amanda x

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  3. I remember it being so cold in the bedroom in winter, that ice formed on the inside of the windows, and we'd heat up a big, old penny and place it on the window to make a little peep-hole. I remember the power cuts during the miners strike, trying (not very hard) to revise by candle-light. Oh, I could go on. One memory sparks another... Thanks xx

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    1. Gosh!! Yes!! the freezing cold. We'd turn the tap on and nothing came out because the water had frozen in the tank. The milk bottle had to stand awhile beside the cooker because the milk was frozen stiff and the washing outside....the clothes were like frozen boards. A x

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  4. It's amazing really what we have all lived through and the many memories we share but we all have our own unique memories depending on what path our lives have taken, we should write a book because when we die so will those memories. I remember the crisps with the little packet of salt, I don't like coke either! I remember Sundays my Dad would always go for a pint before lunch and call into the off licence and bring back sherbet dips, lollipops and a bottle of lemonade which would have POP written on the label, I can remember watching the bubbles rise to the top of my glass as I ate my Sunday lunch then after lunch we would eat the sherbet dips and lollies while watching an old movie or a western on the TV. You know Amanda once you get reminiscing it's hard to stop! a sign of age I fear haha I think I'll write a list of memories before I forget them. Have a great week. xx

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    1. Its fun really I like to remember the good old days too and push the bad bits to one side. I so remember sherbet...yum...and the little sweet shop where we stopped on our way and on the way home from school!! A x

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  5. I can identify with the outdoor loo, the once a week bringing in the old tin bath, the crisps, the mangle, the milk. lol
    We all jumped in the same water in the bath. Mum used to fill her copper and heat the water and it was kids first, than Mum and Dad got the worst of it.
    We kept the paraffin in the outside toilet for the heaters and it was full of spiders, lol
    But we were happy and laughed a lot.
    Briony
    x

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    1. You are right Briony I can also remember lots of laughter and doing lots of things together outside in all weathers! A x

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  6. I remember the milk bottles and Princess Anne's wedding too - we went to a friend of Mum's to watch it on their larger TV.
    Things have changed a lot, but I'm not sure some of it has been for the better.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Totally agree with you.....sense of family and community seems to be much less!! A x

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  7. The first few I remember well myself, ho times have changed.

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    1. Incredibly so!!! Some of those times I wish they hadn't but we have to keep going forward so it is just a passing thought! A x

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  8. I remember a few. The milk at school...Do you have your milk money!?...I'd hear mother say. Our tin tube was smaller and round.

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    1. Reminiscing is fun....I just avoid the bad bits. I remember running to get into the queue to get my milk so we didn't miss too much break :-) A x

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  9. I've just been re-reading Chronicles of Fairacre by Miss Read, and she talks about many of these things - bathing in a zinc tub in the kitchen; schoolchildren drinking milk each day at playtime; conker season; outdoor lavatories. I feel spoiled having grown up with automatic washing machines and indoor plumbing!

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    1. Sue you were very lucky having those luxuries then.lol! I so remember how happy we were when we finally had a bathroom added to the house. A x

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  10. I remember most of those though we had a proper indoor bathroom. Washing was done in a twin tub. It must have been the height of luxury for my mum. Funny what we take for granted isn't it.

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    1. I just can't imagine not having an indoor bathroom nowadays. It seems like it was another me who lived that life as mentioned in my post. A x

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  11. Oh Your Beatles Train memory is awesome. SO is the acorn story. I don't know how to play that game, but it looks cute.A memory for me: getting our new puppy a schnauzer. My mom didn't tell us ahead of time. We got off the bus, came in the house, and there was Missy our beloved puppy. My sister, the Veterinarian, and I just loved that dog as did my mom. We had 6 kids and the other4 didn't really take to Missy

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    1. I can well imagine the day they surprised you with your very own puppy....so exciting. A x

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  12. What memories. A special post indeed. I remember the outdoor toilet. We called them outhouses and I was always afraid a snake would jump out of the hole and bite me. That Beatles memory! I loved and still love them to this day. Mom had a washing machine that sat on the back porch and a two tub rinse. I hated the rollers especially when I got old enough to feed the laundry instead of receiving it. Memories are so very special. You've made me remember some great ones. I'll have to tell the grandkids some of them when this hateful virus goes away and I can see them again.

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    1. Dear Sharon. Thanks for stopping by I always like to hear from you!It would be so good if you were able to return to blogging soon :-) Do pass your memories on to the grandchildren because they will then tell their children and that is the way we will live on !!! :-) keep well Amanda xx

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  13. Oh, this is wonderful, Amanda! How much the world has changed in some ways and yet not at all.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Very true Amalia. I am glad some things continue the same though!! A x

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  14. Quanti ricordi!! alcuni li ho scoltati simili da mia madre.
    abbi cura di te.
    Emanuela

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    1. hello Emanuela :-) Thank you for calling in my blog and for posting. In my case most are very fond memories!! Keep well Amanda :-)

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  15. What amazing memories you shared, very good post.
    Thank you !!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by! Very glad you like this post and my short trip down memory lane! A x

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Thank you for your comments. I do read them and try to reply to all as well.Please keep them coming. Amanda :-)