The 70's (what was it like?)

Check out your avatar!!!!!!!!!

 

I heard him calling her something like a caustic cow on the telly the other morning

 

My dad said he had a Lotus Cortina a bit before I came into being. He takes every opportunity to tell people how it was my mam that destroyed it. He was teaching her to drive, the car was a lot more powerful than many of the day, she gave it too much welly, threw it in a ditch and bent it. He said he did get it straightened out but it never felt right after that so he got rid.

I heard him answer a question in an interview one time about why he was so anti-monarchy. I loved his reply. He said he's not exactly anti-monarchy, he just doesn't understand why the monarchy in Britain should consist of a German married to a Greek.

 

Hey Mister, thats propa leather
Jeans from Next 32w Reg leg
T-shirt 40" chest from Northampton market.

It looks like I am scratching my butt in that photo, or....doing an Asda ad

 

I once saw an Escort mk2 with a 3 litre savage v6 under the bonnet. The gear stick was way back from where the Escort stick would normally sit.

 

An Essex plate and at the time they all had double 'O' on them. I also owned a 'Moo' and a 'Hoo'.

I started learning to drive in my dads Cortina MK1 estate with a column change gear lever. I'd still prefer it even now.

 

Or just hiding the same sweat band

 

I did buy a sweatband recently
Maybe I am getting younger instead of older

 

Loved 'em. We used to tear around on our pushbikes pretending we were top speedway riders. Good for doing 'wheelies' too. Not so good for small gateways or shed doors though.

Another great wheeze was to take the rubber handlegrip off one end of the cowhorns, drop a lit rook-scarer down the tube and (very quickly) replace the handlegrip. When the 'rookie' went off, the handlegrip would be propelled (loudly) quite an impressive distance.

Still got my old pair of 'cowhorns' hanging up in the garage, the rest of the bike went years ago, but somehow I just couldn't bear to part with them.

Not great when the school bully used them to bash you over the head either.

......but only if the tits hadn't got to it first.

A few of my memories from the seventies.....

Doing my homework by the light of an old 'hurricane lamp' my dad brought out of retirement during the power cuts.

Long hot summer days at harvest time, when the air was tinged with the sweet smell and haze of straw burning.

Avidly watching the Apollo moon missions on BBC television, presented by Patrick Moore and James Burke, (without the aid of endless silly graphics and CGI animation).

Learning to drive in my dad's Ford Anglia. He used to take me to a local disused wartime airfield, where I would hurtle up and down the old runways, an added attraction being the monster potholes which I usually (but not always) managed to avoid.

Hanging around in the local pub car park with a bunch of mates, drinking coke and eating crisps and generally being silly.

Building huge bonfires for Guy Fawkes night, using tree branches, old pallets, car tyres, sofas, straw bales, old furniture, unwanted items of clothing and just about anything else which came to hand. Not necessarily environmentally friendly, but such fun.......

Watching Tiswas on a Saturday morning.

 

My dad had a brown Austin Princess. Then he swapped it for a Lancia Beta, which was his pride and joy. Ah, the good old days.