And Then, Back We Go...

   With the further hyperventilating by the media relating to the snow fall and school closures, I searched and found this old piece copied from I can’t remember where, way back in 2007.
   By-the-by, as the snow fell this morning,  the TV were good enough to tell  me it was cold out there so wrap up warm if going out. I was so grateful to them as I was about to step out in t-shirt and shorts. Thankyou for reaching out to hold my hand. Oh, a young lady ‘reporter’ even mentioned ‘frozen ice’. You learn something new every day, eh?
   Anyhoo, here it is for those of an age to relate to and enjoy. Sadly, I go back a lot further but it’s all lost to the modern{?} world.

Childhood Dayz...
   Take a break from the grind and remember when... Close your eyes and go back in time.
   Before the Internet or the Apple Mac. Before semi-automatics, joy riders and crack. Before SEGA or Super Nintendo.
   Way back:
   I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park. The corner shop. Hopscotch. Butterscotch. Skipping. Handstands. Football with an old can. Fingerbobs. Beano, Twinkle. Roly-Poly. Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass. Bazooka Joe bubble gum. An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune.
   Wait...
   Watching Saturday morning cartoons; short commercials, The Double Decker's, Road Runner, He-Man, Tiswas or Swapshop? and Why Don't you - or staying up for Star Trek.    
   When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like really going somewhere.
   Earwigs, wasps and bee stings. Sticky fingers. Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians and Zorro. Climbing trees. Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true. Building igloos out of snow banks. Walking to school, no matter what the weather. Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt. Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles. Being tired from playing. Remember that?
   The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon. Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle. Choppers and Grifters
   I'm not finished just yet. Eating raw jelly. Orange squash ice pops.
   Remember when:
  There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash - and the only time you wore them at school was for P.E. You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends. You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas Eve.
   When nobody owned a purebred dog. When 25p was decent pocket money. When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny. When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents. When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the Headmaster's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs or gangs. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of us are still afraid of them! Didn't that feel good?
   Just to go back and say, yeah, I remember that!
   Remember when:
  Decisions were made by going "Ip Dip Dog Ship." (yeah I know) "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly". The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was a cold. And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one. It was unbelievable that British Bulldog wasn't an Olympic event. Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a catapult.
   Nobody was prettier than Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.
   If you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived.

Quote;   Chili Davis.

“Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.”

                   Daniel Black.

“Sometimes you have to grow up before you appreciate how you grew up.”