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21. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Gawd - yes Monica, I do remember those whizzy tube things. In fact some offices had them as well - I cannot remember where it was I worked - anyway, it was during my time with a temping agency in London just before I got married - and I regularly typed up memos and put them in a whizzy tube thing. If I remember rightly it went to a central posting office and the staff there just re-routed them into another whizzy tube thing to the office elsewhere. I think it was in Mitre Square. It was an office block that formed a square and had a connecting tunnel underground. I distinctly remember that because one of the girls there didn't like all the pigeons that collected in the square and she regularly went from one office to another via the tunnel. A very old building - whether it had anything of a religious history to it I don't know (because of the 'Mitre' bit I mean. Considering I was only a temp there that particular placing lasted something like 14 months!

    Flippin' 'eck - I've gone back to about 1966 - who started this ruddy conversation? We'll blame Monica this time.

    Posted 11 years ago #
22. 

    Gillie
    Member

    I remember horse drawn wagons at the Co-Op in Dunfermline, the milk, bread etc was all delivered using these gorgeous Clydesdales! And no, not that old, honest, the Co-Op just liked using them!

    Anyway, Harrogate, very sad that won't make it again, since we moved back to Michigan a month ago!

    Posted 11 years ago #
23. 

    Janet Nicholl
    Member

    I remember whizzy overhead things in the local drapers shop Murrels I think it was. The assistant put your money in a little thing that screwed on and it whizzed to the cashier who sat in a little high booth and you change whizzed back - at least I think that was how it worked - those were the days when Mum still paid for everything.....
    Orange boxes - no Brenda not me either.
    I do remember that if I went home on one trolley bus route it passed the depot and the conductors used to throw out the end of the paper rolls in the gutter and we used to hop off the platform and collect them. Can't remember what we did with them though..... Get fined for doing that sort of thing now :-)
    I believe Fuller's brewery still use horse drawn dreys for pub deliveries in central london and the horses go off in the summer for a couple of weeks holiday in the country - they certainly used to anyway.

    Posted 11 years ago #
24. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello Janet - whizzy tubes - yes, that is exactly how they used them in shops.

    You are also taking me back with the mention of trolley buses as well. Do you remember how the 'arms' would sometimes play up and come off the overhead wires - poor old conductors had to get out with a very long stick and try to fish the things back on again so's we could continue the journey.

    As for horses - Gillie - we didn't have Clydesdales - gorgeous things they are - but our milkman did have dear old Ada on the front of his cart. Those lovely creatures knew the rounds as well as the tradesmen didn't they.

    Also with Fullers Brewery - I think they do still use horse drawn dreys in The Lord Mayor's Show in London - a 'spectacle' which the crowds love to see in this parade of various things. Not sure if it's Fullers Brewery, but they look lovely with all the brasses shining etc. Not sure if they are Clydesdales or a different variety of horse with furry feet. (Not well up on Horse Identification you will note!)

    What a trip down Memory Lane this item has been on the Forum. Anyone else got anything to add? - erm, let me think - oh yes - suspender belts. Anyone else remember using sixpences with those to hold your stockings up when the rubber thing fell off? Now come on Beryl - surely this is one for you luv.

    Posted 11 years ago #
25. 

    annew
    Member

    Brenda was that the same Mitre Square where Jack the Ripper killed
    Katharine Bedows? (Just thought I'd ask).
    My stockings were held up with a farthing or a button. I don't
    remember that it worked very well. I was a bit like Norah Batty.

    Posted 11 years ago #
26. 

    Auntie Beryl
    Member

    The " new" threepenny bits were the best .Even further back ,,,, My dad announced he had a new job - painting black lines up the back of girls legs , my mother was not pleased ! Girls used to put gravy browning on thier legs in wartime when stockings were in short supply . It was nt "done"to go out without stockings . When I see some young girls going out now .... well, I wear more going to bed ! ! Right ! I think I have gone back far enough .

    Posted 11 years ago #
27. 

    Janet Nicholl
    Member

    Oh Yes Brenda - we had a choice of 2 trolley bus routes for the journey home and if the conductor didn't hop off and pull the handle to change the points on the wires the bus went one way and the arms the other and off they came!! The long pole was stored along underneath the bus accessed from the back - not so much traffic then but sometimes a problem if the car behind was too close. Thing is I seem to remember the sun was always shining, though I bet it wasn't.
    Sixpence for your suspenders, I remember the farthing - just!!
    Trebor fruit salad chews or black jacks (Ugh!) 4 for a penny and a home made ice lolly from the sweet shop for a hapenny... I am going back to my stitching now...........

    Posted 11 years ago #
28. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    Oh my goodness, we started something with this reminiscence didn't we. The horses in the Lord Mayors show, are Shires. Big horses with flared trousers!! I love them to bits, and theres a brewery locally that uses them for local deliveries, which is to my mind, a great good difference to horrible smelly lorries. The whizzzy things were in our local co-op and a drapery store, Hedges it was, and for a treat, us children were allowed to put the container in, and shut the door, and watch it go up to the cashier. Don't remember trolley buses - can't be as old as I think, but I do remember the farthings being collected up by the local bank, when they went out of circulation. They did a house to house collection and gave all the proceeds to a local charity. Did you know you can still get fruit salad chews and black jacks? They're on sale in some of our local shops. But thank goodness for tights, as far as I'm concerned, stockings were the invention of the Spanish Inquisition!!! Oh goodness me, what memories this is bringing back.

    Posted 11 years ago #
29. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    And yes, I can still remember my mums and my grandmothers divi number at the Co-op!!!

    Posted 11 years ago #
30. 

    Auntie Beryl
    Member

    Well done Barbara ! I have difficulty remembering my pin number , Now thats Old !

    Posted 11 years ago #
31. 

    Jean Strange
    Member

    Oh gosh yes I remember all these things. The whizzie overhead things in several local shops. The Co-op divi number and heavy horses used for brewery deliveries in Bristol. My local Spec Savers has a whizzie thing to send the specs from the shop to the work room upstairs. Not on wires but they put them in a tube in a mini "dumb waiter" cupboard and off they whizz!!
    Our local council had two heavy horses that were used for things like taking the water bowser round the town centre to water the hanging baskets and for pulling the trailer full of wood chips when trees had to be felled particularly in difficult places. All the horses who did this job for a number of years were always called Braken and Bramble. They were also great favourites at summer fetes etc. unfortunately they were retired a couple of years ago and not replaced.
    Fullers certainly still have drays as I see them competeing in classes at The New Forest and Newbury shows although I don't know if they are still used on a daily basis for deliveries. They are certainly an impressive sight.

    Posted 11 years ago #
32. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    Can't remember the name of the brewery that uses the Shires in Devizes, but I don't think its Fullers. They have six or seven teams of Shires, and use them in rotation, so the horses don't get too tired. Plus they've got a few magnificent Stallions who are hired out regularly to other breweries who still use Shires, so the breed lines can be maintained. Thank goodness for beer! Who started me off on this subject? I could go on for hours, but I won't. (And don't think I can't hear you all saying things like "Thank goodness for that")

    Posted 11 years ago #
33. 

    Gillie
    Member

    I do remember suspenders but thank goodness tights came in pretty soon for me! There was a bakery near the nursery school I attended in Worcester that baked dear little loaves and they cost a farthing each! Also changing topic slightly, my mum used to walk me to the school, probably a mile, come home, pick me up for lunch and repeat in the afternoon! She had no car and at that time couldn't drive anyway!

    Posted 11 years ago #
34. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hi All - well I've been playing trains at the Severn Valley Railway since Friday afternoon so it's been lovely to get back and see all the posts that have continued being sent in whilst I've been incommunicado.

    Anne - yes, I'm almost 99% certain that Mitre Square did form part of Jack the Ripper's haunts - EC3 area in London if that helps to identify it. Don't recall the name Katharine Bedows - you are one up on me there.

    As for Barbara - talking of horses wearing flared trousers - that cracked me up - I really loved that and will always think of their furry feet as being flared trousers in future.

    Well, getting back to the Harrogate Show - which some of you might remember was where we first started (!) - it's not that far away now. Groan, Wish I was going - I could just do with a nice girly stitchy type day. Never mind, we can't always have what we want. Im sure however that those of you who are able to get there will have a lovely time. Just hope you've got lots of pennies in your purse - not much fun if you can't buy the odd thing that catches your eye.

    We expect a full report after the event from all those who went!

    Posted 11 years ago #
35. 

    Monica Langstaff
    Member

    I worked for a bank when I left school and graduated to being in charge of the accounting machines. We were expected to have a certain standard of clothing. One of my new clerks did not wear stockings or tights so I dropped her a hint when she first got paid. She came back very pleased with herself having acquired a pair of thick lisle type tights, lifted up her skirt to show me and flashed her navy blue school knickers!

    Posted 11 years ago #
36. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Now I want you all to take note of this. I often get highlighted as the one responsible for going 'off track' with Forum topics (can't for the life of me think why) but look at the above. I finished off my posting earlier by quite nicely bringing it all back to the Harrogate Show; where it started - and then what happens? -that naughty Monica immediately responds and take it back to knickers again.......... I rest my case (and many hugs to Monica for making me laugh)

    Posted 11 years ago #
37. 

    Janet Nicholl
    Member

    Sorry Brenda - had to add this one (off topic of course!!)
    I went to Twickenham County Grammar School for Girls and our uniform was brown gymslips, white blouses etc. Our main playing fields were quite a walk away and for netball we wore yellow tops and brown school knickers, for hockey you had hockey shorts. Imagine a crocodile of girls wending it's way so dressed to the sports field via a footbridge over the main train line into Twickenham station in in the early 1960s ............. I reckon it would be classed as child abuse these days - parading 12 year old girls through the streets in their brown school knickers................

    To more pleasant thoughts - everyone going to Harrogate have a great time. Not a show I travel to but then I am lucky to be close enough for Olympia and Ally Pally and best of all stitching days at Pinks.

    Posted 11 years ago #
38. 

    Barbara Stone
    Member

    So there I was thinking that I'm too young to remember trolley buses, and having a chat with my mother, and she tells me that there weren't any trolley buses round my area of East London, and I wouldn't have travelled on them. She also wants to know what connection trolley buses have with sewing, and I couldn't really explain that.
    So, have a lovely time at Harrogate, all those who are going to it, and hope you find everything you want. Everybody else, only two more weekends until its the Pinks Barn stitching day. Yippee!!

    Posted 11 years ago #
39. 

    Monica Langstaff
    Member

    Hello all. Now back from a very busy stay in cold Lincolnshire. Harrogate was very good as usual and it was lovely to see Jane and Bill and also Frances Fletcher who caught up with me in the food hall when I was about to embark on a large jacket potato. Also went to Thursford Christmas Spectacular in Norfolk, well worth a visit although tickets are pricey. No doubt will be at both in 2013.

    Posted 11 years ago #
40. 

    brenda midgley
    Member

    Hello Monica - pleased to hear Harrogate was good but I'm intrigued - what's the Thursford Christmas Spectacular? and - something slightly different - why on earth didn't I get your address off you when we were at Leicester - I can't send you a Christmas card! I'll have to say 'lots of merries' here and get your address next time I see you.

    Barbara love - going on a bit more about trolley buses (and I mean, let's face it, is it really that interesting to us!) - but nonetheless when my brother came to stay the weekend before last I asked him about trolley buses round east London (and then wished I hadn't - mind you I did sleep well that night!)- anyway - he says they finished in 1958 and then gave me a complete routing of the 600 series of buses that passed through Stratford - about 6 or 7 routes - riveting (not). So maybe your mum wasn't on one of the routes, or moved in and wowed the east end after 1958?

    Well, moving on to Christmas - someone at the RSPCA this morning said we've got 21 days to Christmas Day. I can do my sums of course but even so, it knocked me sideways for a minute - only 21 days! I can't seem to get my head in gear for it to be honest, but I shall obviously have to rally to before long.

    Sunny and bright here this morning (bit chilly if you get a draft up your trouser leg though). Amazing that already my Prunus tree out the back has got lots of little bumpy bits on the branches - all ready for the pink flowers to come out at the appropriate time and - silly plants or what - there are 3 flowers on the Nelly Moser Clematis and a bright orange poppy in a tub! Yay! Spring is round the corner.

    Posted 11 years ago #

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