Tag Archives: Nostalgia

Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God – the perfect summer read

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Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God
A young girl grows up in the war years

By Joyce M Lovely

PUBLICATION DATE: 22 June 2015
Mereo Books www.mereobooks.com

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A funny, touching and heart-warming portrait of war time and beyond, Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God is the author’s trip down memory lane to 1940s Liverpool, where early reminiscences include not just the hated gas mask, but also the regular night time spells in the air raid shelter as the bombs fell.

A beautifully drawn portrait of the place and its people, from Calder High School Joyce went on to work at the Eagle Star Insurance Company and the office of the Dunlop Rubber Factory. Missing out on being one of the first to see The Beatles perform at the Cavern Club (because she didn’t fancy the sound of them from her sister’s description!), she moved to London to study Nursing at St Bartholomew’s. Marriage took her on to the Shetland Islands – where life as a parson’s wife meant that prayer was sometimes relied upon to provide dinner – and then to the West Riding of Yorkshire, before finally settling in Maine, USA.

A natural storyteller, Joyce’s recollections of people, places and events are effortlessly recounted. From the exotic neighbour who had been in the German Resistance (but whose priority was now pudding) to her splendid Spirella Corsetier grandmother, Ice Cream, Gas Masks and God is a gentle, fascinating and humorous personal history, rich in colour and detail.

Gloriously nostalgic and beautifully written, this is the perfect summer read.

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Sneak preview extracts

“Jerry made one heck of a mess here, didn’t he?” said Dad. “And all my best willow pattern china has been smashed” Mum sniffed, trying not to cry again. Dad put his arm around her. “Don’t worry, love. We’ll get through this.” And we did, even though I heard a few days later that eight people had been killed in their air-raid shelters, along with many others, including some in the public shelters. Much later I learned that 2000 Liverpudlians had been killed in just that week, with thousands more injured and homeless.

I sat stunned. First I felt the pricking of tears, and then I began to laugh. There lay my ancient, despised, childhood World War II gasmask. It rested there staring at me eerily, the eyepiece still displaying the   oval sickly-brown cellophane, which wasn’t even cracked. I sat back. My eyes closed, and the memories streamed back…

I remember vividly growing up in Liverpool, amidst air raids, bombs and gasmasks. My story is from a childhood perspective, leaving the grown-ups to worry about battles and shortages. We observed strict morals as a teenager in the fifties, yet still had boyfriends, stolen kisses and fun. This memoir concludes with my marriage to a minister and our adventures in the distant Shetland Islands. Here I experienced the islanders’ expectations of ‘yon minister’s wife’ often resulting in unexpected humorous consequences…

Humour, tenacity, sharing and resourcefulness, especially by the women on the home front, kept life normal for us children. We laughed, cried, hoped and dreamed, but we never asked for more than what we knew was around us.

About the author

Born in Liverpool, Joyce M Lovely now lives in Maine, USA. She has had numerous articles and stories published in magazines and periodicals and she is a member of a writing group. Joyce worked in education for many years, as a teacher and then later in administration, working with teachers and leading workshops.

Return Ticket To Ireland Please by Wendy Breckon

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The year is 1968, September, in the gentle mist on the dark, dark, sea.  There I stand, age fifteen, on the top deck, watching the twinkling lights of Belfast harbour slowly vanishing.  With an Ulster accent, a case crammed full of Irish potato bread and some ‘cracking’ memories, I am on my way to England’s green and pleasant land.

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My return visits over the years have been frequent and much documented.  Lingering walks by Loch Neigh, and gazing upon the beautiful Mourne Mountains.  Ambling through Carlingford in search of the perfect Irish coffee.  Following the haunting sound of the fiddle and an Irish voice or two to the nearest pub.

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There is one place though that is more than magical.  The small village of my roots,  Scarva, (Scarbhach in Irish), in County Down.  It is placed on the map beside County Armagh and marked by the Newry canal.

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Visitors come by bike or foot, or the humble motor car, to relax by the water, to take refreshments or maybe like me, to people watch with a notebook not too far away.  It’s a delightful way to spend a day.

My grandparents lived in a cottage with a small holding up a nearby lane.  They grappled with mucky pigs, squawking hens, belligerent cows and needy sheep.  Paradise!. Eventually they moved down to the village in the main street minus the livestock and the early hours.  Here their new window on the world gave me many opportunities for writing a story or two., but I missed the early sound of the cockerel and the clanking of the milk churns. though I’m sure they didn’t.

In search of nostalgia, I recently revisited the now tumbled down and derelict Drumilla Cottage where the seeds of my writing first appeared.  There it was … a crumbling reminder of a childhood spent amongst the fields and lanes of the delightful County Down.

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We decided to take the winding road to Portadown, eight miles from Scarva in County Armagh.  This used to be a small market town in the fifties and sixties, where I attended secondary school, Portadown College, until the age of fifteen.

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One of the defining moments for me will always be the morning that Mary Peters (our ex Head Girl) hid behind the curtain on the school stage.  Curious?  So were we young first years.  She had recently won a medal for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the Pentathlon, so how on earth did she have the time to be here?

“Well, I’m sure you have no idea who is behind the curtain children?”  Said our headmaster, mischievously.

“Could it be Jesus Christ sir?” said a brave lad in the front row.

Mary appeared with her warm, friendly grin clutching her medal. Everyone cheered.

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“Go for what you want in life.  Aim high.  Never give up” she told us with great passion.  We all nodded like a hundred puppy dogs in the back of a vintage camper van.

Later that morning, Mary visited my cookery class to judge a pastry rolling competition.

“Now then class, who can roll the longest piece of pastry for our local champion and there’s a prize …”.

I was off… the class were completely mesmerised.  The long, thin, discoloured snake of pastry touched the ground, sweeping up the fluff at the bottom.

“And the shilling goes to Wendy, it’s a  really good effort.  Well done”.

“But it’s a wee bit dirty miss,” said one girl in a disgruntled manner.

“Colour doesn’t matter dear.  It’s all about the attitude”, said the teacher passing me the shilling.

Mary Peters kissed me on the cheek and I got to hold the shiny medal.

As the car ambles through the winding roads on the way back to the ferry, there was much laughter as I recall this and other moments, to him beside me.  We both agree, not just because I was born there, that Ireland is magical, mystical and magnificent.  If you haven’t been before why not cross over the Irish Sea this year.  Drive to the North or to the South for a short while or even longer.  Just say, “RETURN TICKET TO IRELAND PLEASE”.

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Modern Parents Yearn For A ‘90s’ Childhood

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Most of us at Frost magazine are 1980s babies who grew up in the 90s. We frequently get nostalgic for the decade and it seems we are not the only ones.

  • Over half of modern parents pine for the simple childhood of the 1990s (52%)
  • Music memories strike a chord as making tape recordings of the top 40, buying cassettes and Top of The Pops lead ‘90s’ nostalgia list
  • Children now more likely to Skype their relatives than send letters
  • ‘90s’ jargon stands the test of time as ‘Whatever’ is named as top ‘90s’ phrase still in use today

Classic 90s film Clueless

Making tape recordings of the music charts, having pen pals and growing up without mobile phone technology have been named by British parents as some of their most missed ‘90s’ childhood experiences, according to a new study revealed today.

 

The new study commissioned to celebrate the premiere of Girl Meets World on Disney Channel asked 2,000 parents to vote for the ‘90s’ childhood experiences that they wish their own children could experience today. The results provide a fascinating overview of the way childhood has changed within a single generation.

 

From buying singles on cassette to renting videos from the local shop, the ‘90s’ Nostalgia List is revealed as:

 

‘90s’ Nostalgia List
1.       Make tape recordings of weekly top 40 – 40%

2.       Having pen pals – 35%

3.       Watching Top of the Pops – 34%

4.       Buying singles on cassette or vinyl – 32%

5.       Hand written thank you notes – 31%

6.       Waiting for photos to be developed – 29%

7.       Watching Saturday night TV with the family – 28%

8.       ‘90s’ toys – 27%

9.       Renting videos from the local shop – 25%

10.    Making plans that don’t change due to lack of mobile communication – 22%

 

 

The poll reveals that music resonates the most with us, with three of the top five comprising of musical memories.

 

The study also suggests that the ongoing march of technology creates the biggest sense of nostalgia for parents, as the rise of digital entertainment and communication has seen the demise of cassettes, tape recordings, videos and written letters of the typical ‘90s’ childhood.

 

The list shows that letter writing is missed by parents, with pen pals and writing thank you notes both featuring in the top five. It was also revealed that children today are more likely to keep in contact with relatives through Skype or Facetime (28%) rather than by writing letters (13.5%) suggesting that whilst the art of letter writing may be dying out, modern day children may actually get to see and interact with their relatives more often than the previous generation did.

 

Not everything has changed – slang jargon has successfully bridged the generation gap, with popular ‘90s’ phrases such as “Whatever!”, “Talk to the hand” and “Take a chill pill” standing the test of time with modern teens.

 

Jargon that has survived from the ‘90s
1. Whatever! – 58%

2. Loser – 37%

3. Talk to the hand – 22%

4. As If! – 21%

5. Take a Chill Pill – 17%

6. NOT! – 16%

7. Duh – 14%

8. Don’t go there – 13%

9. Whassup – 12%

10. Yo! – 11%

 

Nearly half of parents (48.85%) polled believe that the music of the ‘90s is better that the music around now, with most thinking that modern music popular with their children all sounds the same.

Map reading and having to answer calls on the house phone both narrowly miss out on the top 10.

 

For the fifth of young British parents who still consider the ‘90s’ friendship bracelet as a core fashion accessory, this year’s Loom Band craze is sure to be welcomed. It seems that the simplicity of ‘90s’ toys and playground trends including Beanie Babies and Troll dolls struck a nostalgic nerve with the parents surveyed, as it can be seen at number 8 on the list.

 

The study also suggests that many celebrities who have ridden the fame wave from the nineties to present day will always be most fondly remembered for their ‘90s’ heyday.  Indeed, 57% of the parents polled would associate Will Smith as the loveable Fresh Prince of Bel Air over his recent blockbuster movies, in comparison to only 20% of children. It seems that Brit Noel Edmunds is another ‘90s’ favourite with 52% of parents associating the presenter with Mr Blobby on Noel’s House Party compared with just 11% of their children, who instead know him for tea time TV show Deal or no Deal (54%).

 

Disney Channel’s new series Girl Meets World, is the follow-on from the popular ‘90s’ show Boy Meets World. The show now follows Riley, the daughter of Boy Meets World’s popular lead characters Cory and Topanga, as she grows up in the modern world with ‘90s’ parents.  Girls Meets World starts on the Disney Channel on 12th September at 6pm.

 

 

Everything’s Coming Up Roses

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Time of Our Lives Music Theatre in association with All Star Productions presents When Movies Were Movies at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, Walthamstow.

The opening song set the tone for this mesmerising evening’s entertainment, as we were taken through the history of cinema from silent movies up to 1969 via the mediums of song, dance and comedy. Flo (Dympna Messenger), an usherette in the fictional Trocadero, is interviewed by Charlie (Raymond-Kym Suttle) about the cinema’s history as it faces its imminent demise (conversion to a bingo hall).

Dympna Messenger gave a very strong performance as Flo, and was a very effective anchor for the show. She also sang very well and had some great comedic moments: her imitation of Carmen Miranda springs to mind as combining both. The vocal standard throughout the show was extremely high, with some of the high points for me being Lullaby of Broadway (full cast), You Ought to Be in Pictures (Nerine Skinner and Robert Wilkes), Secret Love (Jessica Poole) and the Beatles medley delivered by the whole cast.

The musical numbers were interspersed with highly amusing comedy sketches, covering themes as varied as Frankenstein and James Bond, with my personal favourite being the “terribly” sketch (you’ll have to see the show to find out what I mean by that!) Other comedy highlights included the show’s take on silent movies – with Flo speaking the words while the rest of the cast mimed the actions, “My Brother Makes the Noises for the Talkies,” with Raymond-Kym Suttle and Robert Wilkes as the two brothers, and the scene with Flo and the cleaner, played by Nerine Skinner.

Raymond-Kym Suttle’s choreography was inspired, and his own dancing was marvellous – particularly during the Top Hat sequence – I would like to have seen more of his tapping! The musical direction (and playing) by Aaron Clingham was flawless, adding to the overall power of the performance. The costumes were fabulous, with very many quick changes which I’m sure must have required their own choreography!

I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil too many of the surprises. Suffice it to say that this is old-fashioned variety at its best with something for all the family to enjoy. Ably directed (and written) by Keith Myers, this captivating show is robust enough for a much larger space. Give yourself a night of nostalgia and catch it at Ye Olde Rose and Crown before it closes on 4 May.

When Movies were Movies is playing at Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe Street, Walthamstow Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm until 4 May, with matinees at 3.30 on Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit http://www.roseandcrowntheatrepub.webeden.co.uk/

Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

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Time to declutter – four out of five people in the UK have too much stuff

Three quarters of people across the UK have too much clutter at home, according to a poll by Storage.co.uk. People love their “stuff” so much, they don’t want to lose it, even though they’ll never use it. The survey found that emotional attachment and the idea they may be useful one day are people’s top reasons for holding on to things they don’t need. Another common cause of clutter (one third of respondents) is the hope that their stuff may be valuable.

An unexpected find was that younger people are more motivated by nostalgia about the past than the older generation. Three in five 18 to 29 year olds cling to clutter because it brings back good memories, compared to only two out of five 50 to 69 year olds who hold on to clutter for the same reason.

As for decluttering habits, the survey found that women sort an area of the home more frequently than men, who mostly tackled the job once or twice in the last twelve months.

The main barriers stopping people from having a good clear out is lack of time and feeling they have better things to do, suggesting they struggle to put the task high on their list of priorities. In some cases, clutter can really get out of control and become a bigger issue in people’s lives. For around one in ten people clutter is damaging their relationships with others, affecting their health and sometimes having a negative effect on the amount of money they have.

Rachel Papworth from Green and Tidy, a professional declutterer and organiser, says: “We live such busy lives, it can be hard to make time for decluttering. If you’re struggling to fit it in, think about how much time you’ll save when you can easily put your hand on whatever you’re looking for. Plus decluttering saves money, protects your mental and physical health, and reduces your environmental impact”.

According to the survey, quirky items of clutter getting in the way at home include a train piston, “hundreds” of old train tickets for travelling to see a fiancé, a camel saddle, carpet samples for a would-be rug , an empty Rotastak hamster cage, seven inch white platform boots, “thousands” of LPs and a lifesize cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber.

Storage.co.uk surveyed men and women in the UK to find out attitudes and habits towards clutter as part of their National Declutter Week campaign to launch on 7 March.

Storage.co.uk is calling on all home occupiers to consider unused stuff sitting at home and to make a big decluttering effort in National Declutter Week from 7 to 18 March. Storage.co.uk has linked up with hospices across the UK to direct donations of saleable items. To view participating hospices, visit http://www.storage.co.uk/national-declutter-week/adopt-a-hospice.

How to: build a pencil crossbow {Misc-uity}

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 Oh WOW!! Meet me in the stationary cupboard! I feel crafty!

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A step by step tutorial from Weapons of Mass Destruction.