Those were the days.

I was looking through some old photographs from way back in the late 50s and early 60s. What memories they brought back of things we did in those days. I have found it difficult to get the ideas out of my head and the smiles from my face.

Looking back it is hard to believe that most of us have lived this long especially when you think of some of the things that we did back then.

We spent hours building what we called go-karts from sets of old pram wheels and bits of wood gathered from here there and everywhere. Once built we hurtled down hills at a great speed and then remembered we had not put a brake on it.

During the school holidays, we would leave the house in the morning with a jam sandwich in a brown paper bag. Our parents did not expect to see us again until it was time for the evening meal. If we got thirsty we drank from the streams and burns or out of an old hosepipe. If one of us had a glass bottle with water in it we all drank from the same bottle, shock horror. Now we even have special bottles with clean water for dogs.

Our parents would have some idea where we were because we would give some indication in the morning but if they wanted to get in touch with us there were no mobile phones, in fact, hardly any homes had a phone in them. We ate rhubarb dipped into little bags of sugar and none of us seemed to suffer from overweight, we were so busy burning off calories to count what we were putting in.

There was no such thing as childproof bottles or cupboards if we had been told not to touch something for some strange reason we did exactly that we did not touch. We rode bikes and had no crash helmets. When we went to the park we did not have to wait until our parents were able to come with us, we just went ourselves and climbed up the shutes and swings rather than actually slide down them.

When cars eventually came on the scene and motorbikes there were o such things as airbags and our hair flowed in the wind because we had no crash helmets.

We played with toy lead Cowboys and Indians and some had soldiers. The paint on prams was lead-based. Dangers yes but we seemed to know not to put them in our mouths, the worms that we did never seem to live forever in our stomachs.

We played dodgeball and murder-ball, we got cuts and bruises and black eyes some even broke an arm or leg. One friend lost two teeth.

There were no lawsuits from these accidents because that was what they were, they were accidents. Do you remember when we had accidents?

When we sat a test we either passed or failed the results were not adjusted to make an even spread. 

Our actions were our own and we had to face the consequences of all our actions. We learned that all rights brought responsibilities. There was no hiding behind another.

if we got into trouble at school we just hoped that our parents did not find out and no note was sent home to be signed that we might need to copy our fathers signature. if our parents found out they did not run to the school to berate the teacher we got a cuff to back up the teacher.

We joined all kinds of organisations like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, CND. Some of us got into trouble for things we did to get the message across but we believed in caring and we got passionate.

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors. In the past 50 or 60 years, there has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had the freedom to succeed and the freedom to fail we had many successes and as many failures and they were all our responsibility. There was no such thing as a blame society.

Now I am sure that the generation coming up will make some proud boasts of what they have achieved at least I really do hope so.

Of course, each generation will think it was the best. This is my little plea for my generation. 

Have a wonderful I hope my little trip down memory lane has not upset?

       

Those were the days my friends we thought theyd never end.