I used to think the comment "do you remember when" and "back in the day" was exclusively the province of the elderly. Thinking back, "I can remember when" as relatively young men we used to reminisce about days gone by. I find when talking to friends, we will often dredge up events and people from the past. **I can actually remember when crisps actually had a blue paper twist in them containing salt**, not a sachet, but a bit of twisted blue paper. I even remember my very first packet and coming across this contrivance, having to be shown what to do. Untwist, shake the bag, of course with the level of motor control of a very small child, this usually ended badly. Within a very short period they changed to "ready salted"…and innovation, then came flavours, starting with salt and Vinegar…which I swear tasted better than todays artificial version. Or perhaps you remember the time when gas cookers had a pilot flame (permanently on) in the centre and a little gas wand on a tube (clipped to the side of the cooker) with a button. You lit the wand from the pilot and then used it to light the oven or overhead grill. Incredibly dangerous, especially as it was coal gas, but no one thought anything of it. As a small child I wasn't allowed to touch the gas wand…My mum had a Parkinson Cowan like this, right up to about 1975, [upl-image-preview url=//i.imgur.com/GeL7IuH.png]

God, this thread is made up for old timers! I can remember when a Mars Bar was 2d and you needed two hands to hold it. The chocolate was soooooooo thick! My neighbour (I was around 4 or 5) used an Isetta Bubble Car for her everyday drive. In winter, you woke up (pre central heating) to chipping ice from the inside of thesingle glazed windows and you wore jumpers indoors. You ran downstairs when it snowed to find the bloody Blue Tits had pecked through the silver top milk bottles and had stolen the inch or so of cream that used to settle on the top. I remember watching the first episode of a new cutting edge drama, Z Cars.......I could go one and on! Tell you one thing though, life was simpler but were they really the good old days?

@"dfk41"#p2934 Definitely remember the ice on the inside of the windows and as a kid dragging my cloths into the bed to warm them up. Big old cottage with no central heating brrrrrrrrr.

Do you remember Spangles? When Curly Wurlys were massive, you could use them for a ladder. Bri Nylon shirts. Nylon bed sheets! Some shops still had Lamson pneumatic tube systems that would shuttle away your payment and bring back your change.

> @"Gagaryn"#p2938 Do you remember Spangles? > > 1. Bri Nylon shirts. > 2. Nylon bed sheets! > > 3\.Some shops still had Lamson pneumatic tube systems that would shuttle away your payment and bring back your change. Spangles, yes..my favourite sweet, I like the old english ones too, but only certain flavours…the red one was to die for.. 1. Mum thought it was a brilliant idea for school, I hated them. I think it was the stain resistance and one shake they were dry. Remember the little blue sparks that came off them in a dark room in the morning. 2. Nope, I refused to sleep in those…absolutely refused…used to make me itch like mad all night 3. Bentalls used to have those back in the day, always fascinated me as a kid. Shluwooop, pshhhhh. I always wondered where they went and they used to come back with the recpt as well I think. We had another shop near us, Digbys general store, like something out of 1920…used a system of wires, The stuff was put in a tube on the wires, then a sharp pull on a handle, and it went flying across the roof of the store. Those cheap bastards kept the store the same and the system going until the mid 60s..open sacks of flour, beans, tea in large cases, butter pats etc.. Can you imagine how well that would have all gone down now. [upl-image-preview url=//i.imgur.com/bY3zuoy.png ] [upl-image-preview url=//i.imgur.com/HbHmfM2.png ]

@"Gagaryn"#p2938 If ever you go to Beamish Museum, my friend provided the tube system they use in the shop. To carry on, card with starter handles although by my time they were more of a standby than actually needed on the modern car. Telephone kiosks with the old A & B system for putting your money in (ask your parents!), bus conductors!

Sharing your phone line with the neighbors "party line" I think it was called. Picked the phone up and you caught half their conversation - nuts!

> @"Lake_M"#p2943 Sharing your phone line with the neighbors “party line” I think it was called. Picked the phone up and you caught half their conversation - nuts! As a kid my parents had one…It always puzzled me how both phones didn't ring when an inbound call came in, and it was only years later I found out how they did it.

Does anyone remember these…. Once a month a man would come round and empty it and if there was more than what the monthly payment was, my mum would get back what was over. It was the only way we could afford to have a telly. Mind you, it was a bit frustrating when you'd be watching a really good programme and the chuffin thing would click off because the timer ran out, and mum and my older brothers would be scrambling around to quickly find a two shilling piece (two bob bit) to put in it. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/ot7CJ0u.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/ot7CJ0u.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

We had a telly like that but mercifully without the prototype pay per view box! Old English flavour Spangles were the best boiled sweets ever. Nobody ever knew what actual flavours they were but they were the best variation of Spangles for sure. I liked the light brown opaque one and the deep red translucent one best but they were all nice. I had a 'piggy bank' from Lloyds that was a black plastic horse head. Anyone remember those 'chocolate vending machine' piggy banks where you loaded them with Neapolitan sized chocolates and had to put a coin in to get one out?

Down Memory Lane

Pompeyexile

CafeNoir First car, Austin 1100…it was fun but reliable??

My first car too, green colour. Mine was reliable enough but as rusty as a rusty bucket made out of rust by Rusty Motors INC in Rust Town, Rustmonshire RU5T EY1.

Funny the doors and sills and wheel archers were all OK. It wasn’t until I was giving my pride and joy a spring clean and took the back seat out I could see underneath the metal floor was so rotten, the garage I bought it from had filled the space with pop riveted aluminium sheet and that was what the axle was attached to.

My brother took one look and marched me down to the garage and threatened the owner with re-arranging his face if he didn’t take the death trap off my hands and give me my money back, which of course he did.

Next up was a Ford Cortina MK1

SiblingChris

Lake_M just get one if these 😃… https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/a-s2200/index.html

Lake_M

SiblingChris

£3000!! That’s nearly 100 times more than I paid for the JVC off eBay!

Update - the old JVC is fixed and sounding sweet as a nut. An open cap on the left output module and a failed speaker protection relay. I couldn’t find a replacement so took it apart and realigned the contacts. Bingo! Just a recap and general service and she’s ready to rock for the next 40 years!

Next up will be an old Rotel…

CafeNoir

Sounds like you had a great older brother…and the Go-tina was a big upgrade, lol!
Current non hi-fi music system is a compact all in one Marantz (M-CR502, iirc) with a set of Paradigm Atoms.
I’ve been hi-fi free for 15 years now and some days are harder than others, lol lol!!!

Pompeyexile

Like any ‘hobby’ there is spending money on it and then there is having to sell your soul for it….I remember these or something quite similar but at 57,750 quid for the Bowers & Wilkinson’s Nautilus speakers, I’d not only expect them to make the artist sound as if they were in the room, but actually transport the chuffer in the flesh once a week for the rest of my life for a private gig in the comfort of my home.

And let’s be honest here, just how much difference can one hear spending that much? The gentle whistle of air passing over the gossamer hairs up an artists nose as they breath in and out?… hardly adds to the musical experience now, surely?

DavecUK

Pompeyexile The biggest problem is your hearing once you are old enough where you can afford it.. I suspect as we get older, the speaker requirements reduce massively.

CafeNoir

Lol, lol….ever heard of the concept of “conspicuous consumption”?
Imho, some people are much more interested in the bragging rights than the actual results…but then again, it’s a concept only on my budget, lol

Elcarajillo

DavecUK Rather like wanting a very low ,fast sports car. When you can afford it you cannot get into it 😞

DavecUK

Another post reminded me of this….A blast from the past and there was always one elderly relative who used to buy me this when I was a kid…used to make me feel very special.

-Mac

DavecUK

Then after, you could use this:

JahLaza

I’ve always thought it a terrible catch 22, the mid life crisis guy/person (or more often older than that!) who can only afford the fast sporty car at that stage of life but is..er… maybe gone past the stage of life for speed/noise. It’s the younger guy/person who would really benefit from owning such a machine?! But he/they can no way afford it then!

Disclaimer: I’m not promoting unsafe driving and, have I referred appropriately to the persons?!

I have invested in some pretty good amps and speakers (before the kids) and can hear even the most intricate detail in music where others can’t. I’ve a little bit of tinnitus (from listening to a lot of music sometimes very loud!) but still hear and love all the detail, hopefully the hair follicles will stay up for many more years as I hope to spend a lot more time listening when the kids are older and quieter!! I was advised to put the marantz separates away until the kids are older and so am now using a little denon unit with Dali speakers to maintain equilibrium ☺️

Norvin

People may be interested to see this. I refurbished the Rega a few years ago; recap, better arm and cartridge, upgraded arm wiring, made new balance weight, turntable and pulley.

I can now hear the bloke frying bacon in the background on some of my albums so much clearer now.

Lake_M

Norvin

Lovely!! Turntable and counterweight look great.

I think I’ll re do the wiring on mine next as the existing cables a cheap and nasty! Which kit did you use?

Hotmetal

Norvin Nice to see your Planar getting some love. I had a Rega P3 (the reissue of the Planar 3) with the same (?) arm, RB300 and a Zyx R50 and a little Creek phono stage. Was a great deck for what it cost, tbh I sometimes wish I still had it just cos its so carefree. I traded it for the TW Raven after getting to know Thomas Woschnik very well, and Graham still has my old P3 on the test bench, which must speak well for the Rega.

Flat_Eric

Passed my driving test in a Morris Minor van. My first car was a Standard 10 that cost me £25. The shock absorbers leaked so badly I gave up refilling them, it was like driving a boat across across Morecambe Bay!

dfk41

No words necessary

Pompeyexile

Can’t say I remember the beer keg shampoo Dave but upon seeing that my mind immedieately went to….

Obviously the more sophisticated we’ve become with old age (Ahem!) we now take a bottle of wine to a party.

JahLaza

Pompeyexile ‘For every pouring pierce two holes in the lid!’ Haha no nonsense and waiting around there!!!!

DavecUK

Pompeyexile God….I remember taking a few of those to parties…… Thought I was the dogs danglies when I dropped one of those onto the table….

Amazing the things you forget until reminded… 👴

Lake_M

Pompeyexile

Ha! Yep, no party would be complete without one. Half of it went on the carpet 😆

Hotmetal

Pompeyexile I’ve been saying that as I get older, my six-pack has become a party seven. Nobody of the youth knows what I’m on about 😂

Norvin

Lake_M I think I’ll re do the wiring on mine next as the existing cables a cheap and nasty! Which kit did you use?

Can’t remember exact details now, but i remember buying the cables and making them myself.

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