Reliving your childhood?

I am sure we can all remember the period running up to Christmas when we were kids – it was a time of pestering parents for that extra special gift that we had no idea we wanted until we saw it on the TV adverts aimed at the Christmas market.

One such item I recall was advertised by Rolf Harris – who was quite a big star in those days, and was all over our TV screens (although we only had 3 channels then so it wasn’t difficult!)

The thing that Rolf was advertising was the Stylaphone – a mini electronic organ that to the kids of today would look totally pointless and ‘low tech’. But, to a child in the early 1970′s this was something amazing! To make matters worse Rolf Harris was known for making music with strange bits of kit – like his ‘wobble’ boards and his Didgeridoo – so he made it look easy to get a tune out of it!

My parents were not convinced (as was so often the case) and so I never got my Stylaphone – however today I saw them on the shelves of Sainsbury’s – obviously aimed at sad ageing children from the 60′s like me. It is only £12 as well – the original cost 8 pounds 18 shillings and sixpence - so it’s a bargain now!

Time for a novelty gift from the kids this Christmas?

 

Comics from my past

I remember as a child “borrowing” the Commando comics from the staff room at my father’s office – I loved the stories (all war based) and the comic strip style. The comic is famous for its classic tales of heroism and self-sacrifice from the two world wars, but also has stories from more recent conflicts. I never got into the “super hero” American comics – we didn’t get them in Wiltshire!

I have not been able to pass on my enthusiasm for the Commando comics to my son – the age of the X-box and Call of Duty has somewhat by-passed them!

However, Commando comics are 50 years old this week and still going strong. Now on issue 4,404, four editions of the pocket-sized comic are still released every fortnight (and I have just discovered I can get them on my iPhone!) – I wonder if Call of Duty will still be around in 50 years time – I doubt it!

 

Pick your own – it’s fun and cheaper!

When I was a kid living in the Cotswolds my parents had friends who ran a farm which included a ‘pick your own’ field. As far as I remember it was mainly strawberries, I was around 6 years old so my memories are limited and based around the ability to gorge myself as my parents and older brother did the serious picking!

just over £3 - bargain!

I do remember there being a glut of strawberry jam for months after each visit, no doubt the result of ‘over picking’ by the family members! I have not been to a PYO (pick your own) farm for years, possibly as a result of becoming a bit of a towny over the last 20 years and relying on the supermarket to supply everything.

Today however I have broken that duck and visited Wymeswold Fruit Farm off the A46 near Six Hills. I had forgotten a number of things in the years that have passed since my last picking experience – the main one being that it is back-breaking work! The upside however is that the fruit tastes so good as it is picked when fully ripe and it is so much cheaper than the supermarkets.

It is also so much more environmentally friendly – no transporting to the supermarket or excessive packaging! And the farmer is such a nice man (OK, that’s not a green issue – just a fact!)

So, a rediscovered joy of the countryside and one that will now become a more regular feature of this family. Now where are those raspberries, strawberries and red currants………….

 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Everyone has a film that takes them back to their childhood – for me it’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I am not sure but think it is probably the first film I was taken to as a small child. We lived in Stow on the Wold in the Cotswolds, so visiting the movies was a big deal (and very rare), Cheltenham was our closest cinema.

Perhaps it is because of the rarity of visits to the cinema that this film has such fond memories for me – but I still love it!

The car was obviously the attraction for a small boy – I had a dinky toy of it, and still think it’s a great idea – a flying car and a hovercraft! Ian Fleming s ideas were just what a small boy wanted in a car. Perhaps this led me to the Bond books he wrote as well – who knows.

So it is interesting to see that it is about to be sold for the first time since the film by auction in the US. It is expected to fetch around £1.2M, not bad for a ‘kit car’! Apparently it is still ‘a runner’ – although it doesn’t fly or float (shame).