I was born in 1970. My 54th birthday is fast approaching and I still wonder how time has gone so fast… the years have been motoring along at full throttle! It was 50 years ago that I was having fun on the climbing frame at Harlesden Primary school. Remember the long spell of continuous hot dry weather in 1976? That was 48 years ago!
There’s been lots of change throughout my almost 54 years on planet earth- some are not surprising: the electric car for example, this was being talked about since I was six years old. The same goes for home computers: it seemed obvious that we’d eventually have computers at home.
There are some changes I never thought would ever happen. Some may seem minor, but to me they are major, life changing even…
Bottled water. Water comes out of the the tap. We pay a fee to the water company to supply us with it, so it surprised me when bottles of water appeared on supermarket shelves. Surely this trend couldn’t last, could it? Are you a bottled water drinker or do you keep it old school by getting it from the tap?
Wiring a plug. I remember the days when domestic appliances didn’t come with a plug fitted. We were a nation who knew where to connect the earth, live and neutral wires… we even knew which amp fuse we needed. How’s your plug wiring skills these days?
Electric toothbrushes. I had a manual toothbrush and scrubbed my teeth hard and fast to ensure total oral cleanliness, and, as a result, the bristles became battered and curled out from their normal upright position. Surely electric toothbrushes should only used by dental professionals within a practice and not in the home? Do you use an electric toothbrush or are you sticking to the manual you know and love?
Top shelf dirty magazines. As we looked at the magazines section in the newsagents, there would be the usuals such as the Beano, TV Times, Radio Times, Look-in, Smash Hits and Number One. Above all these, sitting on the top shelf, was the porno magazines. Were you intrigued and took peek at the top shelf? Maybe you unashamedly purchased a dirty magazine every week and you’re now a proud owner of a retro porno collection.
The microwave. The cooker rules! In was the only way of cooking in our household until the late 80s. How an earth could a box with a door compete with the mighty cooker? How can it cook and reheat so quickly? Surely if you eat food out of a microwave your insides will boil! No one in their right mind will buy a microwave and they certainly won’t last!
Ripped jeans. In 1988, when I first saw someone at college with ripped jeans, I thought they’d had fallen off a bike and skidded on their knees. I was astonished to learn that this was fashion. I have nothing against ripped jeans but each time I see them I think needle and thread and patching up!
Woolworths, BHS, C&A UK, Our Price Records, MFI, Rumbelows and Dixons. Yes, I always thought all these shops would be on our high streets forever. Back in the 80s, if anyone told me that all these retailers would no longer exist in the future, I would angrily tell them to f**k-off!
High street banks. Back in 1984, we had a careers evening at school. A number of companies were exhibiting to entice school leavers to work for them. The representative of a large high street bank told us that four O-Levels including English and Maths was needed to get a job with them. It was considered a job for life, once you’re in, you’re sorted. Banks were abundant on the high street and working for one meant job security. How things have changed! I don’t need to say more about how different banks are these days and how so few of them remain on our high streets.
Check out these retro memories…
- The Microwave: from scepticism to acceptance
- Midland Bank: come and talk to the listening bank
- Woolworths: an imaginary return
- MFI Furniture
- C&A: you’ll love the look
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