1970s

In keeping with my current 1970s obsession, dear reader, some old photographs. The first one is of my Mother posing on the step into our caravan. We were on holiday in Devon or Cornwall, I think. Possibly Cockington.



This is me with my Tupperware shape toy. I adored it and played with it far too far into my childhood. Probably until I was about eight. I just adored poking those shapes into the ball, pulling it apart and letting them drop.

Mum had lots of Tupperware parties in the 1970s. I adored being the host and passing around the sausage rolls. The parties were always organised by Sally Bishop. She died of breast cancer and the parties stopped.



Minge gets a bath.



My Mother and I. Notice the ornamental head on the wall, as mentioned in another post. The wire was for a baby listener that my brother had made. Yes, he made it. Clever stuff. However, he also made something similar in order to listen-in to people's coversations from his bedroom. He was desperate to know what people thought of him and if he was spoken about behind his back. A terribly insecurity.

Check out Mum's patterned dress!



This is my cousin Sue and I. I love her dearly. She spent a lot of time with us when I was young in order to escape from her horrid step-father. He made her life a misery.



My brother, Mark, in one of our many cancer wigs. Mum had a friend who'd been given them as part of her cancer treatment. Calling them cancer wigs was not very kind, then, but we did so nonetheless - and still do today.

I don't remember that television set being in the living room, but I do remember the day the colour one arrived and the black and white one was put into Christine's bedroom. Also, I have no idea who's being shown on television or what the programme might be.

Beneath the television is my Mum and Dad's wedding photograph. It's one of very few photographs of the two of them to survive their divorce.



That's me, outside the shop, Sandbanks, Poole. Britain's Orange County, apparently.



Les girls, l-r: Aunty Lil (Mark's Godmother), Mum, Aunty Barl (Mum's sister, Sue's Mum).

Look how Lil likes to dress so conservatively, even the Victorian lace edging... Then look at Mum and Barl! Tramps! Exposing their bras!

Poor Aunty Barl is dead now.



That's me, sat in my car, Herbie. It's Summer and I'm wearing a hat. I'd recently been stung by a bee on my ear. I simply refused to go out without a hat to cover my ears.



One of our earlier cars. There were six houses in our terrace. Back in the mid 1970s, we were the only people with a car. Now, the norm is at least two cars to every house.



Aunty Winnie, me, Mum. In our back garden. The scorching Summer of 1976.



Our neighbours - l-r: me, Audrey, my Dad, Mark (my brother) Ray and Paul. Read more about Audrey and Paul by clicking here, my lamb.



My family - l-r: me, Kenny, Mum, Christine, Lorraine, Mark, Dad. That tree, in the left of the picture, got so big, it touched the house. So in the mid 1990s, it had to come down.



Not sure when this photograph was taken, but it's possibly the day of my Christening. Mum's at the back, half her face missing. The man on the left is George Thompson, my Godfather, to the right is Violet Mills, my Godmother. I'm sat on Aunty Barl's lap. The only people from this picture still living are Mum and I. Hang on! No! I think I can see Mark, there, too. Near the curtain. He's definitely alive!



Me, Christine, Mark. In the front garden. Mark's clutching Pandy. He was stolen from me a few years later. I never got over it.



Mum and I. I look only weeks old. Mum still has the same hair style. So do I.



Minge and Kenny. Those curtains! It must be 1972 and they were old then. They finally came down in 1981 after my Father left us. Lots of things changed in 1981.



Oh, God! My brother and I... But check out the Roman wallpaper! Hideous! And our fake leather sofa (plastic) with orange cushions. How 70s can you get, dear reader?



Aw! Washing Minge in the sink! I loved that, apparently, always making a fuss about the bath, but lapping up washing in the kitchen sink!

Gosh, check out the old Ascot water heater (referred to simply as the ascot), the old brass tea caddy and the pipes for our automatic washing machine! I loved the washing machine. Mum said she'd sit me in front of it if she needed to do something and I'd be hypnotised my the washing going around and around. One time, she lost her fags, couldn't find them anywhere. Then she noticed brown specks all over the washing in the machine. I'd put her fags in with the washing! There was a wee rubber opening in the window of the door. I was known to poke all manner of things in there, most notably, a five pound note! A lot to lose in the 1970s!



Friends - l-r: Doris from Portsmouth, Win Clarke, Mum.

What on earth was going on?