Days gone by

philw696

Member
Messages
25,114
Ah remember the Paraffin heaters too.
Kids today in their Climate Controlled World will never know especially running around in a Full Fat Range Rover.
For me it was Iso Rivoltas and Jensen Interceptors how I wish I could go back in time.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Think you might be needing those candles and one of those gas lamps with a “mantle” again this winter when the gas runs out!

Can remember those nights as a kid in the 70’s when the power went off at 8pm during the 3 day week, and it was off to bed fully clothed, waking up in a freezing room with no central heating and ice on the inside of the windows where condensation from my breath had frozen. Character building!
Yep kids have no idea these days. The lack of how anything works, and wanting to know how anything works, really annoys me!
 

Tallman

Member
Messages
1,833
And these - a hot day, open the door, immediately wind down the windows and drive away quickly to get some air in the car….fans in those days didn’t do much and of course no airco unless it was an American car. Driving in summer was like jogging, you arrive smelly and in a sweat, especially if there was traffic - which admittedly there was less of then.

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zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,759
And these - a hot day, open the door, immediately wind down the windows and drive away quickly to get some air in the car….fans in those days didn’t do much and of course no airco unless it was an American car. Driving in summer was like jogging, you arrive smelly and in a sweat, especially if there was traffic - which admittedly there was less of then.

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Keep fit windows, my girls love these in the Fulvia and Giulietta they constantly play with them just like I did when my Dad got a Granada which had electric windows
 

Doctor Houx

Member
Messages
791
Your put the fan on fully and you got a face full of dead insects and vegetation :)
You also put the fan on fully and the heater temperature to fully hot and open the windows at the first sign of a traffic jam or risk overheating and then sat at the roadside waiting to cool the rad. No electric fans then, only engine driven ones.

There were upsides to this however, as with no “Services” to speak of and certainly no drive thru McDonalds or Starbucks, thus gave you time to get the camping gaz burner out from the boot with the little aluminium travel kettle and make a quick brew in the layby. After all, you had been dragged from your bed asleep at 4am and bundled into the back seat as dad wanted an early start to beat the traffic, but everyone had the same idea. Happy memories of holidays as a kid.
 

drellis

Member
Messages
795
The excitement of wondering whether the car would get there. We went in a chevette and the piston went through the block. My dad got a refurb engine put it whilst on holiday, lasted a couple months...
 

Tallman

Member
Messages
1,833
Funny you should post that painting of the Chinese Lady by Vladimir Tretchikoff. I saw the original today, it’s owned by a London jeweller named Laurence Graff who owns a wine estate/hotel named Delaire Graff near me where it is on display. Beautiful place with stunning views for some wine tasting, a must if you are ever in the area.
 

Harry

Member
Messages
1,149
I've just got memories as a kid sat in my grandparents kitchen with pressure cooker whistling away, twin tub washing machine doing the washing, black and white portable TV on the worktop corner, with endless stews. Not forgetting a box of white candles for the 70s power cuts!
That is a pretty accurate description of my childhood with my parents!
 

Harry

Member
Messages
1,149

P5Nij

Member
Messages
2,371
Funny you should post that painting of the Chinese Lady by Vladimir Tretchikoff. I saw the original today, it’s owned by a London jeweller named Laurence Graff who owns a wine estate/hotel named Delaire Graff near me where it is on display. Beautiful place with stunning views for some wine tasting, a must if you are ever in the area.

Thanks for the nod - will check it out sometime. Back in the '70s we had three Tretchikoff prints hung up in our hallway, and another up on the landing done in the same style by another artist, it was a painting of Sofia Loren. When my Dad died five years ago we cleared out his flat and found a copy of the Chinese lady, my sister took it to the local charity shop before I had a chance to bag it!

Some more blasts from the past....

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Nibby

Member
Messages
2,027
The excitement of wondering whether the car would get there. We went in a chevette and the piston went through the block. My dad got a refurb engine put it whilst on holiday, lasted a couple months...
Joking aside, there was a sense of achievement if our car made it from North London to North Devon, driving around all week and back to North London on our annual holiday without breaking down. The amount of cars we would see with the bonnet up and steam pouring out.