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Growing Up In Brum - Roy Blakey Inspired.

Seasonal excitement and curiosity. Thinking about some of the children in the 5 to 8 year age group and their build up to Christmas. Wasn't it about this time of the year and at this age that the kids began to wonder what presents Father Christmas might really be going to bring them. Some of the kids had maybe already been asked by their Dads and Moms what they would like Father Xmas to bring them ( the parents probably guiding their level of expectancy down a bit ), the parents would most likely then tell their children that they would see what could be done.
As a kid, do you remember maybe that you thought that Dad and Mom had to buy those presents prior to sending them off to to Father Xmas for him to deliver on Christmas night whilst you were asleep in bed. Does it come to mind how maybe, you as a child, and getting more excited by the hour , began to nave a little ' nose around ' the house perchance to coming across your presents being hidden there somewhere before being sent off to Christmas Land.
So you already looked in the cubby hole, and already looked in the Shed. Nothing doing.
When Mom asked you to pop upstairs and bring her slippers back down for her, was this a perfect opportunity to have a quick look around Mom and Dads bedroom. Quick under the bed lookie. Nothing doing there either.
There on top of the Wardrobe was a couple of ' somethings ' wrapped in some brown paper but they were much too high for you to reach or touch.
Dunno now!
Perhaps they've sent some money and a letter off to Father Xmas then,after all, and done it that way.
 
Christmas, in my childhood was a very magical thing, some how the 50's Christmas's, differed only very slightly from the "Old Victorian", ones, with home cooking,( all mince pies, sausage rolls, Xmas puddings, Xmas cakes), were made by my Mom, home made presents , (Oranges wrapped in silver paper, Dad may have made a wooden aeroplane, or train, of course some toys were shop brought but not many, we belonged to the "Working Poor", in those days, but magical it was, I never remember a bad Christmas, or one with out snow.,but how my poor Father managed to pay for it all "with3 kids", I don't know, but Bless Him he always did. Paul
 
Hi Maria

My wife goes through at least two bags of Tangerines a weeks, I sometimes am able to get one when she isn't looking. She gets them from Sainsbury's Supermarket at somewhat less than £1.50 a bag containing five or six in a bag. That must be worth a free bag at least for the advertising.
 
Hi Maria

My wife goes through at least two bags of Tangerines a weeks, I sometimes am able to get one when she isn't looking. She gets them from Sainsbury's Supermarket at somewhat less than £1.50 a bag containing five or six in a bag. That must be worth a free bag at least for the advertising.

At Waitrose they're £2.50 for a bag of five - or, as my husband remarked, 10/- each!!
 
image.pngimage.pngThe Cotton Reel.
Okay, so it was a rainy, windy day, not ideal for playing out in the street. So the kids looked for their indoor toys.
Out came the old cardboard box which housed all their toys and games. Amongst the collection would sometimes be the home-made cotton reel tanks ( for the boys ) and the home-made cotton reel ' corkers ' for the girls. Both these gadgets could fill in a substantial ammount of fun time.
Winding the ' Tanks ' up and distance racing them against one another or testing them against what things they could climb over made for some good competition for the boys.
The girls could carry on from ' last time ' and develop more of their decorative ' wool ropes ' on their cotton reel ' corkers '.
As wrist bands the finished coloured roped used to look pretty good.
There might have been an extra bonus, whilst they were playing, if Mom let them have a sweet off the Xmas tree meanwhile.
 

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My husband made some of these tanks recently for the grandchildren, they were amazed! Modern cotton reels won't work as it has to be the wooden ones. I always save them for things like this!
rosie.
 
In November 1940, my mother, sister and I spent a night, underneath the stairs at the house of our aunt, mothers sister. As we listened to the bombs whistling down, we spent the whole night 'corking'. We left for our home the following morning, arriving to discover that Herr Hitler had redesigned it. That night of 'corking' saved us.


Eddie
 
View attachment 102714View attachment 102713The Cotton Reel.
Okay, so it was a rainy, windy day, not ideal for playing out in the street. So the kids looked for their indoor toys.
Out came the old cardboard box which housed all their toys and games. Amongst the collection would sometimes be the home-made cotton reel tanks ( for the boys ) and the home-made cotton reel ' corkers ' for the girls. Both these gadgets could fill in a substantial ammount of fun time.
Winding the ' Tanks ' up and distance racing them against one another or testing them against what things they could climb over made for some good competition for the boys.
The girls could carry on from ' last time ' and develop more of their decorative ' wool ropes ' on their cotton reel ' corkers '.
As wrist bands the finished coloured roped used to look pretty good.
There might have been an extra bonus, whilst they were playing, if Mom let them have a sweet off the Xmas tree meanwhile.

Anyone remember how we did it? Spent hours and hours "corking" after scrounging any leftover wool off the girls in our class.
 
Yes, did that with my children and grandchildren.
Waiting for the greats to get a bit bigger. Get started all over again.
 
I can remember how to "cork" but the hard part is that cotton reels today are plastic so you need to have some "old" ones to hand!!

Janice
 
My Dad made me a "corker" from an old wooden handle, probably from a mincer or sewing machine, it was lovely to hold. We were "re-cycling" before it became fashionable again!

I was thinking about those pieces of brown cardboard at school for weaving. The piece of fabric was supposed to make a tiny purse but mine was so distorted it wouldn't have made anything.
rosie.
 
" All togged up, sleigh loaded, reindeer harnessed. We'll be off soon. Looking forward to all those Mince Pies and those little liquid nips that nearly everyone seems to leave for me ".
" Just want to drop a quick ' post ' on the B.H.Forum before I go".
" That's it I think. All ready to move out ".
" It's Ho, Ho, Ho time again.
image.png

Have a nice one folks.
 
A period of opportunity. Thinking back to a ' time span ' that seemed to provide the perfect progression and opportunities for the young ones ( particularly in areas like Birmingham ).
Looking at the sequence, it seemed to compile as follows :
(1) The final school leaving age for most young boys and girls was at the time when they reached the age of fourteen.
(2) Then there was the compulsory National Service call up for the young men at the age of eighteen.
(3) There was the flourishing numbers of successful factories and businesses that Birmingham had during this period.
(4) There was also the opportunities that the introduction of Evening Class " Further Education Technical Colleges " provided.
I would place the emergence of this period roughly around 1943 and at the time when many young boys and girls, at the age of 14, were leaving their elementary schools to begin their first full time paid jobs.
At the time and for most youngsters their own schools would have organised ' starter ' work positions for them in the factories, shops, offices and the service industries so that a ' job ' was available to them upon immediately leaving school and for them to begin to learn how to ' earn a living '.
On reaching the age of eighteen most of the young men received notice of conscription for " National Service " and would have been automatically called up to join one of the Military Services ( some conscripts were called up and directed into the Coal Mining Industry ). The majority though were conscripted into the " Army " or the " Royal Air Force ". Without going into ' over detail ', most men that have experienced National Service will tell you what a bit of a shock and a wake-up this was at the beginning of their service, but they will probably also tell you what a huge growing up and character build experience they finally found it turned out to be.
Leaving the forces and returning to ' civvie street ' they were again fortunate in so much that Post War prosperity ( particularly in Birmingham ) was flourishing, especially around the 1945 - 1975 period and good jobs and careers were widely available to them. Now with their lessons, experiences and often new trade skills, picked up during their National Service, wider choices of jobs and careers were available to them, on demob.
Now came the ' Period of Opportunity '.
This came by virtue of ' Further Education '.
Technical Colleges such as " Garratts Green "', " Brooklyn" and " Gosta Green " gave them the opportunity to attend " Night School " courses.
On offer were technical awards such as " City and Guilds ", " National Certificate " and the " Higher National Certificate ".
Here was the chance for these young people to not only carry on with their normal day work but to also attend a technical college three nights a week and with a bit of of week-end swotting and a bit of grit and staying power, the doors opened for them to achieve their awards and go on to considerable advancement and promotion at their place of work.
A great period for the young people to be gaining those all important growing up lessons and getting their feet on the ladder.
 
Now came the ' Period of Opportunity '.
This came by virtue of ' Further Education '.
Technical Colleges such as " Garratts Green "', " Brooklyn" and " Gosta Green " gave them the opportunity to attend " Night School " courses.
On offer were technical awards such as " City and Guilds ", " National Certificate " and the " Higher National Certificate ".
Here was the chance for these young people to not only carry on with their normal day work but to also attend a technical college three nights a week and with a bit of of week-end swotting and a bit of grit and staying power, the doors opened for them to achieve their awards and go on to considerable advancement and promotion at their place of work.
A great period for the young people to be gaining those all important growing up lessons and getting their feet on the ladder.
The early and mid-1960s also saw the emergence of "Sandwich Courses". These were certainly available at the Birmingham College of Advanced Technology (CAT) at Gosta Green. A student could spend 6-months in industry followed by 6-months at the CAT, repeated over a 4-year period and qualify for a Diploma in Technology (Dip Tech) which was said to be equivalent to a university degree. I believe that many of the larger companies in Birmingham were in favour and sponsored Sandwich Courses. Dave.
 
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