In the road I grew up there was a butchers, newsagent/post office, bakery and launderette all run by the owners. All gone now - just a mini market where you get served by a stroppy teenager chewing gum.
I grew up in a tiny little village where the sweet shop was also the Post Office was also the grocers was also the newsagents was also .. .. you get the picture.
It was run by a lovely couple who at the time seemed very old to me, but were probably only in their late 40's.
They sold sweets by the quarter and they were all lined up on the back wall. On the huge counter were the 'penny' sweets - cola bottles, jelly teddies (1/2p each) and the old favourites - Highland Toffee and sherbet dibdabs. Just below the counter were fire lighters and kindling, sacks of spuds and fresh farm eggs.
The village itself was tiny. Everyone knew everyone - especially me 'cos I lived in the pub. My friend and I spent all our summer hols down by the river, making dens and exploring. People really did leave their doors open.
We moved to the next village when i was about 10. A huge place in comparison, with 3 'corner shops' and a chippy!
When i was 23, I rented a tiny flat directly opposite the sweetshop/PO and loved nothing moer than nipping over the road in my jimjams to fetch the Sunday papers!
Aaaaah, thanks Re-Lapse, you've brought back some lovely memories.
The place i grew up had a sort of high street and there was a butchers, sweetshop, launderette, and a chip shop. The shop on the corner used to sell us broken lolly ices for an old 1/2 pence ( ha,penny). And the old chip shops you could take a dinner plate and they would keep it warm while the fish and chips were cooking, then they would fill it for you, fish and chips were cheap then !!
Every Friday there used to be a van that came round about 6-ish, that sold fish n chips. It only made one stop 'cos the place was so small and there'd be a queue a mile long. Of course, they were wrapped in newspaper then.
Cue Hovis advert music.
I remember being sent down to the bakers to buy big box of broken biscuits.
Those triangular milk cartons(same size as those jubbly ones)which were in a machine outside the launderette.
My dad coming home from work on a friday night with several bags of sweets and sharing out between six of us and if anyone got one more than the rest of us it was all out war.
And yes times were hard,did anyone else remember eating bread and dripping? To be honest I didn't think it tasted too bad back then,but th thought of it today would be too much to stomach.
End of Hovis advert music Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
p.s. Yes it was real butter back in those days.
mmmmm bread and dripping, we would probably gag on it now to imagine the calorie content, almost like eating lard! ewww I loved it, especially the jelly bits!
I like armadillos! Crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Armadillos!
Bread nfd dripping with loads and loads of salt.
Not now though, bad for your health.
Although how can that be.
We did'nt die whilst eating that stuff, we are'nt abnormal are we?(well some peeps might be, but not me).
Is it because the beef, sheep and pigs are all fed cemical crap these days?
Would anyone eat bread and dripping now just to remember the old days and old ways.
Me, I guess that if I was offered some I probably would.
None of this shop bought stuff though, must be straight from the joint of meat.
