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Someone I know still has the Christmas candle he made at our Primary school, way, way back in the 1960s. At least, he did when he told me this around a quarter of a century ago. You may be wondering whether his informing me of this fact is what inspired me to re-create my own candle, or it was seeing my 'replica edition' which prompted his revelation; or at least you would be if you had the same interest in trivial detail as myself. (It was the latter, actually.)
I used a toilet roll tube as the basis for the candle, which I wrapped in red cellophane and then added a flame effect to the top. Next, I smeared a polystyrene ceiling tile with POLYFILLA, sprinkled it with some glitter, and then fixed the candle and a quartet of fir cones (bought from WOOLWORTH'S, as they were bigger than ones I'd picked up from the street) in place until the Polyfilla dried. I finished it off with some cake decorations, and later added laminated, colour laser copies of two Santas, taken from ones I acquired in my Primary school days. (That's my best BLUE PETER audition attempt.)
Of course, it's far better quality than the one I made as a kid all those years ago, but it's constructed in exactly the same way, with one minor exception. Namely, the flame effect, which, back then, would've been drawn with wax crayons, whereas I used inks, paints or marker pens on this occasion. (Maybe even a combination of all three - can't quite remember now.)
Anyway, so proud of it am I that I thought I'd show it here. I won't mind in the slightest should any of you be consumed with an overwhelming desire to tell me how creative, multi-talented or wonderful I am. Go on - one little lie isn't going to kill you!
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UPDATE: Aha! I knew I had them somewhere. Here's a couple of snaps I took not too long after I first made the candle, but before adding the Santas. And yes, that's real snow it's sitting on - out in my back garden. I reckon around 1988.
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23 comments:
You're very artistic, Kid - I remember in infants school we made Christmas cards and paper lanterns.
We did that as well, CJ. I've still got a paper crown I made at Primary, I'm sure.
(Any advance on CJ's 'very artistic', anyone?)
You must have made this a few years ago then, Kid, if you bought fir cones from Woolworth's (I didn't know you could buy fir cones from Woolies). I've got a pack of red and green crepe paper from Woolworth's which I keep only for the Woolworth's packaging as a memento of that vanished store. I still remember how to make those paper lanterns from infants school, it was always fun doing stuff like that. Some card, glue and scissors and I could make one now :)
The clue to how long ago it was, CJ, is in the very first paragraph. The guy told me he still had his candle when he saw mine - and he told me that around 25 years back - maybe more. Time to claim a refund on that Sherlock Holmes correspondence course you were studying.
I've got loads of mementos from my local Woolies - stuff I bought over the years and stuff I bought when it was closing. I bought their last 12" action figure on the very last day.
It was a miserable day on this town ( and indeed all throughout the land ) when Woolies finally closed down. It lies still empty to this day, just like so many others. To quote a song, " This town - it's getting like a ghost town! "
Our old Woolies is now an Iceland store, JP. There's a new store opened just along the other side of the street called Home Bargains - very similar to Woolies, but without the Pick'n'Mix.
Ah, the humble lavvy roll - the basis of so many of the things they used to create on Blue Peter and the like. It's just a shame that your Santas and the flame are flat.
Woolies continues to go from strength to strength Down Under in Oz; mind you, it's not like your Granny's Woolies, but instead a massive supermarket chain.
When I was back on holiday I noticed some of the old Woolies sites (Partick, Johnstone, Paisley) had been taken over by places like Poundland and Iceland.
I remember that Woolworths seemed to sit at the heart of my hometown when I was growing up, right in the middle of the main square. Other shops came and went, but Woolies seemed like a permanent fixture. Even when I grew old enough to go into Paisley or Glasgow for comics and records and clothes, I'd still end up 'doon the toon' in Woolies looking for a bargain or two, or maybe just for a quarter of iced caramels.
Actually, GB, the flame has a curve to it, but it's not obvious in the photo. The Santas don't really 'belong' there, I added them later to tie the whole thing in to a particular period in my past.
The Woolworth's in my home town was in the same premises from when it first opened in the very early '60s right up until it closed a few years ago. I wish it could make a comeback. Perhaps Australian Woolies could branch out into Britain?
Kid, your beautiful candle decoration has reminded me of something ( unrelated ) that happened just over a year ago : -
I was in the queue at my local Savers shop and I overheard the girl at the till asking all the customers if they would be interested in the scented candles which they had on special offer on the counter. " I have been waiting for this moment all my life! " I thought to myself, " I CANNOT let it pass." My turn came, I paid for my purchases, whilst the young girl asked me, " Can I interest you in the scented candles on offer today at 1-99 each? " So I asked, " Have you got four candles? " " Choose any 4 of these," she gesturered towards the display. " No, no, " I said, " - fork 'andles - 'andles for forks. "
" No, I'm sorry, " she replied, very apologetically, "we don't sell them." !!!!
That was it.
No laughter.
No applause.
Nothing.
Silence.
It didn't work.
I shuffled silently out of the shop, dejected. What a silly old fool I am. I am not Ronnie Barker and this is the real world.
Kid, you're right - if I had paid more attention I'd have known the candle was made a long time ago. I think it looks better without the Santas actually. My Woolworth's is now a pound store and my local WH Smith's which closed in March is also a pound store - either PoundLand or PoundWorld - a sign of the times I suppose. By the way, do you know about this new thing called BBC Genome - you can look up any Radio Times entry from 1923 to 2009. I only heard about it a couple of days ago - remember that story I told about skipping the school panto to see King Kong...well, I looked up the relevant date (17th December 1976) and there it was - King Kong at 6.50 pm !!
I had a similar situation to that back n 1977, JP. There's a scene in Son of Paleface where someone offers Bob Hope a drink and says "Drink that, Junior - it'll put hairs on your chest!" Bob replies "I've got hairs on my chest - gimme something that'll part them in the middle!" I thought that was hilarious and stored it away in my head. Some years later, in '77, I was working nightshift in my local Safeways and was in the pub with two of my colleagues before starting our shift. I was drinking a Coke and one of the guys said "You should try a lager - it'll put hairs on your chest!" Just what I'd long been waiting for. I hit him with the line - whereupon he put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a COMB! Never happened to Bob Hope.
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CJ, I didn't know about that, but now that you've told me, there's a film I want to look up and see when it was first shown back in the '60s. I 'phoned the BBC for the info back in 1987 and they were able to supply it, but I misplaced the details. When I contacted them again a year or two later, they couldn't find the info in their records. I won't tell you the name of the film just yet, 'cos I'll probably do a post about it.
Glad to be of help, Kid. John's comment was brilliant - made my day. I've got to say,Kid, that Bob Hope wasn't all that funny (sorry) not like the classic 'four candles' gag. I also used BBC Genome to look up the first broadcast of the BBC's Count Dracula from December 1977 and was amazed to see it had originally been shown as one complete programme on December 22nd 1977 and not (as I'd remembered) in two parts on December 21st and 22nd.
Oh, behave, CJ - Bob Hope was brilliant. Watch Paleface, Son of Paleface, My Favourite Brunette, The Ghost Breakers, etc. All terrific.
Incidentally, I don't know why you were surprised to see that the BBC Dracula was shown as a complete programme - I told you that in one of my responses when you first commented on the subject.
"Oh, do pay attention, 007!"
CJ might be too young to remember that Bob Hope once sang the theme song for a Dracula film, Kid - Fangs For The Memories
If that Dracula film that CJ mentioned is the one starring Louis Jourdan, I remember watching it and enjoying it when it was on. He was very suave in the role, but with an undercurrent of danger.
Since you brought up the subject of Safeway, Kid: in Oz Woolworths own Safeway, and it's only recently that they changed the store names from the latter to the former. Back in the day in Scotland I used to shop in Presto which was taken over by Safeway, then when I came to Oz I shopped in Safeway which changed its name to Woolworths, which was where I used to shop back in the sixties and seventies in Scotland. Confused?
It was actually A Dracula film where he sunk his teeth into the bosoms of young maidens, GB -and it was called Fangs for the Mammaries. Yeah, Louis Jordan was good, but Drac with a side-parting was a bit odd-looking.
Confused? No - but I WILL be.
Thank you SO much, Col! At LAST my comedic attempts are appreciated. If only you had been behind me in the queue that day.
I have also used the Eric Morecambe line on many occasions ( sometimes I get a laugh, other times a blank ), whenever I am walking past someone and an ambulance goes screaming past, I say, " He's not going to sell much ice cream, going at THAT speed! "( whilst straightening an invisible pair of glasses on my nose ).
Anyway, thanks for the info. on BBC Genome. I'm off there next!
Arsenal!
All this talk of Bob Hope reminded me that you were going to do a post on your DC Bob Hopes. Obviously you cannot at the present, but please keep it on the " to do" list.
Does it amaze you the different tangents your posts often go off on? You seem to get people sharing things that they probably wouldn't bother talking about. Is this another one of your mutant mind powers?
I've only got the one DC BH comic, JP, but I'll definitely get around to it when I find it - but it doesn't look like if it'll be any time soon.
Mutant power? Nah, I think they just feel sorry for me and answer so that it doesn't seem like I'm talking to myself.
Arrgghh !! My comment should have said I didn't think that particular Bob Hope JOKE was funny - I didn't mean that Bob Hope himself wasn't funny, in fact I loved those 'Road' films with Bing Crosby and Bob's solo films. I've never heard of 'Fangs for The Mammaries' though. Of course, John's problem was that the shop assistant was too young to remember the Two Ronnies - somebody of the right age would have understood the 'four candles' reference. And yes, Kid, I seem to recall you did say the BBC Dracula was originally shown in a single episode - I watched the whole thing on YouTube in September which was okay except for the Portugese subtitles at the bottom through the entire thing, I got used to them after about 20 minutes though. Good luck in finding that film anyway.
Fangs for the Mammaries is just a bit of word play, CJ, in response to GB's comment. Had a look for that other film, but while its 1989 screening is listed, its 1967, '68 & '69 screenings aren't. When I spoke to the BBC years ago, I asked them why it had taken 20 years to show it again, and they said they had lost the rights to broadcast it for that period.
Oh, that Bob Hope song is 'Thanks For The Memories' (yes, I'm really slow) - I've heard him that song. I don't know why that film wouldn't be listed if it was shown in 1967, '68 and '69. I've been looking at BBC Genome too - I've discovered that Tom Baker's first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast on Saturday December 28th 1974. I've been trying to work out when I first saw 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' but so far I can't find it in any of the Christmas listings I've looked at.
I've now put up a post about the movie, CJ.
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