There was a time in my early teens back in the '70s when me and one of my pals (not always the same one) would frequent the Old Village quarter of my town. Especially on Saturday afternoons, when we'd wander around the streets and visit certain shops (usually newsagents) and just drink in the ambience of the place while I bought comics. Sometimes there'd even be a jumble sale in either the Old Parish Church Hall, or in an old annexe-style hall belonging to another church. In fact, I yet have at least a trio of books from the second hall, and replacements for comics I originally acquired in the first, as well as from the three Village newsagents.
A couple of years on, me and whatever pal was available (sometimes more than one) would attend a couple of evening youth clubs in the Village, looking for fun and females; invariably we'd find ourselves in the local chip shop and round off the day's adventures with a fish supper each and a can of Coke to wash it down. Great times. Anyway, I had occasion to visit the Old Village on Saturday there, looking for something in the local DIY shop, but they were useless. Let me digress for a moment. I once went into this shop looking for a curtain rail a couple or so years back, only to be told that they didn't stock the kind I was after. "If you did have it, where would it be? I asked, and was pointed in the direction of a far corner.
You know where this is going, don't you? There was the very kind of curtain rail I was seeking. "You said you didn't stock this, so perhaps I should get it for free?" I teased, but they weren't up for that - not that I seriously expected them to be, I was merely making a point. Some years before, I'd got a shelf cut to a specific shape (one side was angled) in this shop and on Saturday was again looking for a small piece of wood cut to a particular shape. "We don't do that - the clue is in the letters 'DIY' outside" said one facetiously. I also needed a broken screw drilled out of a piece of metal; "We don't do that" came the repeated reply. For a place that installs made-to-measure fitted wardrobes and sliding doors, you'd have thought they must've had access to a drill, but they clearly couldn't be bothered moving from the counter, so I didn't bother arguing the point and left the premises. Useless feckers!
Anyway, digression over. I decided to treat myself to a fish supper from the very chippy I used back when I was much younger than I am now, and I can honestly say it was the tastiest fish supper I've had in a long time. I found my mind returning to the '70s and recalling how much I enjoyed those times and how lucky I was to be able to repeat the experience (to an extent) in the here and now. Then I wondered whether former pals who had left for pastures new down south or abroad, and who'd once walked those very streets with me and hungrily devoured the culinary delights of the self-same chip shop, ever thought back to those times and missed them in the same way that I did, but hadn't realised until I found myself back there on Saturday just passed.
Maybe they think back to other, later times elsewhere that I wasn't part of, and it's kind of sad to realise I might not figure much (if at all) in some people's memories of happier, younger moments in their lives. However, that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of my own reminiscences of such days, and I really enjoyed my brief Saturday sojourn (DIY shop aside) in a place I once frequented with friends who eventually moved on with their lives while I, on the other hand, remained pretty much where I was. Maybe I'll dare to repeat the experience next Saturday - if not, it won't be too long before I do. Incidentally, I've been in the village many times over the years, but it was the taste of that fish supper that opened the door to a forgotten cupboard of recollections in my mind. Ever had that kind of experience yourselves, faithful Crivvies?
If so, let's hear all about it in the comments section.
16 comments:
A Fish and Chip supper...my mouths watering Loved the 70s.. I can almost smell that heavenly fragrance. To hell with the junk food of today . Give me Fish and chips with lemon or a pie and toast anyday!!!!!!
Fish & chips, pie & chips, sausage & chips, chicken & chips, black pudding & chips, etc., LH - isn't it amazing how many things go with chips?
Kid, you might recall me mentioning that my primary school had recently closed and relocated to a brand new primary school built on the site of my former SECONDARY school (now demolished obviously). I had to see this for myself so on the Sunday before Christmas I took a walk to see the new school, about two miles away. First of all I visited my old primary school, now with all its' windows boarded up. Then I went to see the new school and the first thing I felt was total shock that my old secondary school on that site had completely vanished from the face of the earth, not a single brick remaining - it was quite a bizarre experience! The entire (rather large) site had been turned into a sort of park, with lots of grass and play areas for the kids - and right in the middle sat the new primary school (it's very state-of-the-art apparently).
Strangely (for me, given my memory these days), CJ, I think I do remember you mentioning that. In my town, every old school (and they were all old) has been demolished and a new one built on the site or nearby. It's quite disconcerting not to be able to revisit certain aspects of one's past, so I can totally relate to how you felt when you saw your old secondary now vanished from the face of the planet. What's going to happen to your old primary - is it going to be demolished, or repurposed for something else?
I've got no idea what will happen to my old primary school, Kid - I think it was built in the 1940s or 1950s so it's quite old and it'll probably be demolished. Back in December I also mentioned that my town's old bus station where I bought POTA #5 was also being demolished - that demolition has now been completed and the old bus station too has vanished like it never existed.
Next to my old primary school there was a little library which we kids visited once a week - I especially liked searching for The Three Investigators, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys novels - but I was sad to see that the library is now closed and boarded up.
What gets me is that I live in a new town, CJ, so when I say the schools were old, I meant relatively speaking - most of them were built in the '60s, with only one or two older than that. The library I used to frequent as a youngster was also closed for a few years and is now a furniture or bedding store, but it's always sad to see the signposts to our youth falling one by one, isn't it? Talking of that library, that's where I borrowed my first 3 Investigators book - The Mystery Of The Green Ghost. Also, I've got a Wind In The Willows poster on my wall, which I got there in 1979 while visiting from Central Library where I worked at the time.
Loved the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books(keep that to ourselves).But my favorite books were The 3 Investigators...brilliant.There are around 50-60 books in the series but for me it is the 1st 20 or so that are the best.I actually thought Alfred Hitchcock was part of the deal but apparently the name was just licensed from his estate.Loved Terror castle and there is 1 I have not read,The Secret of Skeleton Island which I am saving so I have a connection to the early 70'S!!!!!!!!!That sounds crazy but it makes sense to me.Loved our local library and yet it too is now gone.Sad.Great post as always mate.
I have only around 20 or so 3 Investigators stories in my collection, but I've read far more than that; great books indeed, TF. I've read a couple of Hardy Boys books, but none of the Nancy Drew series (I don't think that'll change anytime soon). There was also a similar series to the 3 Investigators, which had Roger Moore as the amateur sleuths' mentor. Glad you liked the post and thanks for commenting. (LH and CJ as well.)
My old secondary school is now luxury flats and my last Primary has been rebuilt as the new secondary ( no idea where the new primary school is located now). My first primary school was burned down in the 1990s.
The concept ( in general) of good service seems to be a thing of the past. Don't get me wrong I have had some wonderful service in shops etc from staff ( many of the teenagers) but jeez some of them are like zombies.
I was in Troon ( a town in Ayrshire for non locals) at the weekend and we stopped off at the towns harbour and got fish and chips ( I don't eat them that often) from the harbour chippy amazing stuff so fresh and a lovely presentation. The wind was blowing a hoolie and it was freezing so it made it all the better sitting in the car looking out at the water eating our chippy all nice and toastie.
What annoys me about my old schools being gone is that all of them were still structurally sound, McS; they were only demolished as part of something called a lend-lease policy, where the council sells the land to developers, who then build a replacement school on part of it (houses and flats on the rest), which they lease back to the council for around 25 or 30 years. Supposed to work out cheaper in the short-term when it comes to council expenditure, but I remain unconvinced.
Can't remember the last time I was in Troon - must revisit it one day.
The original author of the Three Investigators books was a guy called Robert Arthur, who mostly wrote short crime and suspense stories, and was actually a really good writer.
If you find any paperback collections of short stories credited as being edited by Alfred Hitchcock, they were usually ghost-edited by Robert Arthur- which is the reason why he was usually able to include one of his own stories!
I remember seeing his name in the early stories, DS, and then at least a couple of other names in later ones. I'd love to buy some original editions, but the asking price for them on ebay is usually quite 'severe'. Hopefully one day they'll all be reissued in facsimile editions.
For many years (before the internet came along) I'd thought that Alfred Hitchcock had actually written The Three Investigators himself!
On the subject of buildings being demolished while still structurally sound - a nearby psychiatric unit was demolished about three years ago but it was only opened (by the Queen Mother!) in 1986. The psychiatric unit was attached to a much older hospital where my sister was born in 1968 and where my mother was briefly a patient a few months before she died.
There are far too many buildings being demolished that have nothing wrong with them, but councils like to use money for things they don't really need. Apparently, if they don't use the dosh they have, it doesn't carry over to the next financial year so they prefer to spend it. I suspect that there's a little 'crossing palms with silver' when building contracts are being awarded, and if they don't commission something, then various 'perks' don't get handed across (allegedly). Also, some of those in authority like to put their stamp on things, so that they can later say "It was me that got those new schools/hospital buildings/shopping centres built, so everyone owes me a great big thank you."
Am I being too cynical, CJ?
The thing that annoys me most is the number of vacant houses, buildings etc in the UK, some lovely places that are just left to slowly deteriorate over the years and go into a state of disrepair when they could be used for housing etc. Of course councils don't always own these buildings but there should be an option to insist they are maintained at the very least or better still legally put to proper use. Glasgow is full of some stunning buildings that are just rotting away.
The Stuart Hotel in my town was demolished on the grounds that it had deteriorated beyond repair, but that was just so the group that bought it could build their own purpose-built hotel/night club on the site - and it's been a vacant lot for years now. It had only lain empty for a couple of years or so (if I recall correctly) before it was demolished, so I don't believe it was in such a state of disrepair as was claimed. It should've been made a listed building and preserved, with a view to it becoming a hotel again in due course.
Now they're saying that the Civic Centre needs demolished, with the site being given over to shops (as if we need any more of them here) and a new one built elsewhere. I don't believe there's anything so wrong with it that a tidy-up couldn't put right; however, there are those in power who want to juggle the town centre around to their own tastes. And if those buildings had such a short shelf-life from when they were first built, someone should be held to account for it (if they're still around).
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