BABE Of The DAY - INES CUDNA...

Crivvies, I give you INES CUDNA -

though I bet she could if she tried.  (Will

anyone but a Scot get that pun?  And that

 tree definitely looks familiar to me.)

PERPLEXING PONDERINGS Of POINTLESS PERSPECTIVES...

I often find my mind returning to topics I've attempted to explore before on the blog, which may be boring to some (or many) of you, but I'm never quite satisfied with what I said previously, prompting me to have another go.  However, between thinking of something new to say on an old subject and sitting down to write about it, I find the thoughts I wished to express have dissipated, resulting in me just basically repeating what I'd written before.  It's obviously never my intention to repeat myself, and I venture on in the hope that writing about it will trigger remembrance of whatever new material I wanted to add.  This is another such instance.

As I've said before on occasion, when we're growing up, we do so mainly unselfconsciously, seeming to seamlessly segue from one point in our childhood to another.  At 11, do we really feel any different to how we felt at 7, or at 15, to how we felt at 12?  I'd say probably not, and I offer the following as evidence to be considered.  When I revisited my old primary school as an 18 year old, I was much surprised to see how small and low the desks were, as well as the sinks and mirrors in the toilets.  I almost felt like Gulliver, because it had never before occurred to me that, in primary schools, some things have to be built to child-scale.  It seems such an obvious thing when you think about it, but we never do, do we?  I certainly didn't.

There are various stages of life we go through while growing up; infancy, childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, etc., and there's a time when it all appears to unfold like an unravelling ball of string.  Years later, however, perhaps after we turn 30 or so, when we look back, those various stages of our lives seem like separate segments.  Figuratively speaking, our box of memories go from being like an endless row of terraced houses to being detached dwellings.  In close proximity to one another sure enough, but with that little space between them that puts them in their own little compartments of the mind.

When I was a teenager, my childhood years seemed relatively recent and not too long ago.  But, to contradict myself (an unavoidable result of the paradox of time), sometimes they could feel like an eternity away - it just depended on from what angle I approached my memories.  If a sudden remembrance resurfaces unbidden, it feels like only yesterday because it jumped straight into our mind.  If, however, we trawl through our memories in search of a particular one, the distance between then and now seems greater, perhaps due to other, intervening memories obscuring the 'view' and putting things in their proper perspective and context.

But even that doesn't do full justice to the notion I'm trying to express.  Trying to pin anything down is difficult, because my thoughts waver in the wind and shift their shape like a phantom in the fog.  When I first moved into my present house back in 1972, the years prior to that date seemed relatively recent - as if they all rested on the same figurative 'stretch of carpet' as the present.  It probably also helped that because our new house was similar in layout to an earlier one in the same neighbourhood (though at the opposite end of it), there was a 'pre-existing' sense of familiarity in our new residence - enhanced by the fact we had the same furniture in all four houses we'd lived in up to that point.

And talking of points, where am I going with this?  As I've said before somewhere, my first day in our new house was just (obviously) the day after the last day in our old one, so there was a sense of consistency and continuity based on the fact all my recent memories were of events that had transpired in that old house.  It took a while to gather a fresh set of memories associated with our new one.  Now, however, after so many decades, there seems to be an immense gap between my time in each house, so what once still felt part of the present now feels like the dim and distant past - which, I suppose, it is.

As a 14 year old living in a new house, I didn't feel too far removed from our old one in which I'd spent nearly seven years of my childhood.  It didn't occur to me at the time (because my childhood still felt recent - perhaps even current), but the fact that the fields and the swing-parks and the streets of the new neighbourhood were not the ones in which I played, ran around in, or where I hung out with the neighbourhood kids, now makes me realise my childhood belongs in a different place, not this one.  And that's a result of that unfurling ball of string which is our lives becoming frayed and disconnected over the years and 'terraced memories' becoming 'detached' (or in some instances 'semi-detached') ones.

When I was younger, whenever I thought of a past event, it was like opening a door in the 'room' of my mind through which I could access it; and, if I so wished, I could open another door in the same room to access another memory.  Now, though, when I open that second door, there seems to be a long, empty corridor stretching into infinity leading to it, and beyond that memory, another long empty corridor that leads to the door of another memory.  Does that make any sense?  Where once my mind was a single box that held many memories rubbing shoulders together, it's now a box that holds lot of other boxes, each one containing a memory on its own.

Analogies are seldom perfect, but that's the best I can do with thoughts that are constantly trying to evade me, dodging out of my grasp even as I reach for them.  Where once I felt like the same person in every house, I'm now only too well aware that every house only knew me as I was at that time.  I was still a child in my last house, and for most of my time there, the nearby streets, fields, and trees were my playground and playthings, but that can't be said for the house I now inhabit.  I never played as a kid in the surrounding environs and that's now become a source of disappointment to me.  The fact that, when I first moved here, I didn't make any distinction between the kid I'd been and the teenager I'd become no longer seems to matter for some strange reason.  To feel like a kid again, I'd have to live in a house I inhabited as a kid, but I know then my teenage memories would seem out of place and out of time, so I'd never be completely satisfied.

Anyway, I trust that all makes some kind of sense to most of you and some of you can perhaps relate to it.  I yet feel I haven't done justice to the subject, but maybe I've inched a little closer to the target.  If any of you Crivvies ever feel the same, any thoughts, theories, or observations are most welcome.  (Even if it's just to say you don't know what I'm on about - or on.)            

BABE Of The DAY - PAULA PERIL...

It's PAULA PERIL, and I'm in

peril of a heart attack admiring her

heavenly face and figure.  As you'll all

know, 'Paula' is VALERIE PEREZ, but

you'll be familiar with the famous saying -

"A rose by any other name would smell

as sweet."  (Odd how the same can't

 be said about farts, eh?)

SIXTH And FINAL PART Of DON STARR'S APPOINTMENT With Mr. BIG...

Copyright relevant owner

'Tis said that all things must pass, and so it is in the case of secret agent DON STARR's action-packed adventures, which concluded with #43 of TERRIFIC, the final weekly issue of a surprisingly not-popular-enough POWER COMIC periodical of the late '60s.  As most of you will know, Terrific reprinted MARVEL characters in the main, but Don Starr was the exception, being a UK originated strip (perhaps drawn abroad), no doubt designed to give readers a little contrast to the superhero tales in the rest of the comic.

At the same time Don Starr ended, so too did JOHNNY FUTURE, another UK produced strip appearing in the pages of FANTASTIC, Terrific's stablemate alongside WHAM!, SMASH!, and POW!  The following week, #52 of Fantastic Incorporating Terrific appeared, but 'twas only fated to last another 37 issues before it bit the dust - being merged into Smash! before that comic was revamped and relaunched in March '69 without a Marvel reprint in sight.

So here it is - daring Don's very last appearance before being consigned to comics limbo, never to be seen again (as far as I know) until being 'resurrected' by Crivens for your rabid reading pleasure.  However, once again, his time has come and gone, so let's bid Don an affectionate farewell as he returns to the mists of history.  Alas, as said at the start of this post - all things must pass - and that includes poor ol' Don. 

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY...

Just a wee reminder that a handful of free copies of the above CD are available to anyone who wants one.  First come, first served, one per person.  If you had the original single back in the '60s, now's the chance to recapture a little slice of your childhood.  Just leave your address in the comments section (it won't be published, given or sold to anyone else, or used for any other purpose - plus it'll be deleted from my files afterwards) and I'll get one in the post to you at the earliest opportunity.

You've nothing to lose and a CD to gain - so what're you waiting for?

(Update: They've all gone now, alas.)

BABE Of The DAY - VALERIE PEREZ...

Voluptuous VALERIE PEREZ looks

like the cat who got the cream after cracking

open that safe behind her and grabbing all its

lovely lolly.  She'll be able to buy all the cans

of Whiskas she wants from now on.

DON STARR'S APPOINTMENT With Mr. BIG PART FIVE...

Copyright relevant owner

Well, here we are with the penultimate part of secret agent DON STARR's final adventure, in which he has an APPOINTMENT With MR. BIG.  That means there's only one more episode to go in this classic comic strip from the '60s, so be sure not to miss it when it pops up on Crivens! - the finest blog in the universe.  (An alternate universe admittedly, but hey - who's going to hold that against me?!)  So until next time, enjoy!

(And if you've been following this TERRIFIC adventure, why not share your thoughts about it with your fellow Crivvies in the comments section?!)  

WE WILL NEVER BE INDIVIDUALLY... (Updated)

Copyright relevant owner

A record that used to be part of my family's collection back in the '60s was a GALA GOLDENTONE single of the LAUREL & HARDY theme song from LARRY HARMON's animated TV show.  It was orange in colour, and is, today, seemingly quite a collectable due to its rarity as it never seems to come up on eBay.  In the States, it was on the LITTLE GOLDEN RECORD label, and was 45 r.p.m. as opposed to the UK version being 78 r.p.m.

Anyway, I've been searching for one for a while now, but with no success, and, as I'm hardly what could be considered a patient person, I decided just to make my own copy.  The two tracks from the disc are available on YouTube, so I recorded them, transferred them onto a CD, made an inlay card, etc., and what you see in the accompanying photos is the result.

At first I was going to make the front of the CD inlay card the exact same as the cover of the single, but it would have required too much work to remove some of the 'wear' on it.  (Also, it was the US version.)  Instead, I focussed on the main image and title (which is chiefly what I recall), did a little tidying up, and created an interior and rear inlay card of which I could be proud.  And I am!  I made the label from a pic of the original record on the Internet, as I wanted to capture the 'spirit' of that little orange record from my childhood.

Update: After thinking about it awhile, I decided to redo the label to accommodate the orange colour of the original record.  If you closely examine the pic below you'll see the 'GG.48' that was etched onto the inside plastic margin of the 1963 record.  In fact, the A Side had 'GG.48A' and the B Side had 'GG.48B', but I removed any reference to two sides as both tracks are now on one side of the CD. 

Well, Crivs - what do you think?  Pretty neat, isn't it?  I have three or four spare copies in cardboard sleeves (not plastic CD cases), which I'll give (one per person) to anyone who wants one (first come, first served) at my own expense, so if you'd like to be one of the lucky recipients, let me know in the comments section.  Of course, you could always copy the YouTube clip like I did, but if you're anything like me, then you'll prefer having something more tangible.  (Update: You're too late - none left.)

To hear the song, click below.  It's preceded by an instrumental version, so if you forward 1 minute 20 seconds ahead, you'll hear the vocal performance.  If you click on full screen mode, as the song progresses, the full cover image gradually comes into view, enabling you to see why I didn't use it as it is.  Anyway, all that remains now is for all you Crivvies to tell me how brilliant, talented, and gifted I am.  Go on, it won't hurt as much as you think.  (Well, it certainly won't hurt me!)

BABE Of The DAY - VALERIE PEREZ...

When the delectable VALERIE PEREZ said she'd pick me up for our date, I wasn't expecting her to arrive in a BATMOBILE.  You should've seen the neighbours gape, though it was a close-run thing as to whether the car or its driver garnered the most attention.  However, you won't be surprised to learn that Valerie just inched out ahead in that little race.

CRIKEY! PART FOUR Of DON STARR'S APPOINTMENT With Mr. BIG...

Copyright relevant owner

Well, frantic fans (of comics, not me), there are only two more episodes (after this one) of DON STARR's final adventure from the pages of TERRIFIC, first published back in the dim and distant days of the late '60s.  I was there to read these stories in that particular pulse-pounding POWER PACK publication the first time round, but you may not have been so bountifully blessed.  Regardless, hope you're enjoying them now!  Be sure to say so either way in the convenient comments section.

FRICTION-DRIVE TOYS UPDATE...

I really don't know where my head is sometimes.  There was I, a couple or so posts back, showing you some of my prize friction-drive toys from the '60s & '70s, and guess what?  I only forgot to include two of the best ones.  Doh!  Anyway, if you'd like to see which ones, click on this link.  Meanwhile, I'll try to remember whether there's any others I inadvertently overlooked.

THE HEAT IS ON...

For all those discerning Crivvies who are also 'fellow Mellows', my other blog - MILD & MELLOW MELANCHOLY MUSINGS - now has an exclusive new post, which can be accessed by clicking this link.

BABE Of The DAY - VALERIE PEREZ...

You'll have to excuse me, Crivs.  I was going to write a

new post, but then I realised I had to feed the cat.  (That's

her above.)  I may be some time.  "Here, kitty-kitty!"

FABULOUSLY FANTASTIC FRICTION-DRIVE FAVOURITES (Updated AGAIN)...

I've got a few other friction-drive toys than just the ones shown here, but they'll have to wait for another time as they're up in the loft - and these babies on display are the 'biggies' of my f-d collection anyway.  Two of them I obtained when I asked on this 'ere blog if anyone had them and the sellers got in touch.  See?  There can be benefits to this blogging malarkey that you'd never have anticipated, and I'd likely still be without YOGI on his scooter and SANTA in his Space Blimp if Crivens didn't exist.

I've shown most of them before, but these pics are all brand-new photos taken especially for this post.  Of the seven toys being shown for the first time, two are of Yogi Bear - one of him in his car and the other a 'running' Yogi - no doubt fleeing from either RANGER SMITH or CINDY BEAR.  The others are of a nifty little racing car, two rabbits (or hares), and a mouse.

Anyway, I hope that you'll enjoy the images that follow - they were all taken especially for you Crivs.  Incidentally, all '60s toys shown here are the original versions (as are the others) - there's not a modern reissue or replica to be seen.  Did you have any of them when you were a kid?  If so, share your memories with the rest of us.

Update: How could I do it?!  I forgot a couple of my most prized f-d toys - GEMINI SPACE CAPSULE and STEVE ZODIAC & ZOONY The LAZOON on a jetmobile.  Now added, so check 'em out!  And I just realised that SMASH MARTIAN is a wind-up toy, so I've removed him from the post.  He'll pop up again when I get around to showing you my 'clockwork' toys.

    

BABE Of The DAY - VALERIE PEREZ...

What's that?  You want more SPACE

BLIMP?  Calm yourselves, impetuous ones,

you know the old saying about having too much

of a good thing.  So, for a change of pace, here's

stunning VALERIE PEREZ to take your mind

of Blimpy.  If she doesn't do it then nothing

 will.  (I reckon she can do it though.)

MORE GROOVY PHOTOS OF THE SPACE BLIMP OF CHRISTMAS! DID I MENTION I HAVE ONE...?

I recently bought a SPACE BLIMP Of CHRISTMAS, manufactured by LP Toys back in the '60s.  What's that?  I already mentioned it?  Are you sure?  Well, whad'ya know, it must've slipped my mind.  Seeing as I'm here, I may as well show show these new photos I took of my classic collectable item.  Betcha wish you had one, eh?  No?  What's wrong with you guys?!  Are you ill?