Tracks of my Years - 1969

What did 1969 bring us?

Neil Armstrong and Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin walked on the moon. (My parents decided to get us children up to watch this momentous occasion.  Needless to say, I have absolutley no recollection of it whatsoever!)

Half a million visitors went to the Woodstock Festival.

Children's television saw the first episodes of Sesame Street, Scooby Doo, Chigley, and The Clangers.

The Space Hopper bounced into our lives.

Rather a malevolent grin, methinks...

Lulu the elephant ran amok on Blue Peter.

The first B & Q opened its doors, spawning, perhaps, a nation of DIYers, who'd rather not be....

Lulu married Robin Gibb, Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman and John Lennon married Yoko Ono (though not in a joint ceremony!) dashing the hopes of many hankering after a pop star husband.

The United Kingdom shared first place in the Eurovision Song Contest in a four-way tie, with Lulu's Boom-Bang-a-Bang.

Charles, Prince of Wales's investiture took place at Caernarfon.  Bet he didn't think he'd keep this title quite as long as he has!

Monty Python's Flying Circus aired for the first time,enriching our lives with The Ministry of Silly Walks,  the Fish Slapping Dance, the Lumberjack Song, Spam, Dead Parrots and the like. 

The new seven-sided 50p coin was introduced to replace the ten-shilling note.

 In the UK, the death penalty was abolished for murder.

In the cinemas...

On the radio, some absolute classics:

Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Fleetwood Mac - Albatross

Frank Sinatra - My Way

Johnny Cash - A Boy Named Sue

The Hollies - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

David Bowie - Space Oddity

Mama Cass - It's Getting Better

Bob Dylan  - Lay Lady Lay

Hits from 'Hair' abounded - this one really takes me back, though actually to a bit later when it was one of the tracks on the first, and for a long while only, cassette tape our family owned.

And for this year's photo, this one from a series taken on a picnic.

Picnics were a real favourite!  Ours were normally beside the River Thames at either Remenham (near Henley), Goring, Sonning, Wallingford or Shiplake.  Sometimes we would paddle, or even (when older) swim.   Just thinking of the cold roast chicken, the hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes, the 'empanadas' (pasties, my favourites were filled with sweetcorn)  and the orange squash kept cold with loads of ice cubes makes my mouth water!