Tracks of my Years - 1978

In the news:

A terrible storm ruins four piers - Herne Bay, Skegness, Hunstanton and Margate

Anna Ford becomes first female TV newsreader

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy broadcast on radio

Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, was born

Evita opened on the London stage

The Government announced that O levels and CSEs were to be replaced by a single exam

Bakers go on strike, leading to panic buying and rationing

Average house price £13,650
Gallon of petrol £0.79
Yearly inflation rate 8.3%
Bank of England Year End Interest Rate 12.50%

On TV:

Herbie the skateboarding duck

'Butterflies'

'Top Gear' goes nationwide, after beginning as a locally produced slot on Pebble Mill

'All Creatures Great and Small'

'Grange Hill'

At the cinema:

On the radio (oh dear -the list really is getting longer, with each one pique-ing my memory the way only music can...)

Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John

Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush

Denis - Blondie

Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty

Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult

It's Raining - Darts

Dancin' in the Streets - Marshall Hain

Never Let Her Slip Away - Andrew Gold

If I Can't Have You - Yvonne Elliman

Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra

YMCA - The Village People

My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars

Super Nature - Cerrone

Ca Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle

Love is Like Oxygen - Sweet

The Man with the Child in his Eyes - Kate Bush

Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

Forever Autumn - Justin Hayward

It was just so hard to choose one favourite amongst the last three, but in the end it had to be this...

I don't have many photos from these years, and those I have were mostly taken with a little Insta-matic camera so the quality is pretty bad.  But this one proves that by 1978 I was making my own clothes.  Tiered skirts were all the rage, so I made myself one though I didn't have enough pocket money to make the broderie anglaise petticoat I so wanted to go underneath!

Tracks of my Years - 1977

Finally, back to this!

In the news:

The Queen's Silver Jubilee was celebrated in style all over the United Kingdom, and beyond

Classic Album, 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac was released

Red Rum won the Grand National for the third time

The Embassy Snooker World Championship moves  The Crucible in Sheffield and was broadcast on television for the first time

My great-granny loved to watch 'snuker' as she called it, all on her black-and-white telly!

Marc Bolan died an untimely death in a car crash  in Barnes

The first budget airline, Freddie Laker's Skytrain, was launched

Shirley Hughes' classic, 'Dogger'was released. 

Elvis Presley died

In the UK the average house price was £13,650; a gallon of Petrol  cost £0.79; yearly inflation ran at 15.8%; and the Bank of England Interest Rate was 7.00 %

On TV:

It'll Be Alright on the Night

Citizen Smith

The Krypton Factor

The Professionals

(What a shame this is the only photo I seem able to find to remind people...)

Jesus of Nazareth

At the cinema:

On the radio:

Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul

Don't Cry for Me, Argentina - Julie Covington

Chanson d'Amour - The Manhattan Transfer

Yes Sir, I Can Boogie - Baccara

Black is Black - La Belle Epoque

Rockin' All Over the World - Status Quo

Boogie Nights - Heatwave

Sideshow - Barry Biggs

How Deep is Your Love The Bee Gees

The Shuffle - Van McCoy

Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor

Oh Lori - Alessi

The Telephone Man - Meri Wilson

She's Not There - Santana

(My radio was almost permanently at my side in those days, hence rather a long list!)

ABBA Greatest Hits Album

In our household, the most listened to album was this one, the cassette tape version of which was taken on our camping holiday to France and listened to relentlessly.   Hearing 'SOS' or 'Ring, Ring' will always transport me back to that holiday!

I can barely find a single snap from this era.  This is the best I can offer, from that very holiday...

Tracks of my Years - 1966

We have now reached the times for which I have ACTUAL memories.  Oh help!  I will try and restrain myself from unending tales of my childhood, but there will probably be a few.  

Camberwick Green first aired.  Windy Miller was my favourite and I'm pretty sure I had this toy.

Photo courtesy of rareandsigned.com

(What I did not remember was that Windy had a drink problem...

!!!)

The Radio Caroline ship ran aground  on the beach at Frinton.

The FIFA World Cup trophy was stolen from an exhibition in London, only to be found wrapped in newspaper by a dog called Pickles in a South London garden.

Longleat Safari Park opened.

England won the World Cup!

The play 'Cathy Come Home' was shown.

Hits included

Spanish Flea - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Homeward Bound - Simon and Garfunkel

Visions - Cliff Richard 

Bus Stop - The Hollies

God Only Knows - The Beach Boys

When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge

Monday, Monday - The Mamas and The Papas

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield

At the cinema you could see...

In our house, you might have heard The Seekers on the record player on a Sunday morning.

My sister and I had a memorable trip to London Zoo with the 'big girls' down the road, Joan and Linda.  We travelled by bus from our Winchmore Hill home, which must have been quite an adventure.  At the zoo, we had a ride on a camel and a pony, and petted the goats.  I think I loved watching the penguins best, in their Art Deco Penguin Pool.

My sister, Linda and I having our picnic at London Zoo

I remember the rickety pushchairs you could borrow at the zoo, and being piled into it with my sister once our little legs were jaded.

Thanks for all the lovely comments on these posts up to now!  They feel like a bit of an indulgence, but it is great to read other people's memories too!

In case you didn't know, I am running a little giveaway.  Look here for details.

More Memories on a Monday

All this summery weather has got me reminiscing again.  When I was young sunny weekend always seemed to involve a picnic...

We'd all pile into the car - a pale green MG Magnette a bit like this one...

Photo courtesy of ConceptCarz.com

 
We probably didn't appreciate this car nearly as much as we should have done, given all its beautiful features, like the walnut dashboard, leather upholstery and rather Art Deco styling...

And the indicator!  Don't forget the indicator!

Then off we'd go to find somewhere nice to picnic!

No Cath Kidston cool bag in those days, nor even a wicker hamper, just a couple of sturdy Sainsbury's paper carrier bags filled with goodies packed in Tupperware.

There was always seemed to be a cold roast chicken, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes and, if we were lucky, my favourite, 'choclo empanadas'.  These are an Argentine speciality (both my parents having been born and growing up there) - pasties made with a delicious filling of sweetcorn and a hint of tomato.  I am salivating as I write about them, and may be forced to make some as a result!

Apples or bananas would follow, and then either fairy cakes, bakestones (Welsh Cakes) or 'Crunchy Topped Squares' -  a sponge base with a coconut, oat and cherry topping - might have to find that recipe too!

When I was four we moved from Winchmore Hill in north London, to Oxfordshire.  We were close to the Thames at Sonning, Henley and Reading, so our picnics tended to be next to the river. This one was at Sonning I think.

My sister and I are wearing one of my all-time favourite dresses.  We called them our tennis dresses, though needless to say precious little tennis ever took place whilst wearing them. In fact, none.

My Mum had made them, probably from one of the magazines full of patterns (Burda style, with all the different lines to follow to find your pattern pieces) that either my Granny or my aunt sent over from Argentina.  As I seem to remember photos of my two cousins in Argentina wearing identical dresses I think I'm right in that supposition.  They were made of pink and white gingham, with a broad band of eyelet broderie anglaise at the neckline and for the shoulder straps. Bit of a fuzzy photo, but you can see the dress here!

Sometimes we would paddle or swim in the Thames, but more often we'd find a park to play in.  Those were the days of towering metal slides, witches' hats that you thought you'd lose your legs on (but still loved!) and those elongated rocking horses...And no spongy surface to fall on!  'Tis a miracle we survived!

This one was at Wallingford, where there was the most exciting of paddling pools with a concrete ship in the middle.  Pretty tame by today's standards, but to us it was a popular destination.  It's that swimming costume again!

Tiny Tears came too!

 Hoping for lots of picnic weather as Spring rolls on into Summer!