Sixty and counting

I often hear people discussing age and age related topics and it often ends with "I wish I was 20, 30 etc now" or "if only I knew then what I know now". I have said it myself often enough. I don't really mean it. I think people of my age were born at the perfect time.

There was rationing still on when I was born but I was too young to remember it. I also missed other post war hangovers such as national Service. When I think back however, it does seem like a completely different world.

I have a sister who is twelve years older than me so there was always music in our house. My first recollections are more Michael Holliday and "His car went beep" than Elvis but I do remember the start of rock and roll as the music infiltrated the crooners and middle of the road stuff that had dominated for years. I liked skiffle and Lonnie Donnegan, probably because my mother did. My Dad used to buy us three singles every Saturday on his way home from work. We had "Tower of Strength" by Frankie Vaughan, "Shakin all over and many others that are considered classic standards now. They were new and exciting to us. We bought "Love me do" when it came out. No-one can ever forget the excitement of waiting for the next Beatles single to come out knowing it would be nothing like the previous one but it would be as good as or even better. They always were. The Stones tried hard but could never quite get there. There were the Kinks and Zombies, the Who, the Animals. Even the pap stuff was listenable to. Think of "Something Good" by Hermans hermits. Then came Cream, Hendrix, Free, Jethro Tull, Taste, The Moody's and Led Zep. It seemed like it would never end.

-- Can you imagine kids getting excited about a fridge? We were. It was about 1966 when we got out first one. Very few people had a fridge. In summer, milk sat under a muslin cloth to stop it from souring. I remember our first telly. It was probably about a 12 inch screen. The picture would have been grainy. The picture slipped and people had their legs over their heads but it was exciting. I went to watch my ex wife on "Come Dancing" at a neighbours house in 1970 as he had a colour set. I also watched England lose 3-2 to Germany there too. A whole village and one colour set.

-- Asians! When I was a kid they were not regarded as they are now, at least not in the late 50's. Dad managed a Mill and many Saturdays I went in with him. There were 80 Northrop looms working flat out. The noise was incredible. You could stand nose to nose and shout at someone and they wouldn't hear you. My ears used to ring for days afterwards sometimes. Health and safety? Ear protection? Don't make me laugh. The Pakistani men were lovely. They thought dad was a hero. I never left the Mill without four or five bob in my pocket as they insisted on giving me money. They all called me son. They missed their own families. They called at our House on Christmas day with presents for my dad. One year it was Ramadan. My Mum offered them a sherry.

-- I saw the first moon landings, Lillian Board, (look her up, she was magnificent)and Revies Leeds though I could never understand why he didn't buy Gordon Banks and Kevin Hector. When I decided to leave school, it never occurred to me that I wouldn't find a job. The careers teacher saw me and asked what I intended to do. "Probably join British Telecom" I replied and I did. There were jobs galore if you wanted to work.

I could write for another hour but won't. Had I been younger, I'd have missed all this.

-- I won't swap.