The way things used to be .

[trastrick 866]

"Lets look at thi runners" .

Todays walk in the hills above Sheffield reminded me of winter sledging times past.

I saw more people out in the fresh air than I see in July or August and most of em were dragging little plastic sledges bought from Aldi or Lidl .

 

As I said i got thinking about sledging in yesteryear when we all competed to build the best biggest ,highest ,longist sledge on the estate .

 

The whole rigmarole would start with uncle Bill or Fred pinching two lengths of flat or half round steel bar from English steel or Jessop Saviles .

 

They would smuggle the bar past the gate man at said works by shoving it down their trouser leg with the last couple of foot sticking inside their gabardine rain coat.

 

These bars were always pinched around the end of November as snow was always guaranteed at that time of year and would sometimes last till March.

 

So the irons were heated in the Yorkshire range and bent into two majestic matching curved ends , these irons were then matched up with the cut down battens pinched from the local building site that had been shaped into runners that resembled the sledges we had seen in pictures of Eskimos in Alaska .

 

Laths were nailed cross ways ,then the rails drilled and screwed to the runners making the sledge big enough for two or three to sit on and weighing about three hundred weight.

 

So when all was assembled ,rope attached we set off for local slag heap and took life and limb in our hands as we hurtled down these mini mountains at speeds that had to be seen to be believed due to the weight and precision of the fitted irons

 

The next day as we all assembled for round two you would hear the words "lets look at thi runners " this was to see who's were the shiniest as having the shiniest irons was a real badge of honor. .

 

In't summer the opposite happened when trolley's were built with wheels pinched from old prams biguns ont back and a little pair ont front but that's another story.

 

We also managed and groomed our sledging hills with the precision worthy of United's footbal grounds.

 

For us, on t' little hill, "let's look at your runners" was a check to make sure nobody had "cutters", those thin ice skate-like blades that would cut through to the road surface and ruin our "slair"!

[Janner 10]

That severe winter of 47, my Dad made a sledge for me, we used to hurtle down Masters Rd at a fair rate of knots.

[old tup 30]

Our old man made me a precision sledge all welded frame painted red ,the cross bars varnished!.But he made the mistake of putting cutter irons on it so it could only be used on ice not ordinary snow,I kept it for years eventualy giving it to my grandson!.Talking of large sleds a schoolpal of mine had a big sled holding 4 or 5 of us!,one time we were speeding down the wood slope at Parkwood Springs when we hit an obstacle!.We all piled forward as the sled stopped,I was at the front and got pushed forward by the rest,I was wearing a brand new pair of corduroy trousers that snagged on a bolt ripping a large hole in them!.On arrival home dear old dad went into a little impression of a madman so I kept out of his way for a few days,there were four kids for him to feed and clothe so I can sympathise with him now but at the time I thought he was Attilla the Hun,I didn,t lose much sleep about it being a thoughtless little scroat as a kid!.

Edited March 2, 2018 by old tup
missing word

[Albert smith 11]

Our old man made me a precision sledge all welded frame painted red ,the cross bars varnished!.But he made the mistake of putting cutter irons on it so it could only be used on ice not ordinary snow,I kept it for years eventualy giving it to my grandson!.Talking of large sleds a schoolpal of mine had a big sled holding 4 or 5 of us!,one time we were speeding down the wood slope at Parkwood Springs when we hit an obstacle!.We all piled forward as the sled stopped,I was at the front and got pushed forward by the rest,I was wearing a brand new pair of corduroy trousers that snagged on a bolt ripping a large hole in them!.On arrival home dear old dad went into a little impression of a madman so I kept out of his way for a few days,there were four kids for him to feed and clothe so I can sympathise with him now but at the time I thought he was Attilla the Hun,I didn,t lose much sleep about it being a thoughtless little scroat as a kid!.

Dads were daft in them days Tup , cobling all sorts of old crap into adventure making objects for us kids ,that's why we all limp:hihi:

[Comet1949 10]

You see Sunday as I see it in the past, very true and may I add listening to Family Favourites in the morning on the radio with Jimmy Clitheroe in the afternoon and the dreaded (now fondly remembered) Sing something simple.

 

Now there's a thing. I went into a corner shop for a hairnet (don't ask why), by the way I am male and I was about 13 - 15, say 1963 ish. In the shop was Jimmy Clitheroe.

He was visiting a relation living in the Greystones area. Can't remember who, but I went to school with her at Silverdale. Parents didn't believe me.

 

Totally agree about how Sunday should be and defend it heartily. My family send me photos on Facebook about Yorkshire Pudding wraps and YP Pizzas, just to wind me up. It is Illegal and I will keep on about it until I am bereft of oxygen.

[Albert smith 11]

You see Sunday as I see it in the past, very true and may I add listening to Family Favourites in the morning on the radio with Jimmy Clitheroe in the afternoon and the dreaded (now fondly remembered) Sing something simple.

 

Now there's a thing. I went into a corner shop for a hairnet (don't ask why), by the way I am male and I was about 13 - 15, say 1963 ish. In the shop was Jimmy Clitheroe.

He was visiting a relation living in the Greystones area. Can't remember who, but I went to school with her at Silverdale. Parents didn't believe me.

 

Totally agree about how Sunday should be and defend it heartily. My family send me photos on Facebook about Yorkshire Pudding wraps and YP Pizzas, just to wind me up. It is Illegal and I will keep on about it until I am bereft of oxygen.

I also met Jimmy in the early sixties sat at a bar in a pub near the Lyceum in Sheffield he came across as a good down to Earth bloke.

[St Petre 85]

I also met Jimmy in the early sixties sat at a bar in a pub near the Lyceum in Sheffield he came across as a good down to Earth bloke.

 

That pub was probably the Adelphi Hotel (Tudor Way). John Costello was the landlord in the late 60's.

[Albert smith 11]

That pub was probably the Adelphi Hotel (Tudor Way). John Costello was the landlord in the late 60's.

Got it in one

[echo beach 587]

You see Sunday as I see it in the past, very true and may I add listening to Family Favourites in the morning on the radio with Jimmy Clitheroe in the afternoon and the dreaded (now fondly remembered) Sing something simple.

 

Now there's a thing. I went into a corner shop for a hairnet (don't ask why), by the way I am male and I was about 13 - 15, say 1963 ish. In the shop was Jimmy Clitheroe.

He was visiting a relation living in the Greystones area. Can't remember who, but I went to school with her at Silverdale. Parents didn't believe me.

 

Totally agree about how Sunday should be and defend it heartily. My family send me photos on Facebook about Yorkshire Pudding wraps and YP Pizzas, just to wind me up. It is Illegal and I will keep on about it until I am bereft of oxygen.

 

When lads grew really long hair in the '60s they were sometimes made to wear hair nets at school whilst using machinery in the workshops, after one or two accidents occurred nationwide. H & S. Maybe that's why you bought one.

 

Chuck keys on pillar drills and lathes are another example of H & S. First they were loose and always kept disappearing or flew out when they'd been left in the chuck and the machine was started without the operator noticing. Next they were fastened with a long chain to the machine. Then after a few accidents, you guessed it; chains were outlawed and the good old chuck key was free to get lost again!

 

echo.

[Albert smith 11]

The cartoons on the teli ,weren't they good the old uns.

 

Popeye the sailor man with his tins of spinach ,he crushed em open with just one hand as he popped a kiss on Olive oils ever ready lips.

 

Bilko, Sargent Bilko that is who scammed every scam and card trick to make a buck ,he even hired Frank Sinatra to sing at the regiments dinner and dance. Classic that was.

 

The Beverly Hillbillies ,Old Jedd who struck oil in his back yard ,while looking for some food up through the ground came a bubbling crude .

 

The three stooges and the Bowery boys , Horace Debucy Jones , Larry, Curly and Mo ,we would wet our selves at their antics , all good clean fun nowt below the belt .

 

I love Lucy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez what that bloke put up wi in our front rooms made us scream at that 12 inch Pye while doubled up wi laughter.

 

Amos and Andy ,them two must have been one of the first of the great comedy acts that made our day in black and white.

[Pussycat12 10]

Sat here on a snowy Sunday I have thinking about how things used to be.

 

So I will start with that very day that was so precious to most Sheffield folk in the not to distant past .

 

Sunday was the day that almost all of us had the day of from work, it was the day to relax , to visit loved ones , to have a couple of pints in the pub or club before sitting down to a traditional dinner ,a dinner always inc a Yorkshire pudding that we all used to boast about as it almost knocked the oven door off when it raised and was ready .

 

The pudding was always eaten before the main dinner ,a meal that always inc two or three veg plus potatoes and a Sunday joint bought from the local butcher or the Meat Market.

 

All this was topped of by a big pot of onion gravy and mint sauce and the meal was the high light of every ones week as it involved the whole family sitting down at the table and actually conversing with each other.

 

After dinner while us kids washed the pots ,Mam and Dad would nip up stairs for a well earned rest re entering the fray just as Stars on Sunday was tuned in on the T.V.

 

That was also the time when the luncheon meat sandwiches and cream cake from Davies was passed around and washed down with a strong mug of tea.

 

Sunday was a time when all the shops were closed ,when the pubs closed at 2P.M. and all the factories shut down on a Saturday lunch time giving hard working family's time to rest and enjoy family life to the full .

 

Football matches were played and were played in on a Saturday and that day was also special as we all eagerly listened for the results and checked our pools hoping to have won the seventy five thousand that would have made every day a Sunday.

 

Any more how things used to be memories .

 

Yes they definitely was the GOOD OLD DAYS...

 

And what about the great night clubs in Sheffield , Cavendish, Fiesta, Tiffany's, Penny-farthing.

fantastic nights out with tip top entertainers...what have got now F*** All

Edited March 19, 2018 by Pussycat12

[Albert smith 11]

Yes they definitely was the GOOD OLD DAYS...

 

And what about the great night clubs in Sheffield , Cavendish, Fiesta, Tiffany's, Penny-farthing.

fantastic nights out with tip top entertainers...what have got now F*** All

The clubs ,the clubs, inc the brilliant working mens clubs ,who put on turns that became World wide stars , Greasborough, Dial House, Arundel along with a thousand more , stars I saw in Sheffield and district inc Shirley Bassey ,Dave Clarke, Ronnie Dukes and Ricki Lee, Freddie and the Dreamers , Joe Cocker, Dave Berry, Lyn Perry and so on.

 

The queue to get in would start mid afternoon ,seats saved for dad who would go straight from work, full sessions through to midnight when the stars of the show finally managed to get of stage after three or four encores .

More ,More ,More we would shout and they always obliged .

And now the clubs that are left are hanging on by their shoe laces as the brewery's milk them dry and more often than not end up owning them as the debts rise and the whole thing collapses .

 

Another tragedy in the working community.