Like Sue, Skunkee and Cinnamon (and indeed Bill Bryson), I remember the improvised games of childhood. Also, of course, there was football with any kind of ball and with jackets or jerseys for goalposts, and cricket with a lamp-post or milk-crate for a wicket and any bit of wood for a bat.

I didn’t go the pictures much, but like Copago I miss the old-fashioned kind of cinema. When I was a kid, our cinemas still had “continuous performances.” Nobody – adults or kids – ever seemed to check when a film started or finished; they simply turned up, bought their tickets and found their way to an unoccupied seat (with the aid of the usherette’s torch) in the middle of a film, stepping past a dozen people to get to it. Then they’d sit through what was left of the film, the supporting feature, the advertisements and the beginning of the film that had been showing when they entered, and at the appropriate point someone would say “Hey! This is where we came in!” and they’d get up and go, stepping past a dozen people again on their way out. Nobody seemed to think this arrangement was odd.

I can’t remember gathering real chestnuts as Sue did. But at this time of year we’d be getting horse-chestnuts for the traditional game of conkers. You get a horse-chestnut (”conker”) out of its prickly shell, drill a hole through it, thread it on a string, and try to smash somebody else’s “conker” with it. This game lingers on, but it’s forbidden in many school playgrounds nowadays on health-and-safety grounds, and I’ve heard rumours that many of the trees in this part of the world are being stricken by some disease and will have to be destroyed.

The old steam trains were something too, especially if there were no adults with you. Ah, the thrill of pulling those old-fashioned windows down to waist height, leaning out as far as you could and getting the wind in your hair and smuts in your eyes!

I can remember surreptitious cigarettes too, Roos and Ren. Maybe this is one area where today’s kids will have an advantage. We were just naughty, as Roos says; but before long anyone (kid or adult) who smokes a cigarette outside a hermetically sealed home will probably be a criminal. Just think of the kudos – a genuine police record just for lighting up behind the bike sheds.

I miss
Riding my bike with the banana seat.
Swiming in my little pool.
Watching my Mom clean the house with music playing.
My Dad coming home from work with candy in his flannel shirt pocket.
Sharing a room with my big sister.
Decorating the Christmas tree with my family.
Making my Dad's hair beautiful with barretts and ribbons while he watched the news.
Laying under our acorn tree.
Teather ball.
My friends.
Waiting on the pouch for the Milk Man to bring ice cream bars to Grandma's house.

There are so many more...Ahh, the memories.

Also known as Shebert dabs Never liked them much. I prefered Frys Five Centres (a solid chocolate bar with seven sections. There was five foundant tatses inside. When I say fondant, not like the Cadbury Cream eggs centres, they were more solid. There was five flavours - orange, lemon, lime, strawberry and peppermint. You never knew which section contaned what. Very delicious chocolate bar )

The Sherbert Dabs had a lolly to 'dab' into the sherbert and were bags rather than tubular as I recall.

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The Sherbert Dabs had a lolly to 'dab' into the sherbert and were bags rather than tubular as I recall

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Tubes too, Sue they were yellow paper. I know I saw some blackjacks last time I was in UK so good luck!

Yes dear, I have the sherbert fountains in the yellow tubes with licorice, and sherbert dabs in bags with the strawberry lolly. I even bought some Refreshers.

I might even see if I can get a certain person a peace offering, if I can find any. Actually M&S do a fairly good imitation called a Swiss Bar, and that is white, so it might have to be some of those.

Won't the chocolate have melted by the time it reaches "Down Under"?

I think it normally survives, just a little soft. I just don't send it in the middle of their summer.

OK, shopping complete, managed to buy the genuine articles, so will be going to the post tomorrow.

nic1990, read your Private Messages, I need a home for all these sweets!

Found this link to all the old sweeties.

Not all so old, I can find a lot locally.

I bought a Caramac only the other day for the sheer heck of it.

Caramac...that's another blast from the past

Easy- I miss the ability to turn off my brain. As an adult, I can never truly relax from all the requirements of being an adult. My brain is always on, thinking of what has to be done.

As I said earlier, with a young child it's easy to keep a spark of childhood alive in myself. And you know, I think I'd let it die a little when I was a young "adult", but when I started working for the preschool it all came back to me, and it was so painfully obvious that I had been taking things for granted. Since then, I've tried very hard to never let go of a little childishness in my life. (Which is much easier to "justify" to fellow adults when you're in the company of a daughter...)

Reading this thread causes me to wax nostalgic about playing all the old games with my sister, and Holly and her sister. We were Mermaids, fighting the evil sea witch, me, Prince Sapphire on my sea dragon, rescuing White Diamond, Ruby Red and Green Emerald. We were Runaways, though what we ran away from I don't think we ever specified. We were prairie children a la Little House, but the books not the show. We were Thundercats, He-Man, GI Joe... For some reason I was always the token male, Holly was usually the heroine, Jen was the comic relief (Orko, Snarf...) and Alison was a host of leftover characters. And I'll let you in on a little secret; my name was usually Keith. Boy, Holly still doesn't let me live that down. I do not miss being Keith.

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Easy- I miss the ability to turn off my brain. As an adult, I can never truly relax from all the requirements of being an adult. My brain is always on, thinking of what has to be done.

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Oh so do I! Lie down in the evenings, in bed, and my brain goes in overdrive, and find it difficult to nod off for a hour or so.

I am going to give nic1990 a couple more days to respond, I have sent her both a PM and an email. If she fails to contact me I will be offering to send the box of 'goodies' to another member - perhaps I will have to have a draw to decide who gets them!

Said box contains:

Flying saucers
Sherbert Fountains
Sherbert DibDabs
Blackjacks
Fruit salads
Possibly Refreshers (I think they went in the box)

Applications should be made by PM, not in this thread.

It's a long weekend here, Sue, so perhaps Nic is away. Just a thought.

Another thing that popped into my head yesterday was burning leaves. Not allowed to dothat anymore butit was great in autumn to rake up all the leaves from the yard and put them in the gutter and then while away an hour or so watching them burn.

I didn't post yours on Friday after all Jill, I was waiting for Nic to respond so that I can post them together but I will go and post them tomorrow, would hate for them to arrive just after you go to the post, unless you tell the post office to put the parcel in the cool for you.

Ohhhhhhh lovely I'll start my diet after then, shall I?

I was on holiday... so sorry about the late reply to all! Sue i replied to both emails, both you funtrivia account and your private one. It means alot, so thanks guys!

Package will be sent later today then.