Did you eat the little blue bag by mistake?

[GaryLockyer]

Back down memory lane again.....
Having seen all of the 'instant' snacks on the supermarket shelves these days started me thinking of what we thought about buying with our weekly pocketmoney. (I used to get half a crown once I started in Porth County -so that was when I was 11).
A packet of Smith's crisps with the little blue twist of salt in them. Going into the shop - either Mrs Phillips's in Tudor Street or Mrs Edwards in Frederick Street or Mrs Virgo in Brynhyfryd - full of anticipation when we bought the crisps, to see how many blue ones you had. I think the best I ever did was 3, but legend has it that someone once had 7. I did belive it at the time, but now....??? I don't know. There were no such things as flavours to them, but we used to put worcester sauce on them if we were at home. Just the salt if we were taking them to the pictures. Crunching away and being told to keep quiet. What else did we buy?
Sherbert dabs in the yellow tubes which had a licorice straw.
Licorice - boot laces. straps, catherine wheels with the lolly in the middle.
Arrowroot - which was actually a piece of tree root which we chewed on.
Chips from - depending where you were at the time - Margaratelli's, Bertorelli's, Vince's - with scrumps. (The bits of batter that had been drained out of the fat from frying the fish)
Apples - Cox's Orange pippins, Granny Smiths.
Jaffa oranges, Fyffes bananas, tangerines.
Not much in the way of chocolate though. This was because chocolate only came off rationing in 1953 - just before the coronation, it was the last thing to come off, so any chocolate that made its way into our house was only for the grown-ups.
Bottles of coca cola were sixpence in Fecci's, where we devoured them whilst filling up the juke box at a tanner a record or 3 for a bob. Chip your money in and put half a dozen on.
Hot Oxo or Bovril from Mrs Chivers up the baths, to warm you up after the cold water.
I remember training for the Glamorgan short course championships in the late 50's which were held over in Ebbw Vale. This was an indoor pool - posh - and they were being held in September. Training up the baths the water temperature was only 55F. I nearly froze. However, when we got to the meet, the indoor pool was heated to 66F. I was very happy about this but the Cardiff and Newport swimmers complained because they were training in the Empire Pool and that was at 72F. They froze - for a change, and I was warm. No guesses as to who won - me, by almost half a length, about 15 metres.
Thank you for our Oxo and Bovril Mrs C.

OK. That is my starter, what sweets did you buy as kids??

[lovelygirll]

Ah, you've done it again Gary! Brought back lots of memories, things I thought I'd forgotten. I remember well going to the Workman's hall cinema with Janice Davies from Frederick Street and we always bought a packet of Smith's crisps and a tube of Rowntree fruit gums - because if you sucked them they would last throughout the showing! I'm wondering if Janice's recollections are the same? We were probably about 10 or 11 I think, maybe younger. Yes I also remember having a steaming hot cup of Bovril in the 'baths' after swimming - great times! We would also buy 'toffee dabs' from a lady in Dyffryn Street - can't recall her name - she used to make toffee apples and 'toffee dabs' (just a flat piece of toffee on a lolly stick which you could suck and suck and make it last ages!!

Happy Days!

[JohnPitt]

Gee whiz 2/6 a week pocket money - unheard of!!
I didn't get decent money 'till Jimmy fisher gave me the Sunday paper round for Duffryn and Oakland for 6/- .
A fortune at the time.

Yes remember the sherbert fountains with the licorice straw also the giant wagon wheels in a paper bag for just 3d and the giant rock cakes available at Ferndale Pit canteen for just 1d. Then there was a large bag of assorted chocolates (1/3) whose only fault were their slightly misshapen geometry - who cared when they were in your mouth! Yes and what a super flavour those tangerines despite having 101 pips!
They died out, to be replaced by boring Mandarines and Clems. Only Roses tangerine marmalade still carries that long forgotten flavour from christmas stockings - yes happy days.

[brianblaenboy]

Have we forgotten Spangles; Gob-stoppers; Lucky-dip bags; love-hearts and for one whole shilling, three pence for the cinema, three pence for sweets, three pence for ice-cream and three pence for a bag of chips to eat on the way home - didn't happen often for me but I remember being able to do it. I certainly remember the rock cakes, in fact I make them on a regular basis because they remind me of 'Ferndale Riverside Academy' more commonly known as Lower School if I'm right. Christmas stocking had fruit, sweets, a comic or two, and what we got was the topic of conversation in the street.
John, many years ago I was in a shop when a paper boy received his £7.50 for the week and I bet you did more with 6 shillings than he did.
Hot cup of Bovril, remember it well. As Ferndale Baths have been mentioned, some may be interested to know that in the Ferndale Rugby Club, there is a wall of pictures of various people who achieved things in their sports and Ivor Sutton is on there.