The Grey Room

darqDean wrote:   what's worse then finding a maggot in an apple?    ...finding half of one.

T.Rox wrote: Is this the right place for an old fart to have a rant

Ghost Rider wrote: That wonderful post by Jim reminded me of something a former classmate of mine once sent us by email - especially the bit about being out playing all day, and being able to live perfectly well without having cellphones at our disposal. However, there was just one bit of it I didn't like - the one about mum not having to work to make ends meet.  Not every woman would be happy to stay at home and work without getting a penny for what she does, having to ask money from her husband if she wants to buy anything for herself - especially if she has invested time, energy and financial resources in getting an education. Personally, I think it would be great if both sexes were free from the need to work, not just women.

 

Jim's post does bring back memories... 

 

Digging holes in the ground in the bush miles from home and cover it with bits of old corrugated iron and tree branches to build our underground cubby houses and luckily the sides never caved in ... playing World War II games with guns fashioned from whatever was available and climbing onto and jumping off the roof of the house (single story of course) as we tried to evaded each other ... playing soccer out the front of our houses and losing yet another ball under a bus ... playing cricket out the front and putting the ball through the neighbour's window (it is amazing how quickly it can go from about 10 of us playing cricket to just me standing there with the cricket bat in my hand) ... playing hide and seek until to was way past bedtime using the front yards of just about the whole street as the limits of where you could hide ... and sitting with my mates in one bedroom or another singing along to Beatles tunes crackling out out our "hi-fi" gramophones (and that was just about the only time any of us were in the house as kids) ... and if someone upset me or called me names or whatever I either did it right back or bopped them on the nose and had a bit of a scrap knowing that one of us would have deserved the outcome ... and we feared the police (in the best possible way) because we knew they would give us a clip around the ear if they caught us stepping out of line!

 

And my kids marvel at the fact that I left home when I was 20 and didn't have a TV for the first couple of years after. They think there must have been nothing to do ... but I know I got to actually sit and listen to music much more thoroughly and read a lot more books then than I ever have since getting an idiot box. 

 

Is this were I say, "Ah, those were the days!" 

Edited by T.Rox - June 21 2008 at 10:17

fandango wrote: ^^interesting you say that, Dean...my mum HAD to become a registered child minder to make ends meet when she had 2 children at Grammar School, and return to teaching when she had 4 children at Grammar School...   in fact, our uniforms were so   expensive, that before I started, my parents attended a parents open day, where they were able to buy a 2nd hand girls blazer for me, and mum took it home to swap the buttons over from one side to the other...   they also couldn't afford a briefcase for me, so they initally bought me a flimsy black case for holding cassettes in, which lasted all of a term, and was the cause of some rather nasty bullying and ridicule () before they eventually caved in and bought me a leather effect brown Gladstone bag for Xmas...   of course, I'd have preferred a train set, but at least it reduced the number of 'dead legs' received in January...and I do seem to remember how it was much worse for the kids whose parents hadn't bought them the right games kit..communal showers can be unforgiving places....

I'll have to post a mug shot to show you just how wild the old hair do is, complete with faux blonde as the legacy from a charity fundraiser where I ended up with blue hair!

A wonderful Grey Day- Saturday 21st June 2008

I survived my open-razor shave at Geo. F. Trumpers without being made into a pie! Now I'm hooked on having a 'proper' shave on a regular basis and would highly recommend it to those un-bearded chaps around here.

http://www.trumpers.com/



Here's how it went.

After booking-in,a chap escorted me into the inner-sanctum.All wood-panelled and velvet curtained cubicles.

The aforementioned chap then asked me if I would like tea or coffee.I plumped for a cup of Assam tea.He brought me a cup of said tea and three bisuits.

I was then shown to my chair by the lady who was to shave me.She has been shaving people for 30 years and is one of the heirs to the Trumper 'empire'.

First of all she put a pre-shave balm on my face then applied a hot towel.Lovely

She then applied the shaving cream and started the shave,not before she said that I'd probably like to close my eyes as a lot of people baulk at the sight of the open razor...Gulp!

The shave was a wonderful feeling.Extremely relaxing.Not at all what I'd expected.

She finished off the shave with a safety razor.

After the shave she applied a styptic,alum block...Ouch.That smarts!

Then she applied a cold towel for about a minute and finally she slapped onto my face a generous helping of essence of limes after shave.

That done I was escorted back to the waiting room and was asked if I would like either a glass of whiskey or a glass of cognac. I had the whiskey with a drop of water.

It really was a wonderful experience,on par with a massage.

We (Evelyn and I) then went onto Fortnum and Mason and stocked up on Gentleman's and Poacher's relish.Huzzah!!!

Edited by Man Erg - June 22 2008 at 02:54

Atavachron wrote: sounds marvelous.. sadly, I suspect in the states there's a law against barbers serving liquor, and possibly tea as well

I was suprised too,David.Being offered liquor before 11am! What's this country coming too?They've probably being doing this for more than 100 years.No wonder the aristocracy (Trumpers is their barber of choice,doncha know) have gnarled noses.

Edited by Man Erg - June 22 2008 at 03:10

Man Erg wrote: A wonderful Grey Day- Saturday 21st June 2008 I survived my open-razor shave at Geo. F. Trumpers without being made into a pie! Now I'm hooked on having a 'proper' shave on a regular basis and would highly recommend it to those un-bearded chaps around here. http://www.trumpers.com/ Here's how it went. After booking-in,a chap escorted me into the inner-sanctum.All wood-panelled and velvet curtained cubicles. The aforementioned chap then asked me if I would like tea or coffee.I plumped for a cup of Assam tea.He brought me a cup of said tea and three bisuits. I was then shown to my chair by the lady who was to shave me.She has been shaving people for 30 years and is one of the heirs to the Trumper 'empire'. First of all she put a pre-shave balm on my face then applied a hot towel.Lovely She then applied the shaving cream and started the shave,not before she said that I'd probably like to close my eyes as a lot of people baulk at the sight of the open razor...Gulp! The shave was a wonderful feeling.Extremely relaxing.Not at all what I'd expected. She finished off the shave with a safety razor. After the shave she applied a styptic,alum block...Ouch.That smarts! Then she applied a cold towel for about a minute and finally she slapped onto my face a generous helping of essence of limes after shave. That done I was escorted back to the waiting room and was asked if I would like either a glass of whiskey or a glass of cognac. I had the whiskey with a drop of water. It really was a wonderful experience,on par with a massage. We (Evelyn and I) then went onto Fortnum and Mason and stocked up on Gentleman's and Poacher's relish.Huzzah!!!

mystic fred wrote:   what is his name, David?   i can  recall a German composer who went deaf in later life and continued  composing and conducting....also incredible.