ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

What mat? Crikey! There was a mat?

Mal McLean wrote:What mat? Crikey! There was a mat?

It sounded to me like you languished in grade 2 for seven years before you were promoted

I have to add,


the Dunny out the back
squares of newspaper stuck on a nail.
the two long necks you had to leave out at Christmas for both the night carter and the garbo
the horse and cart that brought the fresh bread every day to your door
we also had a coal man and an ice man (we had an ice chest) before we had a fridge.
having a 'docket' (account) at the corner store and paying up when you could.
going into a store and having someone smile and say "May I help you Sir/M'am"
taking home your purchase wrapped in brown paper and tied with string
being able to go to the hardware store and buy nails by the pound
or just three if that was all you needed

I think I was about 8 when we got our first fridge. I can imagine how much harder things must have been in the bush.

I did not intend to talk about the good old days just to point out things that we used and considered part of our every day life back then that have now disappeared things like:
carbon paper;
typewriters;
cassette players in cars;
plonk, as in the sort sold in the now vanished Australian Wine Bars;
ripple sole shoes;
stiletto pointed men's shoes;
woolen swimming costumes;
brief cases (the old leather sort with the fold over tops)
ladies corsets;
clothes props;
coppers;
Hoover twin tubs;
bricks of ice cream;
mantle radios;
very thin men's belts;
gaberdine trousers................

Vic Jefferies wrote:very thin men's belts;

Yeah I know what you mean ! I have to get extra large men's belts.

fly paper
A bag of broken biscuits because you coudn't afford the unbroken ones
Chopping heads of chickens - thank god for supermarkets
chopping wood
starting the generator on a cold morning
taking your mail to the mail box out on the track for the postie to colllect
making paper chains at Christmas time and popcorn chains
Writing a letter with paper and ink
Hanging out for your monthly comic book

I agree that things weren't better, just different and come to think of it a lot of people are still doing some of these things today

Nup can not remember any of those things.


Bob

Robere!!! Is your nose growing? Surely you haven't killed off ALL your brain cells