This is a great thread, bringing back so many memories! Bob61, I'm a bit worried, you seem to have lived my life!! As for condensed milk, on Merseyside we used to make sandwiches with it (conny-onny butties.)
------------- Il vaut mieux vivre ses reves que rever sa vie
Quote: Originally posted by iwalani on 21/5/2020
This is a great thread, bringing back so many memories! Bob61, I'm a bit worried, you seem to have lived my life!! As for condensed milk, on Merseyside we used to make sandwiches with it (conny-onny butties.)
He's been following me about too! Is it any wonder I have a weird sense of humour growing up with the Navy Lark, the Goons, and Monty Python.
Then there's learning about cars from my father's old banger breaking down. It was just part of going for a drive on a Sunday afternoon.
First camping experience, apart from going with the scouts, was chucking an old ridge tent into the back of a friend's mini-van and the pair of us heading down to Littlehampton. Nothing booked we just turned up somewhere. Setting up the tent, which neither of us had done before, then making coffee on a single gas burner using a bottle of Camp coffee and Condensed milk. You could almost eat it.
Quote: Originally posted by iwalani on 21/5/2020
This is a great thread, bringing back so many memories! Bob61, I'm a bit worried, you seem to have lived my life!! As for condensed milk, on Merseyside we used to make sandwiches with it (conny-onny butties.)
Wasn't just on Merseyside that condensed milk sandwiches were made
First camping trip - 1964, off to Scotland from East Suffolk with us 3 kids sleeping in the back of dads Bedford van (CV?) & parents sleeping under a tilt tied to the side of the roofrack and pegged to the ground, cooking on an open fire - 1st night was just North of Callender, within sight of the house used for Dr. Findlays Casebook
Condensed milk sarnies, not tried that one, but then I am a southerner. Have to give it a go.
1964 I'm guessing it might have been a Bedford CA Gerry, with sliding doors? My first holiday in married life was in one of them in 1969. Borrowed it off a mate that I worked with, it was a former bread van converted into a camper. Great fun! Set off not having the faintest idea where we were going we ended up in Southwold on the first night. As it was out of season we couldn't find a campsite open so we found somewhere to park up for the night in the dark. When we woke up in the morning we were surrounded by workmen, as we had parked unknowingly on a building site.
Could well have been a CA - know it was a 'C' reg & it was the one after the split windscreen - as my dad bought it new by negotiating with one salesman on the phone & one in the room with him, each trying to beat the others price, ended up with the garage he bought it from losing money on the deal just to 'beat' the other garage and him getting it in primer (he bought a few tins of battleship grey household gloss & brush painted it himself) Must admit, that van went round the clock no problems, put up with real abuse (he managed to overload it so bad that he split the rear rims on it one night - think it was full of potatoes with crates of cauliflowers on the roof, being a greengrocer, he'd travel up to Wisbech & Spalding markets to get a weeks stock for the shop & market stall that they ran) he finally sold it in 1971 & the only rust on it was where my mum had clouted a sign with the rear corner & dented it.
Hmm Chopwell - would that be the Chopwell near High Spen? If so it had a brilliant Fish and chip shop in the early to mid 80’s. It had a coal fired range and did lovely fish and chips in beef dripping if memory serves.
Many’s the time my mate and I were doing a maintenance of the radio equipment up at High Spen and called in for Fish and Chips to eat on site from this lovely chappy
Of course there are other Chopwells so if this isn’t the one don’t worry It reminded me of happy days gone by anyway.
Quote: Originally posted by david8858 on 22/5/2020
Hmm Chopwell - would that be the Chopwell near High Spen? If so it had a brilliant Fish and chip shop in the early to mid 80’s. It had a coal fired range and did lovely fish and chips in beef dripping if memory serves.
Do you still live in the area?
If so you will have had fish and chips at Beamish where they have a coal fired fish and chip shop and uses beef dripping.
Yes there’s only one chopwell Well as far as I’m concerned. Condensed milk sarnies brilliant. But only when you were flush All the cubs in the back of my dads Bedford van for a race week camp must have been 20 of us what’s this seatbelt mullarky. The Bedford with a split windscreen. Went to esh winning a few years back and there was a chip shop with a coal fired fryer the one in chopwell converted to gas about 20 years ago yeah some good programmes on the wireless and still are didn’t have a telly then Sand shoes in summer wellies in winter caravans had gas mantles but so did our house and the. Netty was outside tin bath in front of the fire blankets and coats on the bed in winter frost on the inside of the window. Ahh the good old days
None of my first cars had seatbelts, and certainly none of the ones my dad had. I think the first car I owned that had seat belts, only in the front though, was a Mk 3 Zodiac, 1965 model. I had that some time in the 1970s.
I well remember the Bedford CA vans like the converted campervan I borrowed off my friend. They had column gear-change and sliding doors at the front. You could go along with them clipped back open. Many delivery drivers used to do that. Health & Safety would have a heart attack, driving along with no seat-belt and the driver's door wide open.
The first two caravans we had were fitted with gas lights. A Sprite Alpine, then a Sprite Musketeer. One of the things I liked about our Musketeer was the pull-down double bed. You don't see that anymore.
An old couple showed us around their ancient caravan once. It was immaculate. And had just about everything we have today - but Victorian style. I couldn't work out what was the older, the 'van or its owners.
I recall the time, because the old lad - who was a Colonel Blimp type, was bemoaning the fact he couldnt get on the Caravan Club site up the road...and he'd been a member since before the dawn of time blah blah. And was chagrined to have to book onto this 'commercial site' and be slumming it, instead.
We had lots of caravans with gas lights There was always a smell of butane inside and all caravans had a certain aroma about them They’re very sanitised now Cars also had a distinctive smell so did my van cos I used to transport pigs in the back
Quote: Originally posted by Gs rider on 23/5/2020
We had lots of caravans with gas lights There was always a smell of butane inside and all caravans had a certain aroma about them They’re very sanitised now Cars also had a distinctive smell so did my van cos I used to transport pigs in the back
Yes I know what you mean about that distinctive car smell and the caravan one. Never carried pigs, but there were some at the back of us when we lived in Norfolk, so I know that smell too. Our first two of four caravans had gas lights, but there were many years between number two and number three, and times had moved on. The first two had glass windows two.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Just like the old days
via mobile 22/5/2020 at 5:09am
