Nostalgia ain't what it used to be

Close your eyes and go back in time...Before the Internet...Before semi-automatics, joyriders and crack...Before SEGA or Super Nintendo...Way back......I’m talking about Hide and Seek in the park.The corner shop.Hopscotch.Butterscotch.Skipping.Handstands.Football with an old can.Fingerbob.Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the menace.Roly Poly.Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams.The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.Bazooka Joe bubble gum.An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tuneChocolate or vinilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan or perhaps ascrewball.Wait......Watching Saturday morning cartoons, short commercials or the flicks.Childrens Film Foundation, The Double Deckers, Red Hand Gang, The TomorrowPeople, Tiswas or Swapshop?, and `Why Don`t You`? - or staying up forDoctor Who.When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere.Earwigs, wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings.White dog shit.Sticky fingers.Playing Marbles. Ball bearings. Big `uns and Little `uns.Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians and Zorro.Climbing trees.Building igloos out of snow banks.Walking to school, no matter what the weather.Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomachhurt.Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights.Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.Being tired from playing....remember that?The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.Choppers and Grifters.Eating raw jelly. Orange squash ice pops.Remember when...There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash -and the only time you wore them at school was for P.E.You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents.It wasn’t odd to have two or three "best" friends.You didn’t sleep a wink on Christmas eve.When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.When 25p was decent pocket money.Curly Whirlys. Space Dust. Toffo`s.Top Trumps.When you would reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.When nearly everyone’s mum was at home when the kids got there.When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceriesand nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When being sent to the head’s office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited amisbehaving kid at home.Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn’t because of drive-byshootings, drugs, gangs etc.Parents and Grandparents were a much bigger threat! and some of us arestill afraid of them. Didn’t that feel good?Just go back and say, Yeah, I remember that! Remember when....Decisions were made by going "Ip Dip Dog Shit""Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.Money issues were handled by whoever was banker in "Monopoly".The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs.And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.It was unbelievable that `British Bulldog 123` wasn’t an Olympic event.Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a catapult.Nobody was prettier than Mum.Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin.Ice cream was considered a basic food group.Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercestprotectors.If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED.