Xmas stocking presents from yesteryear

Boro_Interlinked said:
remember those cap things. Most were like rocket design only an inch high. You'd tear off a cap from your reel , then load it into the compression area between two metalplates. The nose cone was spring loaded and would press the two plates together. So you'd go outside on some hard surface , chuck the thing in the air and it would land nose down, setting off the cap , giving you a big smile. Got loads of them , and stocking flller was prime time to receive them .
Click to expand...
I’d forgotten all about them. We used to throw them outside Mrs Page’s house (a right battle axe who lived on our street) to wind her up and then leg it round the corner when she came out; a pyrotechnic version of knocky-hido.
 
My mum once bought me a Robin outfit (as in Batman & Robin) for Christmas that I refused to wear. First of all, I looked at my younger brother to see if he had swapped the Robin suit with a Batman on his pile of presents (something he did regular) but headn't.

We had to go and visit my auntie's house on the Boxing Day and my mum insisted I put it on but I refused. Sure enough, when we get to my auntie's, there is my cousin in full Batman costume. Between my mum and auntie, they had been shopping in Middlesbrough and decided it would be a good idea to buy us both these costumes but which kid wants to play second fiddle to their cousin? It was like being told you are always going to be second best.

I refused to wear it and it remained in its box until it disappeared.
 
Centralscrutinizer said:
The best of the lot. Kids given a burner, random chemicals and magnesium ribbon to play with. What could possibly go wrong 😁
Click to expand...
In the early 70's, one of the Mullen's who lived near Birchington Avenue brought a bomb he had made from his chemistry set and a few other bits he'd managed to get his hands on to the Grangetown Boys Club and told us he was going to detonate it on the fields out the back.

We all went outside to watch the explosion and after being told to block our ears it made a small pop sound to the amusement of all of us. Everyone tortured this lad and he picked up his device and wandered with head bound towards the St Mary's club.

The following week he returned with another device which he promised would work. Still laughing about his last failure we all followed him outside to the side of the Boy's Club. Mullen ignited his fuse or whatever and told us to block our ears, which none of us did. The next minute there was an almighty explosion that blew the windows out of the junior school opposite the Boy's Club and popped all our ears. Adults came running from everywhere to see what had happened and I can still picture Mullen walking contented up towards the St Mary's Club with his head held high and the respect of all the young witnesses.
 
I used to love those big tubes of Fruit Pastilles and Jelly Tots.
I fondly remember getting my first Pentel propelling pencil in a stocking too.
s-l1200.webp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top