Can you remember these Es?
E Smell:
Evening in Paris - This was the most popular perfume in the 1950s. It was sweeter than such musky perfumes as Charlie that were introduced in later decades.
E Memories:
Education - We sat in rows from the age of 7. Lessons were silent, no group discussions with desks pushed together. Some of the teachers threw chalk, others threw large wooden board rubbers. Sometimes they hit their target. I was scared of the teachers.
Health and Safety hadn't been invented back then. In the playground we played Hot Rice (throwing a ball very hard to try and hit kids' legs) and we often went out on Nature Walks without even taking a permission letter home... but we learned to read and write and I can still chant my times tables so they must have got something right.
Eleven Plus - We weren't given practice tests like they do for the SATs today. We arrived in school one morning, were led into the hall and told to fill in the test papers. I was one of the lucky ones. I passed and went to Grammar School. Those who failed went to Secondary Modern School. We were labelled as different from that day on.
Equality – In the 50s I don’t remember there being an issue with Mum doing the housework and Dad going out to work. Then in the 60s women started campaigning for equality. They wanted to go to work and share the housework. Men doing housework! Who ever heard of such a thing! Some feminists even burned their bras. I was too busy getting used to wearing mine!
E Programmes:
 |
| Desks had lots of names scratched onto them |
Health and Safety hadn't been invented back then. In the playground we played Hot Rice (throwing a ball very hard to try and hit kids' legs) and we often went out on Nature Walks without even taking a permission letter home... but we learned to read and write and I can still chant my times tables so they must have got something right.
Eleven Plus - We weren't given practice tests like they do for the SATs today. We arrived in school one morning, were led into the hall and told to fill in the test papers. I was one of the lucky ones. I passed and went to Grammar School. Those who failed went to Secondary Modern School. We were labelled as different from that day on.
Equality – In the 50s I don’t remember there being an issue with Mum doing the housework and Dad going out to work. Then in the 60s women started campaigning for equality. They wanted to go to work and share the housework. Men doing housework! Who ever heard of such a thing! Some feminists even burned their bras. I was too busy getting used to wearing mine!
| Educating Archie with Archie Andrews as the puppet! |
On TV:
Emergency Ward 10
On Radio:
Easy Beat
Educating Archie with Peter Brough, a ventriloquist show on the radio. Bizarre!
E Names:
E Music:
The Everly Brother's singing Cathy's Clown
Emergency Ward 10
On Radio:
Easy Beat
Educating Archie with Peter Brough, a ventriloquist show on the radio. Bizarre!
E Names:
Anthony Eden PM
Dwight D. Eisenhower, USA
Eusebio, footballer, Portugal
Clint Eastwood
Duane Eddie
Everly Brothers who provides the...
E Music:
The Everly Brother's singing Cathy's Clown
Did you remember any Es?
I remember my education! Though seeing the board eraser called a rubber made me snicker like a twelve year old.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I ever had a wooden desk in school though. They were always metal... though maybe when I was really little they might have had some with wooden seats instead of plastic. I'm not entirely sure on that...
Hi Ros! I don't remember all of these. We sat in pairs at school, which was quite nice. I do, however, remember The Everly Brothers, via my parents. I have one of their cds now and Cathy's Clown is one of my faves. Great 'cheer me up' music!
ReplyDeleteLovely trips down memory lane. It's scary how many I do remember.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had to watch other classmates getting hit with chalk or other objects. I bet the teachers all liked you! Clint Eastwood is my favorite on your list. Julie
ReplyDeleteVery entertaining post. no memories of Elvis?
ReplyDeletenow following,
mood
Moody Writing
I remember watching the first Eurovision Song Contest - I was ten.
ReplyDeleteI had posters of the Everly Brothers on my bedroom walls.
I don't know how you find so many things for each letter. We called board rubbers ,dusters and yes I remember them being thrown across the classroom. I didn't write on desks, far too scared to. Lovely song.
ReplyDeleteHi Amalie, yesterday people were confused by dustmen and today it’s board rubber. I grew up with these words and forget that it’s different in different countries.
ReplyDeleteHi Abi, yes Cathy’s Clown has a certain feel-good factor to it, doesn’t it.
Hi Kit, how scary do you think it is for me?!
Hi Julie, yes I was a bit of a goodie, goodie!
Hi Mooderino, thanks for the follow. Elvis will appear under P. I’m sticking strictly to surnames where possible.
Hi Pat, I remember that first Eurovision too. Thanks for the reminder.
Hi Anne, I’ve been walking round with a printout of a spreadsheet on me for the last month gathering items for each letter. Wish I hadn’t admitted to that now. I mean, how sad does it make me sound?!!
Hi Ros, we had one really mean teacher at primary school who used to make a misbehaving child stand in a corner and every time he walked past this poor child he would kick them in the shins! He was eventually fired!
ReplyDeleteThis is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.
Duncan In Kuantan
Yes, Nature lessons - going out, leaning over a pond to collect frog-spawn. And no-one ever drowned. I failed my 11 plus and was bloody upset about it (especially when friends who I thought didn't deserve to, passed). Also going home from school because the pipes froze.
ReplyDeleteI know Cathy's Clown! I'll be singing it inside my head all day today. Thanks for this trip down memory lane. This post is grand. Educating Archie with
ReplyDeleteArchie Andrews as the puppet. Wow! :-)
Great list! :)
ReplyDeleteI remember the name Evening in Paris, but I don't remember the scent.
ReplyDeleteI've never even considered how silly equality would sound to people who didn't share that sentiment. :/ It's always been a constant thing in my life, to the point where I'm always surprised that it's still an issue. But in the history of humanity, I guess it's still pretty new.
ReplyDeleteOur teachers didn't throw things! I do remember Eden, Eisenhower and the Everly Brothers. I came to England in 1959 and I'm trying to remember the TV shows, I know there were some I watched all the time, but now I can't remember.
ReplyDeleteI like your Es on the top. The silliest thing about feminism was burning the bras. I wouldn't want a pointy one, but I want the gravity help for the long term.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Arden perfumes - my Mum had stacks of it every year as presents. I had the failing 11 plus experience and resented the fact that the private schools all hothoused their children towards the tests and we knew nothing about them.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Those bras were so uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteI also remember teachers throwing things like erasers and chalk and whatever else they could get their hands on. This was the 70s, but it was the same type of environment. I was scared of many of them. I'm amazed to think of how different schools were back then!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to smell the Evening in Paris perfume, I love the title.
And to think is is 2012 and I stay at home.
ReplyDeletewelcome to me
yummy stuff
Talking wasn't encouraged when we were in school either. The first time I spoke in class, I was in high school :) My classroom is generally full of noise and activity and group work!
ReplyDeleteThis was a little bit before my time (I didn't come along until '77) but it's fascinating reading about them!
ReplyDeleteMy E
What a great theme and interesting post.
ReplyDeleteTeresa
Your paragraph on equality made me smile :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Ros .. my parents wouldn't let me take the 11+ thought I'd fail .. I probably would have done too (then!) ..
ReplyDeleteEverley Brothers, Clint Eastwood - I'll stop there ... mmmmm!!
Cheers Hilary