Being of a certain age.

I paid a visit to Homebase to get a few items for the boat. On the way out, I noticed that they have a "Charity Book Shelf" where you can choose a book and pay a small charitable donation. Whilst looking round I spotted a pile of CD's. Including the CD version of Carole Kings "Tapestry" album. As a young man, I had owned the original LP which I played so much that it eventually wore out. So as I am paying for the items and the CD, I mentioned having the original on a vinyl LP. The young lady asked if that was the same as the 45's her dad was always talking about. It makes you think!

This set me to thinking - not only do I remember 45's but I also remember 78's. My parents had a few classical single sided 78's. Then I suddenly realised that I am at that "perfect age." An age when everything has to be, just so. I realise that I am old enough to know better about almost everything but I'm still young enough not to care.

So I started to muse, I remember going out to various coffee bars especially the ones with a juke box. I don't know why, but Dell Shannon and "Runaway" was always playing whenever I went in. There were about four that we would visit in turn. A cup of coffee slowly consumed (whilst trying to look cool in jeans) in each one. Before a blast off on the motorbike to the next venue. Unless of course you pulled. At which point your biker mates would be summarily abandoned and you and the young lady of choice would go off and do your own thing.

If you were a bit flush for cash it would be an evening spent in the back row of the flicks.  Trying to find out if nylons came in two pieces. When all good girls wore high heels. The Pathe Newsreels complete with a crowing clock, always came on before the movie. At a much earlier part of my youth, a visit to the "Bug Hut" AKA the "Flicks" always involved a peashooter and a bag of dried peas. Well you had to make your own entertainment in those days. 

Before then, all significant decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo". Being old referred to anyone who had left school. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. Any small injury such as a scratch were kissed better. Spinning around and getting dizzy, then falling down was good fun. Older siblings were the worst tormentors, in the world. Blackjacks and fruit salads, hide and seek, hopscotch, butterscotch. Climbing trees, making farts, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians, and house doors were never locked!  Laurel and Hardy, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, Roy Rogers and Trigger.

Later......