GROWING UP IN IRELAND

This came to us from Dave and Joy Williams (thanks guys!), and while I've tried my darndest to establish the original author, the furthest I got was on Artslink, which traced it back to an author named Lindsey K. I reckon it started off as some kind of chain email of sorts, but it really did strike a chord with the man, and even if some of the localisms are a little different, it made me smile as well. So enjoy: Growing up in Ireland I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park, The shop down the road, Hopscotch, Donkey, skipping, handstands, Stuck-in-the-Mud, football with an old can, Dandy, Beano, Twinkle and Roly Poly, Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building a swing from a tyre and a piece of rope tied to a tree - (If you live in Dublin the lampost) - building tree-houses, climbing up onto roofs. Tennis on the street, the smell of the sun and fresh cut grass. Coat hangers hanging from electric wires. Crossing the road when you saw some skinheads coming... Hubba Bubba bubble gum and 2p Flogs, Macaroon bars and Woppas, 3p Refreshers and Wham Bars, Superhero chewing gum, golf ball chewing gums and liquorice whips, Desperate Dan and Roy of the Rovers, sherbet dips and Mr. Freezes, Marathon bars and everlasting gobstoppers. An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune - chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe neopolitan Wait ... Watching Saturday Morning cartoons ... short commercials, Battle of the Planets, Road Runner, He-Man, Swapshop, and Why Don't You?, Transformers, How do you do?, Bosco (SANDY), Forty-coats, the Littlest Hobo and Lassie, Chucklevision, The Muppet Show, MacGyver, Scarecrow and Mrs King, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven, or staying up for Knight Rider and Magnum PI. And for the older ones: Magic Roundabout, Blue Peter, Pebble Mill at One, Felix the Cat, Wacky Races, Star Trek (in colour!), The Angelus, Daktari, Dr Who, When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere. And how about going to school in the dark with your flourescent armband? A million midget bites, sticky fingers and mud all over you, knee-pads on your jeans, Cops and Robbers, Rounders, Tip the Can, Queenie-I-O, climbing trees, Spin-the-Bottle, 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 stomach or your cheeks hurt, 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. And don't forget the Marietta sandwiches we'd make by buttering a cupla Marietta biscuits and stickin' them together. And that quare oul mixture made in a tall glass with HB ice cream and Taylor Keith Red Lemonade. I'm not finished just yet... Eating raw jelly, orange squash ice pops Remember when ... There were two types of sneakers - girls and boys and Dunlop Green Flash and the only time you wore them, at school was for "P.E." - Gola football boots. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends, when nobody owned a pure bred dog, when 25p was decent pocket money, when you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny, when nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there, when it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents. When any parent could discipline any kid or use him to carry groceries and 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 a misbehaving student at home. Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of muggings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! and some of us are still afraid of them!!! Remember when.... Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo." Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!" "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly", the game of life and connect four, atari 2600's and commadore 64's. The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs. It was unbelievable that Red Rover or Rounders wasn't an Olympic event... Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a biro barrel pea shooter or an elastic band. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable vitamins. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true. Abilities were discovered because of a "double dare" Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors. If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!! Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life... I DOUBLE DARE YA!!! Bagsy it, no returns and no magical changes