Tell Me Something............Anything!

[Barry]

I'm going with Mrs. Pony on a "nostalgia walk" tomorrow, to see where I used to go as a kid. Look for the trees I used to climb, the pond where we got tadpoles, and my name carved in places. It came to mind recently when I met someone I hadn't seen in almost fifty years. What he remembered was that I was the only one who could climb every tree in the woods.

I don't expect I'll be climbing any of the tomorrow though.

I took my girls there when they were 5 or 6, collecting leaves to identify later from books (no internet then). We saw an otter, the only time I've seen one outside of Scotland.

I'll probably find an Asda there now

Nostalgia aint what it used to be.

I subscribe to Bob Dylans's maxim: "Don't look back". For that reason, I've not been back to the place where I grew up, or went to school, or the universities I attended.

[alphaGT]

I'm going with Mrs. Pony on a "nostalgia walk" tomorrow, to see where I used to go as a kid. Look for the trees I used to climb, the pond where we got tadpoles, and my name carved in places. It came to mind recently when I met someone I hadn't seen in almost fifty years. What he remembered was that I was the only one who could climb every tree in the woods.

I don't expect I'll be climbing any of the tomorrow though.

I took my girls there when they were 5 or 6, collecting leaves to identify later from books (no internet then). We saw an otter, the only time I've seen one outside of Scotland.

I'll probably find an Asda there now

I find that when you go back everything seems so small now, like everything has shrunk.

Russell

[Pigmy Pony]

I find that when you go back everything seems so small now, like everything has shrunk.

Russell

I get that feeling every time I go for a pee.

I know I'm probably setting myself up for disappointment - I visited another of my old haunts a few years ago, and all the trees I used to climb had been felled and new trees planted in their place, which were no more than twenty foot bristles. Where's the logic in that?

There are currently a lot of new houses being built north of Preston, and it's awful. The builders are trying to give these soulless boxes a bit of character by chucking a few stone features at them, and will probably appeal to the sort of people who think the digital dash in their new car looks really cool.

Where are all these people coming from? I'm guessing a lot of them have not sold their old house, but are renting it out instead. Most of the houses in and near the town centre are rented. In a few years, when all the architectural 'features' have fallen off their new house, what will they do then? Probably rent it out and move on up the 'ladder'.

[Joe]

Nostalgia aint what it used to be.

I subscribe to Bob Dylans's maxim: "Don't look back". For that reason, I've not been back to the place where I grew up, or went to school, or the universities I attended.

I go back to my childhood home area relatively frequently, as it's where my three siblings still live, and I often walk past my old primary school. I've been back to my old secondary school just once, against my better judgement, as we staying nearby for a family wedding and my wife and children insisted we go and have a look at it. Fortunately it was long enough after my schooldays that it just looked like a bunch of buildings to me. My niece works there now, and from what she says the school has improved considerably since my days; for one thing all the mad Irish monks have been pensioned off and the teaching staff are all secular. I've been back to my old university several times; partly for work-related reasons, and also because our younger daughter went to visit on an open day.

So, none of these visits have been for what might be termed 'nostalgic' reasons, and I hadn't built up any expectations about what the places might be like several decades after I lived/studied there, only to be disappointed by the reality.

[struth]

I still live in same town where I did most of my growing up. Town centre has changed a lot I guess. Most of the buildings are still there but not being used much. Charity shops are now starting to leave as rent and rates etc go too high even for them.
My junior primary school is long gone; was an interesting victorian building built on a hill and in two sections. The senior primary is still there. Original Academy is now fancy flats, and the newer Academy as been renovated. The Catholic school is also long gone and housing built there. That was a two building affair built on two streets as well(hilly place this). That academy was not replaced in the town, but there is big new-ish one in a neighouring town a couple of miles away.
Ive lots of pics of the old town, where the Coop owned much of the properties and the town council was run by the owners of the small businesses.

[alphaGT]

I am presently living on the same land I grew up on. There was a 500 acre parcel next to us, some farm, some old growth trees, and many grassy fields. As a child I rode dirt bikes all over it! Every day of my youth, rain or shine me and a neighbor boy tore up those motorcycle trails at break neck speeds! If we didn’t crash 3 times a day we weren’t having any fun!

Now there’s a large subdivision there, full of cracker box homes all right on top of each other. In the Winter months I can see right into their back windows, why don’t people hang curtains on the rear of their houses anymore? Not that I’m looking. It’s all very sad really. There used to be a creek flowing back there, where it went I haven’t a clue? And in warm weather you can hear a lawn mower running every daylight minute of every day. There should be one agreed upon time for everyone to mow their grass. To preserve the peace.

Russell

[walpurgis]

Have you noticed that as areas 'evolve', trees disappear. Most front gardens around here used to have a decent sized tree or two. All gone now and block paving laid for parking.

[struth]

our town got a whole lot bigger due to the railway being reopened after a break of many years. it now goes to glasgow and edinburgh, so thousands of houses were built to accommodate people from these cities to commute from. the town centre is still a barren wasteland tho, shops wise. supermarkets rule.
cars caused much of the problems too. everyone has at least one now, and many have 3. pretty front gardens have become parking lots

[Puffin]

Talking of parking...I would like to go back to Battersea and have a drive around and stop at places that I knew until I left in 1976, however you can't park anywhere in residential roads without a permit...and even if you visit you have to have a permit obtained by one of the householders who have to supply documentation dating back to the Magna Carta

[walpurgis]

cars caused much of the problems too. everyone has at least one now, and many have 3. pretty front gardens have become parking lots

There's one house near me that has eight cars in the front garden. It's jam packed. I don't know how the postman reaches the front door.