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

[Pigmy Pony]

Slingshots were popular the rest of the year when there was no snow.

We all had Milbro catapults as kids, they were great. And I became really accurate with mine. I have looked from time to time on Ebay for a genuine original, out of nostalgia They start at about £20, and I would buy one tomorrow, but Mrs. P already thinks I'm mental.

[guy]

we used to make catapults with suitable "y" shaped branches - eventually, I saved up enough pocket money to buy an aluminium one and was very close to taking my eye out when I let go of the wrong end

Also used to make boomerangs with ply wood and gave my mate a nasty gash on his forehead (a few stitches) when I hit him with it.

We also used to fire "Dan Dare" rockets (very small rockets for Bonfire night, any one else remember them?) through a piece of TV aerial (two wood pegs as handles) at a neighbours pigeons.

And what do kids do today, play video games - when I was a lad...........

[p147]

We used to have adventure playgrounds where you were given a hammer and nails and bits of timber and then go to build any structure you wanted, Climb conker trees to a great height, go scrumping, pop up to the chip shop and ask for free scraps, do penny for the guy, carol singing, we only had a black and white telly, no phone, and the windows used to freeze up on the inside every year. Great times when I look back.

[guy]

^^^^^^

[Filterlab]

We used to have adventure playgrounds where you were given a hammer and nails and bits of timber and then go to build any structure you wanted, Climb conker trees to a great height, go scrumping, pop up to the chip shop and ask for free scraps, do penny for the guy, carol singing, we only had a black and white telly, no phone, and the windows used to freeze up on the inside every year. Great times when I look back.

Sounds like reminiscing about the Gulag.

I know what you mean though, times are definitely worse now. Ruined by scaremongering, political correctness bulls*it, and namby pambies who fence off / close / cancel everything that's not 100% wrapped in cotton wool and antibiotic'd to hades. It's a crap world to grow up in.

[Macca]

I'd have said the same thing ten years ago but I look at my nieces and nephews and they seem very happy with their childhoods.

[walpurgis]

I'd have said the same thing ten years ago but I look at my nieces and nephews and they seem very happy with their childhoods.

Yeah. My grand-daughters always seemed happy enough. In their early/mid teens now and just about grown up. The lockdowns don't seem to faze them, but they are single minded and independant, so adjust well to things.

[struth]

its a more dangerous world today of course and thus the extra protections most parents feel they need. but to overcover their kids can be bad too. The interweb, as amazing and useful as it is, is also a minefield for kids and parents.
i mean when i was a kid the sum of warnings we got were dont go off with strange men and dont get into a strangers car unless you intend stealing it

[Pigmy Pony]

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009...52_634x432.jpg

Seat belts? what are they? The kids all have snakes belts, will they do?

[Jac Hawk]

Thing is folks go on and on about stuff being fenced off, shut down etc. the real reason that we all seem to be wrapped in cotton wool these days isn't because the powers that be are concerned about our welfare but about little Johnny's mum taking him to court because little Johnny was playing where he shouldn't and hurt himself. The simple fact is back when we were kids if you hurt yourself playing regardless of where it was it was your fault, whereas now we have adopted the American blame culture so that every accident is someone else's fault