The thing is...we had just been through five years of food rationing. In fact it went on after the war. When you are allowed only one quarter of a pound of butter for a week you have no choice but to use margarine. I forget the name we had in UK but it was much better in looks and taste than anything available here now. Consequently when we came here the idea of margarine was embedded. Took some time to get used to being able to eat butter and eggs and so on and so forth.

Never did get used to the size of meals served in restaurants.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

The thing is...we had just been through five years of food rationing. In fact it went on after the war. When you are allowed only one quarter of a pound of butter for a week you have no choice but to use margarine. I forget the name we had in UK but it was much better in looks and taste than anything available here now. Consequently when we came here the idea of margarine was embedded. Took some time to get used to being able to eat butter and eggs and so on and so forth. Never did get used to the size of meals served in restaurants. Peg

I understand.

It is still interesting to note that despite all the food rationing everyone was pretty healthy. We no longer could have white bread for instance. It was bread made with all the grain and definitely 'off white' Good for you and I look for it now in the supermarket. Any orange juice which was coming in from US at times was reserved for babies. We had very healthy infants mostly. The best food was reserved for the forces and especially the aircrew who were on call 24/7.

Life was real and life was earnest and we also enjoyed ourselves. They tried to stop movies and horseracing. That did not go down very well. You can't stop an Englishman from having a flutter on a horse. I was always a lucky gambler with horseracing and our bookies runner was an ex jockey and he took my tips many times and won.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

It is still interesting to note that despite all the food rationing everyone was pretty healthy. We no longer could have white bread for instance. It was bread made with all the grain and definitely 'off white' Good for you and I look for it now in the supermarket. Any orange juice which was coming in from US at times was reserved for babies. We had very healthy infants mostly. The best food was reserved for the forces and especially the aircrew who were on call 24/7. Life was real and life was earnest and we also enjoyed ourselves. They tried to stop movies and horseracing. That did not go down very well. You can't stop an Englishman from having a flutter on a horse. I was always a lucky gambler with horseracing and our bookies runner was an ex jockey and he took my tips many times and won. Peg

Did you survive on bubble and squeak?

Tu_triky

Not actually a favourite of mine. We ate lots of Heinz beans on toast. My mother used to save the occasional egg for me and she always poached it. Made me feel guilty. She knew a farmer's wife. They always took care of the 'egg money' and so we did get an extra egg now and then.
When I worked at a hospital at the start of the war I used to meet my mother at lunchtimes now and then and we would have a 'Baby Guinness' and a cheese sandwich.(In a very old pub with dark wooden walls and no-one to bother us.) Just because I walked or ran everywhere I was not affected by the alcohol. Amazing how the body will adapt and take care of itself. I also did a lot of ballroom dancing with one partner and that is the best exercise in the world. Every muscle comes into play. I mean strict European ballroom...not the silly stuff they show on TV nowadays.

Life is what you make it.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

Tu_triky Not actually a favourite of mine. We ate lots of Heinz beans on toast. My mother used to save the occasional egg for me and she always poached it. Made me feel guilty. She knew a farmer's wife. They always took care of the 'egg money' and so we did get an extra egg now and then. When I worked at a hospital at the start of the war I used to meet my mother at lunchtimes now and then and we would have a 'Baby Guinness' and a cheese sandwich.(In a very old pub with dark wooden walls and no-one to bother us.) Just because I walked or ran everywhere I was not affected by the alcohol. Amazing how the body will adapt and take care of itself. I also did a lot of ballroom dancing with one partner and that is the best exercise in the world. Every muscle comes into play. I mean strict European ballroom...not the silly stuff they show on TV nowadays. Life is what you make it. Peg

Those are some amazing experiences you had.

I guess at the time it was normal. My father died a month before war was declared. That put the lid on me leaving home for further education at the time. Family doctor said 'you stay home and look after your mother'. So I did. I was thrilled when I was able to work for the Admiralty. Was vetted by the Secret Service and then had lots of knowledge of what was going on with thr war plans.

We also had to learn how to put out a a fire from the incandescent bombs. Every house had a big pail of water for normal fires and a bag of sand for the other. Also had to know what to do if a Nazi dropped out of the sky.
We would do what Mr. Churchill told us to do.."Take him with you if you have to go" The odd garrotte was always handy.
We had to share firewatching duties once a week at the office and then we always had a Fire Warden for each street. Usually retired gentleman wearing tin helmets and flashlight covered with blue tissue paper and ready to shout "Put that light out" We had to replace all window curtains with black material for total blackout when the lights were on. Actually the enemy bombers knew mostly just where they were but we were not going to make it any easier for them.
Never went to the shelter. I figured if a bomb is going to drop near me I'd rather die in comfort in bed.

We sang rather rude songs about Hitler and Co. Mostly about their external appendages or lack thereof. It never occurred to anyone that we could not kick the stuffing out of the lot of them. So that's what we aimed for.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

We sang rather rude songs about Hitler and Co. Mostly about their external appendages or lack thereof. It never occurred to anyone that we could not kick the stuffing out of the lot of them. So that's what we aimed for. Peg

All we had was Spike Jones:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFta4iTZasM

This is gonna be the mother of all news events:


Tiger Woods to hold news conference Friday (AP)

AP - Tiger Woods will end nearly three months of silence Friday when he speaks to the media for the first time about his middle-of-the-night accident sparked shocking revelations about his infidelity.

Ah Yes..we also had Spike Jones. We also had Benny Goodman who actually brought his orchestra over to UK.
The big bands were all the style then and I must say the various orchestrations were a joy to listen to. My favourite has always been Duke Ellington and especially one number with Adelaide Hall called
Creole Love Call. Fantastic.
We had a singer called Vera Lynn. She was the 'Forces Sweetheart' Lord Louis Mountbatten who was in charge of the Burma campaign, asked her if she would go out to Burma and sing for the troops. No-one had ever gone there with E.N.S.A or any other group. She said yes and she was forever the darling of those men who were slogging it out in the jungle.
Every year thereafter there was a huge concert in the Albert Hall in London and all the veterans and Mountbatten would go and listen to Vera singing all the old songs. The event went on for years and I think she is still alive but no longer singing. Can't be many veterans still alive either.

Her songs were also included in many radio programmes which were carried throughout factories in a show called 'Music While you Work.'

There was a radio show called 'I.T.M.A' meaning
'It's that Man Again' and that man was a comedian Tommy Handley. He was the top comedian on the radio. He was very clever and Bob Hope called him the funniest and wittiest man he had ever heard in show business.

So many good memories and really funny stuff.

Peg

According to TV news Woods will not be talking to reporters and answering questions. He will be on a television shown in another room with handpicked reporters with 'credentials.'
As far as I am concerned he can go back under the rock he put himself under by his longtime behaviour.

I don't think he can ever explain or retain his credibility again.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

Ah Yes..we also had Spike Jones. We also had Benny Goodman who actually brought his orchestra over to UK. The big bands were all the style then and I must say the various orchestrations were a joy to listen to. My favourite has always been Duke Ellington and especially one number with Adelaide Hall called Creole Love Call. Fantastic. We had a singer called Vera Lynn. She was the 'Forces Sweetheart' Lord Louis Mountbatten who was in charge of the Burma campaign, asked her if she would go out to Burma and sing for the troops. No-one had ever gone there with E.N.S.A or any other group. She said yes and she was forever the darling of those men who were slogging it out in the jungle. Every year thereafter there was a huge concert in the Albert Hall in London and all the veterans and Mountbatten would go and listen to Vera singing all the old songs. The event went on for years and I think she is still alive but no longer singing. Can't be many veterans still alive either. Her songs were also included in many radio programmes which were carried throughout factories in a show called 'Music While you Work.' There was a radio show called 'I.T.M.A' meaning 'It's that Man Again' and that man was a comedian Tommy Handley. He was the top comedian on the radio. He was very clever and Bob Hope called him the funniest and wittiest man he had ever heard in show business. So many good memories and really funny stuff. Peg

I quite enjoy reading your stories, they remind me a lot about my grandparents�Ls in the Ardennes.

brad2 wrote:

According to TV news Woods will not be talking to reporters and answering questions. He will be on a television shown in another room with handpicked reporters with 'credentials.' As far as I am concerned he can go back under the rock he put himself under by his longtime behaviour. I don't think he can ever explain or retain his credibility again. Peg

Lame!

I certainly don�Lt want to hear something like a crying apology or the confession of "sex addiction". The lamest excuse ever invented by Hollywood.

EstherM wrote:

I certainly don�Lt want to hear something like a crying apology or the confession of "sex addiction". The lamest excuse ever invented by Hollywood.

Not to defend him, but what would you have him say?

I just played the Spike Jones 'Fuehrers Face' Spike Jones was funny.

Actually I hesitated about posting the little song we sang. One of many I must say. However, at my age who is going to make me stand in the corner???
So..

Goebbels has only got one ....
Goering has two but they're quite small
Himmler is somewhat similar
But poor old Hitler has no ..... at all.

Now if the mod wishes to delete I am at your mercy and I do not wish to offend but they were a bunch of horrors.
They were not stupid. Educated and full of menace and had no hesitation in atrocious behaviour.


Peg

bmwracer wrote:

Not to defend him, but what would you have him say?

Though one!
If he must talk then something about his return to golf ... or something honest, which means that he would probably have to say he enjoyed every minute of what he did.

bmwracer

To be honest I don't want to hear him say anything.
It's just an impossible box he is in and I for one have no interest.

Peg

brad2 wrote:

bmwracer To be honest I don't want to hear him say anything. It's just an impossible box he is in and I for one have no interest. Peg

That's easy enough to do... Don't watch the news.

IMO, he's not the first nor the last to do something like this, so I'm rather indifferent... I do feel sorry for those people he hurt, but I don't feel sorry for the parasites that have suddenly come out of the woodwork for their piece of the action...

brad2 wrote:

Never did get used to the size of meals served in restaurants. Peg

I count on taking home half. 2 for 1

brad2 wrote:

You can't stop an Englishman from having a flutter on a horse. I was always a lucky gambler with horseracing and our bookies runner was an ex jockey and he took my tips many times and won. Peg

When I lived there I bet on the races regularly. And was given tips by one of the leading apprentice jockeys so I was quite lucky as well.

brad2 wrote:

Never went to the shelter. I figured if a bomb is going to drop near me I'd rather die in comfort in bed.

Like your style.

brad2 wrote:

We sang rather rude songs about Hitler and Co. Mostly about their external appendages or lack thereof. It never occurred to anyone that we could not kick the stuffing out of the lot of them. So that's what we aimed for.

Having lost many family members due to those atrocities as well as those forever warped from years in hiding, there is nothing that condemns them enough. And thank heavens the stuffing was finally kicked out of them enough that they cant do it again. After all WWI was called THe GReat War originally.
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bmwracer wrote:

but I don't feel sorry for the parasites that have suddenly come out of the woodwork for their piece of the action...

Can't stand them.
Money makes the world go around........
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Eve wrote:

Can't stand them.

Yup.

They're maggots.