Plimsoles

We're in a bit of rush today as I have a number of things to get done while I'm away for the weekend which given some of the stuff I've mentioned on the forum is much needed.

Of course going away does sometimes mean reviewing and replacing the odd thing as you sort your stuff ready to pack your travel case.

Canvas soled footwear was very much a part of my childhood and for good number a part of their casual side later on in life but aself fastening pair of plimsoles have a allure that's just for us being so tied into our old-new lives.

Seeing my older pair were a bit of a tight fit I bought a new pair to take with me as there will be  sports and water pistol fight taking place.

Getting back to things

It's been yet another hot week requiring hydriation, the art of finding places in the shade, having the fans running full on at home and rooting out the shortest loosest fitting tops and shorts just in order to be comfortable and not suffer as I did during the first heatwave of the year from heatstroke and related issues.

We've had a couple of more members at the forum making a splash including one wearing a dress - unusual but hey why not - because it is for all of us and that does include girls that will in time lead to some differing discussion threads that may more for them but like every other open to all if they have something to say.

Imagine  a world where we were all returned - and for some more placed in attire they'd of prefered - being they boys they felt they were still, being able to do more of what they wanted together, play, trips together free from anything adult.

Part of the movement that saw quite rightly the abolition of child labour was the belief that children should be allowed to be children but in the build up to it no doubt inpromptu play existed where they could get the time even though they worked long hours.

There is a movement more for legal adults to be able to play more, the growth of playgrounds for adults as well as children, to be able to let off steam playing games that aren't tied into a serious aim like a competition or fund raising.

Heck to be able to at least some of that childhood freedom back.

Tossing a chunk a adulthood back was one of the most liberating things I ever did.

Spankies

In some ways a bit of a follow on from last weeks post but all very relatable stuff if like most of us you did actually have a childhood.

Big adult worries add words and expressions but they were further away from our immediate world having dug out massive amounts of sand on the beach where the car tyres were situated to much of Dad's annoyance whilst on our hols.

We hadn't thought through just how we were going to get back to our guest houseand if apart from anything else rather ouchie, we'd be pushing the car past where we'd dug!

There's a lot in a Peanuts strip, some sad, some really serious but this is one that takes me back to conversations about what our home life was like or just whey did we leave the lesson half way to see the Head Teacher.

Suprisingly to some today , as painful as it was to us personally we'd uphold those standards back then.

Even a certain cat appears to have had similar views

Lessons from the class room...

Last week was hot, too hot actually for some of us as I was very poorly towards the end of the week with it so I read a few old Dandy Summer Specials, probably as well as the last two years of what should be the Dandy Summer Specials have been given over totally to late 2000's Jamie Smart drawn Desperate Dan.

Normally in a comic you gravitate to those stories whose characters are more like you and your mates like Winker Watson, Brassneck or otherwise relatable like Korky the cat so a cartoon about a nosey girl like Keyhole Kate or mischievious girl like Beryl the Peril wouldn't be your thing, something you just quickly scan through before concentrating on one you did.

Summer Term for us always meant tests or exams, no not your GCE's but end of year ones to see what actually went in subject by subject something that would be communicated to your folks and to which you would be given some clues when it comes to what to revise and maybe how to do that.

Some make grand revision plans others just cram it in on the last minute and pray it all comes out.

This is an interesting cartoon that is set in that context with past memories and return to home where we'll see if plays out again.

It's interest to note Beryl has vivid memories of last time - those of us who were brought up with being spanked just do - and yet we see her not escaping a repeat but trying to escape the exam itself even when taken to school to avoid that option.

She continues to create a scene until the headmaster steps in and "forces" her to sit down and start her Exam paper.

Many of us can recall - and being painfully honest I did at times too - trying to rewrite on the fly the whole narrative of how our exam went when envitably the report card was presented in a sealed envelope  to present to your parents.

You knew pretty much what it would say having being informed directly about what you did and what your tutor(s) thought about your work.

I can remember only too well what my GCE Geography tutor wrote on the report prior to the mocks, pretty much calculated to drive Dad into spanking me.

Beryl's  attempt spinning hers out into a poor result in absolute terms but softened by Trying Hard failures as her dad spots the missing additional words.

Looking at this from outside angle there are two sets of thoughts that arise:

Does Beryl's falsehoods and deception of themselves warrant attention which back then would of been a spanking in itself and today a lecture, loss of previledges and grounding?

Secondly as far as her result AND attitude to studying go would you draw a distiction between the two elements?

I was back the punished for bad results even when it was the case I had reading difficulties and wasn't able to complete the test in time because of my disabilities. I feel that's not justified - we need help with learning much more.

On the otherhand if you were offered it and still didn't say attend extra tution, made no effort to revise or work to the best of our (limited) abilities isn't some sanction justified as we aren't helping ourselves that in the long term limit our opportunities?

Should we not be disuaded by whatever means from getting into that?

Personally, and having seen examples of people that have in later life got stuck into that pattern of behaviour then frankly yes.

By the standards of my time back then, it it was me, then a spanking was more than appropriate and the only thing I should be expected to do is be responsible afterward.

School's out!

This week it's so hot, schools have been closed in some districts which is quite right as little will be learned as you're being roasted even if they lay off thems awful grown up School Rules a little never mind the torture of Cross-Country.

Much prefered something more useful like orienteering in the forest with a compass and map.

So if school is out what is in as just running about playing torturing enemy soldiers or climbing trees is out?

Well we can still sit on the bed, fan full on sipping fruit juice, milk and sucking Rowntree Pastels like there's no tomorrow reading the Beano even if Biffo the Bear needs to come out of hibernation and I'm sure modern boys and girls could relate to him

Keep hydriated and stay safe this week!

Social media reset time

 

It was announced on Monday Under 16's would be banned from social media sites including Tic Tok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, X, Youtube (although Youtube kids might be exempted), Snapchat and Reddit.

In addition 16-18 year olds who are children will be subject to a curfew limiting hours online, the exact means not being specified as yet with the measures expected to be in effect Spring 2027.

In broad terms I agree having seen how much social media drama has moved into with hardly a day going by with pupils (purr-lease no students) and teachers dealing with matters that can just be an extension of traditional bullying, sexual matters shared for maximum emotional devastation and incitements for the most idiotic death inducing stunts. It's a long cry from scrumping apples, no homework and name calling.

Just on Monday a teacher had a child turn up late for class as they were on social media to 3am. Just think about that  -they are in no state to learn -, one pupil interviewed revealed they did 14hours a week  and more even when phones were allowed in school, another admitted his mate had a devasting time on social media and it upset him to see it.

It isn't that any kind of restrictions will be totally perfect but we have reach a crisis that everybody in society working with children are struggling to deal with and I hate to say it some adults are scarely any better either seeing the zombified masses, backs bent staring into screens as young children they are supposed to walking with are ignored.  It is clearly very addictive too. 

From my perspective things are out of control.

8 tracks

 This week we on about something else as this is typed on a wet summer Monday afternoon,

Some artists have a big influence on popular music because they push the boundaries well out, one of key prog rock groups and Pink Floyd was one having a good many studio albums and a few compilations of sorts over the years covering the 1967-71 era and 1971-94.

Some have tried to be almost suites made from original songs from the individual albums, others collections of curios - the sort of thing that appeals to hardcore fans - with obscure 'b' sides and remixes, others straightforward playlists that are largely redundent today in age of streaming.

Last Friday one came out that had a number of head scratching from the artwork with is lazy beyond words to just why they bothered.

8 tracks is an odd name as that's precisely how many tracks we have and three of them One Of These Days Wish You Were Here and Another Brick In The Wall are duplicated with 1981's A Collection of Great Dance Songs and that featured a re-recording of Money, a U.S. Single for contractual reasons as Capitol records wouldn't give permission to use the original.

So just do you get?

The big one is Pigs On The Wing which was split on the lp and cassette versions but a whole 8 track program with an exclusive Snowy White solo that we never had before and why some of us kept our Columbia 8 track tape copy around well after that faded from the audio mainstream.

Another Brick In The Wall is the whole Pt II version not an an edit of lp and the II singles version which is welcome as is Comfortably Numb one of the essential tracks from The Wall plus Time from Dark Side of the Moon with its striking clocks intro.

Wot's...Uh the Deal makes an appearance from 1972's Obscured By Clouds, the album that broke them on U.S. Underground FM Radio as unlike the UK, the US Radio regulator the FCC would not give simulcasting licenses so AM and FM stations had to have different programming.

The segues are handled well gently moving into each track so it's a good compilation but it needed to be programmed to compliment "Great Dance Songs" by using When Tigers Broke Free from 1982, Another One of My Turns (b side of Another Brick In The Wall) and Take It Back from Division Bell so the sets act as a retrospective with the odd twist.

What we had was nice but it needed much more thought and definitely a much better cover.