The Long Dark Sunday of My Youth

[Bluwise]

Loving these memories….Sing Something Simple really stirred up some treasured ones for me.  My Dad used to disappear to the lounge to listen to the radiogram and put one bar of the electric fire on - with coal effect of course, (a spinning wheel over a red light bulb!)  Mum used to sing along in the kitchen whilst making tea for us kids - left-over sunday roast sandwiches (which was usually lamb and mint sauce) with jelly and blancmange for afters. 

[Ian]

Sounds just like our house when we didn't go to gran's.

Jelly and carnation cream for us - a very small tin though - don't know how 4 of us managed to get some each :-) 

[teetee]

Memories of Church Parade on a Sunday as a Cub and then as a Scout either on the drums or bugle. We lived in South West London and as a Scout Group we have a storage/hut in a gap between 2 terraced houses and I can clearly remember after we had packed all of the instruments away late Sunday morning lighting a fire out front and some of us boys cooking sausages in a pan, well they tasted cooked!

I am not sure if it is an age thing but they always seems to taste so wonderful back then

In those days my father used to work 6 sometimes 7 days a week but on occasions he would take me down to the south coast to go sea fishing on the beach, in all weathers. He had a radio in the car which as I recall he could take out and use away from the car but on the way home we would listen to Top of the Pops and I can so clearly remember Mary Hopkins singing Those Were The Days. Strange but I cannot recall any other songs!

Back home to my mother and sister and a roast dinner, I always remember sleeping soundly after those days out.

If we didn't go fishing the prospect of the Golden Shot was always present and like many other young boys awaiting their teenage years, the prospect of Anne Aston was a highlight and I suspect that I was the only one who had a crush on her.............

Those Were The Days.............................     

[Ian]

Sounds wonderful - and not an ipad / tablet / xbox or 134 channels on tv required   

[usedbustickets]

Here's a link to Hancock's 1958 take on Sunday. I had forgotten how many of his great one-liners were in this one - including "I thought my mother was a bad good cook but at least her gravy used to move about" and, dismissing a counter-argument, "That's besides the point and nothing to do with it" - a phrase that I may have used myself in answer to an attempt to halt my progress in mid rant.

Great lines indeed, written for Hancock by Galton and Simpson.  Hancock was never the same after he dropped them as writers, but then if the arrogant sod hadn't done it, we would possibly never have enjoyed Steptoe and Son that G&S went on to write.

[usedbustickets]

I agree with many of the sentiments expressed here about how boring a Sunday could be under the control of the god botherers.  However, they were not completely wrong as these days there is no special day of the week for families to get together - frightening as that may seem to some.  The day appears to have been given over to more retail therapy, indeed the big shops are looking to drive back the minimal Sunday trading protection so that people can do even more shopping...crazy!!  There's a balance to be struck but we should make (common) time for families.

BTW it was the Light Programme on a Sunday for us, around lunch (no it wasn't it was dinner time!!!!!), when there was two way family favourites, and two good comedy shows like Clitheroe Kid, Navy Lark and Round the Horne .... how did the BBC get away with that programme at that time of day I'll never know, radio perfection though.

[Colwyn]

My memory may be playing up but my recollection is that the midday meal was "dinner" for six days a week but it was always "Sunday lunch".

[usedbustickets]

My memory may be playing up but my recollection is that the midday meal was "dinner" for six days a week but it was always "Sunday lunch".

My recollection is clear too, for on the seventh day - like every other day - there was 'Sunday Dinner'

[echogirl1]

In our house tt was never Sunday lunch, always dinner, and evening meal in the week was always tea.  The Clitheroe Kid was another favourite of mine, and I'd forgotten about it until it was mentioned on here.  What a load of memories being brought to life.  I do remember when I was slightly older that I became friends with a girl whose parents were very religious, they were also better off than us, and owned their own house.  As a bribe to get their daughter to go to Sunday school, I was invited to go along with her.  This meant I missed the Sunday dinner at home, and went back to her house to have a really good roast dinner, and best of all a proper pudding, such as syrup tart and custard, or spotted dick.  I went to Sunday school for as long as I could!!

[Ian]

We had "dinner" as well and dad always had the best - there was an order - I was the youngest so I got last choice of - the leg / the cracklin / the gravy / the first pour of the carnation etc etc