Random Irritations

[nickjdavis]

As a kid in Yorkshire we had Mischief Night on the 4th of November. Knocking on a door and running away was the most naughty thing. Other pranks were much less annoying.
I believe there were Welsh and Scottish versions, not necessarily on the same date.

A little quick research has given me the names, "Noson Ddrygioni" and "Oidhche nan Cleas".

I remember when i was a student in Stafford in the early/mid 80's. I lived in a 16 storey block of flats.

Halloween...knock at the door...opened it to see three girls aged around 14/15 stood at the door way...chewing away (gum?).

Then they spoke... "Trick or Treat mister or we will spit carrot in your face"...and opened up their mouths to show you a gobful of mashed up chewed carrot. (Mister? I was only just 18 myself.)

Retreated back into our flat, returned with a paper plate full of shaving foam and shoved it in the ringleaders face shouting TRIIICCKKK!!!

Got up the next morning to find every flat on our floor...and many others on other floors, with great lumps of dried carrot stuck to the door.

 

[ExRabbit]

Halloween night has always been a strange thing for me.

When I was young I didn't live far away from Pendle Hill - which is known for witches and suchlike.

So I often went to pubs around there on my birthday - partly because I was born on Halloween and partly because there were pub functions around there because we were close to Pendle Hill.

But then it was just a local thing - now it has become crazy.

 

[irip]

Driving home from London this morning on the A3 around 02.00 the rain was really heavy and had been for a few hours and the amount of drivers still driving at 70mph+ astonished me.

There is no lighting for the majority of the road and there were some big puddles that we’re not visible.

I must be getting older as to be honest it was scary and I was just pleased to get home safely, hoping everyone else did as well.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Bunch of miserable old gits . Good etiquette where I live. If you have a little pumpkin outside your house, knock on the door. No pumpkin, no knock. Only little kids go out, in groups with at least one parent with them. No teenagers. It's a fun evening for the little ones, that people can take part in, or not.

Not my cup of tea but plenty enjoy it so why not

Had 30-35 children around yesterday evening. Each and every one in a ‘disguise’. Some very little ones who maybe hadn’t done it before especially clearly loving it, and all but a group of polite five 10-12 yr olds supported by a least one parent.

My mrs wasn’t interested and went to a friend, but my happy memories of guising as a child are strong so I bought a load of inexpensive sweets; stuck a cardboard witch to the front door, and stayed in.

When the door was knocked I picked up our black cat to answer the door, then told the children that the cat was upset that I’d turned his witch into cardboard, so I had to hold onto him. They and their parents seemed to like that idea

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

That was just a Friday night where I grew up

We were never allowed trick or treating as my dad saw it as begging. But I agree with him and what’s the point teaching a child boundaries and “stranger danger” if you’re then going to encourage them to go door knocking !

Which is why in Scotland (certainly this is my experience in the 60s and early 70s) we first did a little ‘turn’ for the householder and in return got a little something. There was no aspect or feeling of ‘begging’. If at all interested an old Oor Wullie or The Broons annual will show how it was done.

 

[KenL]

Bunch of miserable old gits . Good etiquette where I live. If you have a little pumpkin outside your house, knock on the door. No pumpkin, no knock. Only little kids go out, in groups with at least one parent with them. No teenagers. It's a fun evening for the little ones, that people can take part in, or not.

Not my cup of tea but plenty enjoy it so why not

How very middle class.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Which is why in Scotland (certainly this is my experience in the 60s and early 70s) we first did a little ‘turn’ for the householder and in return got a little something. There was no aspect or feeling of ‘begging’. If at all interested an old Oor Wullie or The Broons annual will show how it was done.

Love those Broons.
Mrs V's mum grew up in Glasgow with 5 brothers and introduced us all to The Broons. She went regularly to see family in Carnoustie as a child, so was used the Dundonian accent.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Which is why in Scotland (certainly this is my experience in the 60s and early 70s) we first did a little ‘turn’ for the householder and in return got a little something. There was no aspect or feeling of ‘begging’. If at all interested an old Oor Wullie or The Broons annual will show how it was done.

You’ll never convince me otherwise that sending kids round to knock on strangers doors begging for sweets is a good thing when we teach our kids to not talk to strangers and be wary of them. Doing a “turn” does not stop them being strangers or stop it from being begging and the same goes when carol singers come knocking

 

[Voyager EMH]

As a kid in the 1960s I remember "begging" for penny-for-the-guy and carol singing. But any money was for charity or local community events.
But only ever lived in fairly close knit neighbourhoods where there were few, if any, strangers.
Everyone walked to primary school and parents could easily recognise other parents and their children.
These were not "the-good-old-days" but community life was different from what I perceive today. I'm not aware of quite the same sense of community these days.

 

[GreiginFife]

Been reasonably dry all week and today, just as I’m dtarting a groundworks project, it decides to completely batter down and the garden is a mud bath.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

As a kid in the 1960s I remember "begging" for penny-for-the-guy and carol singing. But any money was for charity or local community events.
But only ever lived in fairly close knit neighbourhoods where there were few, if any, strangers.
Everyone walked to primary school and parents could easily recognise other parents and their children.
These were not "the-good-old-days" but community life was different from what I perceive today. I'm not aware of quite the same sense of community these days.

Whilst I can't say that living in Chatham would qualify as a close knit community, going to school in the 70's we walked to school (infants and juniors) and once I got to about 8, I walked with my younger brothers without our mum taking us (and that included crossing a main road junction via traffic lights). We didn't do Penny for the Guy, but I remember it being a common thing.
We did carol singing, but it wasn't that enjoyable but clearing snow off peoples front footpaths earned us a tidy sum.
We were known in the area we grew up in for collecting newspapers for the St Johns unit we were in.
We had 2 routes, and every Wednesday and Thursday evenings we went out with a Silver Cross pram with a large cardboard box mounted on it and collected newspapers and magazines. These we stored for about a month, then they were taken to the paper facility for money to help fund the St Johns unit.
Now, i think how weird we must have looked, but it served a purpose and serving that purpose I feel isn't looked on that favourably these days, for anything.

 

[nickjdavis]

Which is why in Scotland (certainly this is my experience in the 60s and early 70s) we first did a little ‘turn’ for the householder and in return got a little something. There was no aspect or feeling of ‘begging’. If at all interested an old Oor Wullie or The Broons annual will show how it was done.

Exactly. When i lived in the NE of Scotland in the early/mid 70's...we had to provide a little bit of "entertainment"...maybe some "Halloween/Ghoul" oriented jokes or similar.

Mind you...a couple of years ago, down here in Ipswich, I was walking past a house local to me and there were three quite nubile girls...maybe 18/19/20 all in their underwear, suspenders, witches hats and all, having a party in their lantern lit front garden....not sure what the entertainment or treats might have been....but I'm not sure they were meant for pot bellied, balding blokes in their 50's like me.

 

[Orikoru]

I remember when i was a student in Stafford in the early/mid 80's. I lived in a 16 storey block of flats.

Halloween...knock at the door...opened it to see three girls aged around 14/15 stood at the door way...chewing away (gum?).

Then they spoke... "Trick or Treat mister or we will spit carrot in your face"...and opened up their mouths to show you a gobful of mashed up chewed carrot. (Mister? I was only just 18 myself.)

Retreated back into our flat, returned with a paper plate full of shaving foam and shoved it in the ringleaders face shouting TRIIICCKKK!!!

Got up the next morning to find every flat on our floor...and many others on other floors, with great lumps of dried carrot stuck to the door.

Try that nowadays and you'd have the police coming round to arrest you for child abuse.

 

[Fade and Die]

Whilst I can't say that living in Chatham would qualify as a close knit community, going to school in the 70's we walked to school (infants and juniors) and once I got to about 8, I walked with my younger brothers without our mum taking us (and that included crossing a main road junction via traffic lights). We didn't do Penny for the Guy, but I remember it being a common thing.
We did carol singing, but it wasn't that enjoyable but clearing snow off peoples front footpaths earned us a tidy sum.
We were known in the area we grew up in for collecting newspapers for the St Johns unit we were in.
We had 2 routes, and every Wednesday and Thursday evenings we went out with a Silver Cross pram with a large cardboard box mounted on it and collected newspapers and magazines. These we stored for about a month, then they were taken to the paper facility for money to help fund the St Johns unit.
Now, i think how weird we must have looked, but it served a purpose and serving that purpose I feel isn't looked on that favourably these days, for anything.

I remember collecting newspaper for the St John’s people… even now I have no idea how they converted them into cash?
We collected what seemed like tons!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

I remember collecting newspaper for the St John’s people… even now I have no idea how they converted them into cash?
We collected what seemed like tons!

Took them to the paper merchants (a bit like metal recycling yard).
In the early days of doing it, we would load up the branch leaders Ford Granada's boot but when he moved on, the new branch leader had a Commer van we would load up fully. It was great fun going to the paper yard to get rid of it all.
I did enjoy my years in the St Johns.

 

[Fade and Die]

The “MG” I have been given as a courtesy car is a horrible thing.
It’s the large HS version and not unattractive but driving it is awful.
Also the “driving aids” make me want to stick my foot through the touchscreen…It gives a binging warning and text flashes up on the dash if you do not keep your eyes fully on the road (not easy when every control is on the center screen) or if you stray 2 miles above the speed limit (it also misses a lot of speed signs so constantly thinks you are speeding) or if you stray over the white line, or if it thinks you are going to hit the car in front. All can be disabled by scrolling through the touchscreen but as soon as you turn the car off they all reset!
And the dash is like this…


Utterly soulless and the complete opposite of what an MG should be.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

The “MG” I have been given as a courtesy car is a horrible thing.
It’s the large HS version and not unattractive but driving it is awful.
Also the “driving aids” make me want to stick my foot through the touchscreen…It gives a binging warning and text flashes up on the dash if you do not keep your eyes fully on the road (not easy when every control is on the center screen) or if you stray 2 miles above the speed limit (it also misses a lot of speed signs so constantly thinks you are speeding) or if you stray over the white line, or if it thinks you are going to hit the car in front. All can be disabled by scrolling through the touchscreen but as soon as you turn the car off they all reset!
And the dash is like this…
View attachment 59867

Utterly soulless and the complete opposite of what an MG should be.

One of the chaps I play with has a son who has been given an MG as a company car. His thoughts are it's the most uncomfoatble car he's even had, and can't wait to get rid of it.

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Whilst I can't say that living in Chatham would qualify as a close knit community, going to school in the 70's we walked to school (infants and juniors) and once I got to about 8, I walked with my younger brothers without our mum taking us (and that included crossing a main road junction via traffic lights). We didn't do Penny for the Guy, but I remember it being a common thing.
We did carol singing, but it wasn't that enjoyable but clearing snow off peoples front footpaths earned us a tidy sum.
We were known in the area we grew up in for collecting newspapers for the St Johns unit we were in.
We had 2 routes, and every Wednesday and Thursday evenings we went out with a Silver Cross pram with a large cardboard box mounted on it and collected newspapers and magazines. These we stored for about a month, then they were taken to the paper facility for money to help fund the St Johns unit.
Now, i think how weird we must have looked, but it served a purpose and serving that purpose I feel isn't looked on that favourably these days, for anything.

I would 100% concur with that! possibly another reason we would never have been allowed to do it as kids the neighbours were as likely to give you a clip round the ear than a treat

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I remember collecting newspaper for the St John’s people… even now I have no idea how they converted them into cash?
We collected what seemed like tons!

We used to collect them for the scouts. Hadn't thought about this for years.

 

[HampshireHog]

I remember when i was a student in Stafford in the early/mid 80's. I lived in a 16 storey block of flats.

Halloween...knock at the door...opened it to see three girls aged around 14/15 stood at the door way...chewing away (gum?).

Then they spoke... "Trick or Treat mister or we will spit carrot in your face"...and opened up their mouths to show you a gobful of mashed up chewed carrot. (Mister? I was only just 18 myself.)

Retreated back into our flat, returned with a paper plate full of shaving foam and shoved it in the ringleaders face shouting TRIIICCKKK!!!

Got up the next morning to find every flat on our floor...and many others on other floors, with great lumps of dried carrot stuck to the door.

I’m struggling to think of a more middle class threat than assault with pulped carrots