How Did You Manage Grandad

[malagabob]

Subject of how we kept in touch in the 60s. Our granddaughter asked how we kept in touch before mobile phones.
She was dumbfounded when we explained we sometimes had to queue outside a phone box with pennies. chat for as long as our money lasted , looking over shoulder to see if anyone else was waiting to make phone call. And arranging where when to meet.

[Cloverjo]

Even as late as the early nineties, some of us had no mobile and no home landline either. Once my child was in bed I knew I wouldn't speak to another human soul until the next day at least. Very depressing. Thank goodness for technology.

[aelmpvw]

lots of letters from relatives in the 50's and 60's and blissfully junk mail hadn't been invented

[Peaspeculiars]

Blimey, that's brought back memories - although I am an eighties girl, I can still remember being snuggled into a red phone box to make calls trying not to let the person queuing know what I was saying and running out of 10p's. It's funny isn't it to try and explain to the 'Youth of today' what a 'mix tape' for your loved one is and why we get so sentimental about things before modern technology really kicked in.
I am about to 'Skype' my other half whom is working in China at the minute - the mind boggles at the advances that have been made and one wonders what will happen in the future.
But as long as we are all still human and are kind to each other, life will go on and life will be a huge learning curve.
All the best to you Malagabob xx

[Sqad]

Neighbours, sport, Church Clubs, Saturday night Dance Halls.......there didn't seem to be any problem with communication.

When your child went to bed........did you need to talk to another human soul.....providing of course that you described your husband as human ;-)

Also there was a postal service and the technique of letter writing...............how did we manage?

[Peaspeculiars]

Ah, aelmpvw - Junk mail - horrible stuff, totally in agreement - dreadful stuff and why it is still happening is a mystery

[wendilla]

Daren't tell you what I was up to in one of those red boxes and it wasn't making a call . Yes brought back memories lol

[marval]

I remember having to use phone boxes. Our family phone was a party line, try explaining that to the young of today. We always wrote letters, when you went out you had no way of contacting home.

[Peaspeculiars]

Wendii!! My goodness, girl I thought you were akin to a nun! ;-) That comment has made my day - Thank you and have a great morning xx

[alavahalf]

wendilla ... I bet you were waiting for the space station to go past ?

[marval]

Yes wendilla, that did make me smile, memories to keep.

[Peaspeculiars]

There was always the situation of trying to get the home phone lead to extend far enough into your bedroom so that the parents could not hear the context of your lovers call - I remember breaking up with a lovely chap over the phone as he simply lived too far away and 'get togethers' where to difficult - my mum overheard and came in after for a cuddle. I love my mum, she's a trooper.

[Sqad]

Phones! PHONES!.we never had a phone, couldn't afford one..........

[whiskeryron]

Come on guys don't forget we had 2 cans connected with string.

[whiskeryron]

and previous to that we lit fires & sent smoke signals

[retrocop]

Carrier pigeons are always a great stand by especially when there was no food in the larder. :-)

[RATTER15]

I remember walking to the nearest phone box, about half a mile away 5 nights of the week to talk to my loved one, I did that for years, the other nights she stayed with me.

[Peaspeculiars]

Lol - Sqad, I got my first mobile phone with a £5 Morrisons voucher of all things - when I went to uni to keep in touch with the parents, and paid for uni tuition & rent via various bar jobs.
My parents are oft to mention the fact that they had to use newspaper as loo roll and shared a communal out-house - I believe them too! I think the youth of today do understand the hardships which their elders had, even if they don't look like they do ;-)

[RATTER15]

When I had my pest control business I bought two mobile phones that I carried on my belt (as they were in those days) I had a Vodafone and an Orange phone, the two covered most areas as reception was a lot more limited in those days. These phones were also the size of a small fridge and barely fitted in a pocket.

[RATTER15]

and if you did get it in your pocket, you broke the arial off when you bent over!

[-Talbot-]

Well I for one am shocked at Wendilla...never had her down for that sort of thing.

But I suppose when you are near to bursting There is little choice!