I have written a diary since December 1973 so know exactly what I was doing on any day since then. But that leaves 21 years and a bit without any written evidence. Obviously I can remember general things but not individual days unless something particular happened - like I remember I was round my friend Paul's on the day England won the World Cup in 1966.
But one way to re-constitute life is to purchase memorabilia. I am at present getting a limited number of football and speedway programmes for matches I can remember being at. I'm pretty certain that the first professional football match I attended was Norwich v Cardiff in 1965. I remember Cardiff winning 3-1 and one of the greats - John Charles was in their side along with Ivor Allchurch. Charles played 38 times for Wales and Allchurch played 68 times for the national team.
I found the programme for that match on e-bay for 99p. So that's a nice cheap piece of memorabilia to add to my folder. I can't remember when I started going to Norwich Speedway at the Firs Stadium but it was before I went to Carrow Road and probably around 1960 or 1961. It was just around the corner from where we lived. About a five minute walk.
So I will be buying a few speedway programmes from the early 60s to put in the folder of my life.
A little while ago I was in the library at Kirby Hall in Norwich. This is the headquarters of Norfolk Family History Society of which I am a trustee. I was hunting through what we call village boxes. These contain bits and pieces from towns and villages throughout Norfolk. I came across a leaflet for a celebration event at The Firs Stadium to mark the coronation of the Queen on June 2nd 1953. I would have been just under eight months of age and so could possibly have been taken along to the event in my pram!
Looking at the sports programmes made me muse on inflation and the cost of things. The football programme was 6d. That's six old pence. Today that would be under 3p.
How many of you remember D-Day? I'm not talking about the war here but the day we went decimal. It was actually 15th February, 1971. I was still at grammar school. I remember the outcry when it was announced that we were going decimal - how ridiculous that seems today. Can you imagine going the other way and changing our 100 pence to the pound back to the ridiculously difficult system of 12 pence to the shilling, 20 shillings to the pound and coins that were worth 3d, 6d, 2 shillings, half crowns etc etc.
Many older people declared they would never be able to understand decimalisation and wanted a return to the old "tried and trusted" system. Now we wouldn't have it any other way.
But what about prices? My football programme was 6d (under 3p today). I went to school each day with 1/6d in my pocket (the equivalent today of under 8p). For that I got a return bus journey of around three miles in each direction and some tuck at lunchtime.
Today's Norwich City programmes cost about £3.50 or over 100 times the cost of the 1965 programme. I admit there is no comparison between the two. The programmes of the 1960s looked very amateur in comparison to the glossy magazines of today but for me they have historic and personal value whereas the new ones are just yet another glossy magazine.
So what did things cost in 1971? A gallon of petrol was 34p, a bottle of whisky £2.53, a pint of beer typically 16p, pint of milk 5p, large loaf of bread 10p, a 25 inch colour television £289, Daily Express newspaper 2 1/2p, Average house prices £5,000, 8oz Nescafe coffee 47p, can of coca cola 6p, Ford Cortina car £968, washing machine £85, packet of golden wonder crisps 3p, a dozen eggs 25p
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Like millions of others I'm hooked on the BBC police drama Line of Duty. Occasionally a writer comes up with a line that just makes me smile. This happened in the latest episode. The Superintendent was being given a dressing down by the Deputy Chief Constable.
The Deputy Chief Constable said something like "Ted don't rake up old battles." to which he replied "Ma'am my name is Hastings I am the epitome of an old battle."