Three equally wonderful things have I before me.
The 1 litre Sigg bottle with the nice textured masonry paint from Holly brings me much joy. The standard (or is that “classic” in today’s world?) Sigg narrow-necked bottles are so impractical when you’ve used wide-mouth types, but they are somehow reassuring, dependable and any shortcomings are forgiven unconditionally. The screw tops are still the easiest types to open when frozen I think.
The Sigg KIng of Skulls retro thing is tiny, heavy and brilliant. The stainless steel used for this and the other oval types do have a bit of a metallic taste to them I think, but what the hell, after drinking what tastes like liquefied paddling pool from a Camelbak bladder everything after tastes like dew drops from the petals of flowers in the garden of Mount Olympus. Or Babylon, they had nice gardens apparently. Big hanging baskets they say. Must have been a bugger to water.
The vintage reissue Irn Bru can as seen in my childhood? Words cannot express my emotion at grasping it in my mitts. Drinking it will be like the first breath of fresh air after being stuck in Skylab for six months documenting mice struggling in zero gravity while watching out the porthole for that big satellite stealer spaceship from Moonraker. Hey, you never know.
Blimey! That Iron Bru can brings back some memories… when the ice cream van used to come round Tullibody of an evening. Rarely had ice cream but always a can of Bru a couple of times a week. The van even sold wummin’s tights!
Happy Hogmanay fella, to you and the ladies.
My granny had an ice cream van and that’s the one I used to go to on our Friday night family isits. Mini cola bottles were a favourite, lucky bags too. He only did Garvies Iron Brew though.
I’m also old enough to remember the rag and bone man with his horse and cart that went round my granny’e village. You got a balloon if what you gave him was any good.
Kids today would think I was mental if I tried to explain that one to them.
Aye – the rag and bone man! Forgot that one… there was also the tatty lorry, a huge (to me anyway) flatbed truck that all the kids and mums jumped on the back of and then dissapeared for the day. I was never allowed to go, so to me it was always a bit magical how everyone came back with muddy potatoes and monies.
As a little ‘un in Oldham, I even remember the milk being delivered by horse and cart… that and a tin bath once a week!
Trouble is – we are not ‘that’ old haha.
…aye, it’s just that things change so quickly these days!
Aye, yer making us all feel old now, changed days right enough – I remember my Dad used to send me to the local offy for his fags, and being local they always served me, cos they knew they were for my Dad and not for me.
It’s the Alpine lorry I always remember – fizzy pop in a miraid of colours …
Ah, the Alpine lorry!
My first proper girlfriend in Clydebank had that. We still had gas mantels at home in Bowling.
I remember the rag man coming round years ago. These laddies in our street made wee bogies from old pram wheels and found old cookers to give him just so they could get balloons. Funny.
Our ice cream van man gets crabbit if kids go and ask for a 20p mix-up! I’ve no been to him for ages. Lucky bags!! I’d forgot about them. Our treat if my mam was feeling flush was a cone, a milky way AND a packet of crisps. And it was always a glass bottle of Irn Bru every night even if nothing else was bought, we’d always have the Irn Bru. I used to take my yucky pink penicillin medicine from the doctors with Irn Bru cos I couldn’t stand the taste of it. If mum gave me it with milk I’d spit it down the toilet and get a row ha ha. :o)
Do you still get that pink stuff?
Chalky and fruity is how I remember it. With a bit of rancid bitterness.
I got all my childhood illnesses again in my mid-twenties. It’s a long story, but I can assure you it was no fun.
Yes you still get it. It comes in ‘banana’ and ‘raspberry’ flavours now. Ryan likes it. Yuck! I’d get a wee cup of Irn Bru at the ready and as soon as the spoon with the medicine on it had left my mouth I’d down the juice to try and take the taste away. Bleurgh…
Ach, when you’re taking daily Irn Bru you don’t need any medicine, it’s a fine remedy all on its own!