The Big Plastic Count

We only had a coal fire in one room too - where Mum did some of her cooking. I still have our old toasting fork.
Plastic didn't really exist then - just paper, tin and glass. Money back on the bottles, jars kept for preserving. Rag and bone men with horse drawn carts calling out for old clothes  - don't remember giving him any bones (for the glue factory presumably!). So happy when he'd give us a windmill or a goldfish in return!
Milk and bread delivered daily. Fruit and veg on horse drawn carts too. Loved seeing him (Mr Vickery) and his pony. He said I could have his pony when he retired and I was so excited I rushed in to tell my Mum.
"Where do you think you'll keep it?" she asked, ever sensible, my Mum.
"He can sleep in my bedroom!". Don't know how she managed to keep a straight face. Fortunately, I grew up a bit before Mr Vickery retired!

Love it!  We had a veg man called Mr Tilney (I called Mr tiddley), a bread man, a butcher,a fish man,an Insurance man, a rent man, a pop man with ginger beer in stone bottles and of course the rag and bone man who used to shout in the street to let you know he was there and give either a balloon or a goldfish depending on how may rags he got? 

Strange how they were all men?

Our dog bit the Insurance man once and Mam had to stitch his pants! I fell down on a gravelly road and split my Knee whilst carrying four loaves of uncut bread  across the road from the bread man..(still got the scars to prove it)  I was also sent to the shop once for a tin of paint and decided to balance it on my head. It was gloss paint and it fell off my head (surprisigly!) The local kids then decided to ride there bikes through the pool of paint and the scars were still on the path until they repalced the paving stones with tarmac!

We didn't have much but I recall a happy childhood nonetheless! Thanks for reminding me Veggie!