Remember...

Who remembers 'Bazooka Joe?'

This was fabulous gum for me in the days of primary school.  The gum had a different flavour from all the others, similar to the aroma from the ointment used as embrocation cream by footballers at the time.  I often wondered what it was made from?

The small cartoon enclosed with the gum was somehow entertaining at the time, though I never got into sharing these with others.  Maybe they were too funny then?  

It was great to be able to afford one of these, more expensive than other chewing gums, and at no time did I ever give thanks to those who in the distant past took various portions of tree bark and discovered how to chew it.  This was used to clean teeth and had antiseptic properties.  Various peoples used local trees to this end, one such gum was found being used in Finland 5000 years ago.  It may still taste the same.

Countless footballers have chewed gum during games, I once offered some to the great Tommy Walker when managing the Heart of Midlothian er, he was managing I was just watching, he put his hand in his blazer pocket, a blazer emblazoned with the Heart of Midlothian badge, unlike today's managers, and produced a handful of what I take were 'Beech Nut' chewing gums that he had to offer the players. Whether this improved their concentration can be debated.

One vehicle I can remember having before I was dragged kicking and screaming to my first day at school was one of these fire engines.  This is not as I remember it, and I think this may be a US picture.  However, it resembles the machines that were around Edinburgh at the time.  

Edinburgh as you know had the first proper fire service way back in the late 1800s.  In 1824 James Braidwood was appointed as Master of Engines and almost immediately the centre of Edinburgh was engulfed in a major fire.  Most buildings were made of wood at the time.  Thus Edinburgh created a Fire Service and rebuilt the houses in stone, many of which still can be found in the High Street today.  It took a while for others to follow the cities example.

A toy we can all remember is the Kaleidoscope, we all had one of these.  It took me years to realise these were based on mirrors!  Fun, attractive easily made thing that worked for years.  I suppose kids still get these, even if they have phones to use also?

These were also ten a penny in days of your.  I never found them that exciting, but they were always around and someone had to make use of them if I ignored them.  If one was in the house someone pushed it.  Of course, in those days it was easier, we had no carpets, just lino on the floor so there was plenty of space for them. 

Time for tea, though mine is wee bit smaller than this.