Shine A Little Light

Today was my birthday. I'm not shy - I turned 35 this year. Unlike other years I hankered after a low key event. It seemed to be more in keeping with what my year has been like. A chrysalis year. I wanted to keep it simple but all my friends were asking what I intended to do for my birthday - so I felt somewhat compelled to have my big birthday bash with the yearly bad movie (this year it was the 'good' Moulin Rouge')

This is where I love how the Universe steps in to create what I wanted in the first place. Mr D broke out with Chicken Pox on Sunday, so it was down to just Annie and I, and a tribe of kids. So beware what you secretly desire because the Universe is always listening.

Today, somehow we got onto the topic of Hector the Cat. He was the big road safety icon in Victoria in the '70s (but possibly across at least all of Australia and the UK). I couldn't help myself and went searching for a clip on the internet. And in my travels I came across this - which seemed to be a perfect way to celebrate my 35 years on this planet ... with a bit of humour. The ones with the smiley face after them are ones that I remember.

From the BBC's H2G2 site -
You're almost certainly a child of the 1970s if any of these make sense to you:

* You remember the theme tune from The Muppets :o) and I can still sing it

* Summers were long and hot. :o) and you could play on the slip and slide

* Basketball was only played by Americans my Dad said he broke fingers playing it at high school so not so sure about this one.

* Doctor Who scared you silly :o) and still does - though everyone knows my position on David Tennant

* You remember the first space invaders :o) rock on Atari

* You remember real water restrictions - there's something worse than Level 6 water restrictions???

* You queued up to see The Village People movie - too young!

* You went to a drive-in with your parents... in your pyjamas :o) I remember seeing King Kong

* You didn't want the hairdresser to cut above your ears until late high school.

* Fags were called fags and nobody batted an eyelid when eight year olds walked down the street with a lolly cigarette hanging out their mouth :o) I still remember the taste of these things and how cool we thought we looked with them hanging out our gobs.

* You got tough summer feet every summer without trying :o)

* You remember when electric typewriters came in :o)

* You remember when calculators were introduced at school :o)

* You remember the fuss made about gays in San Fransisco.

* You drank flavoured milk - I didn't but everyone else did

* You collected plastic toys out of cornflakes packets :o) Elephants if I remember correctly were my favourite and were always inappropriately coloured.

* You desperately, desperately wanted one of those cool six wheeled buggies that the Banana Splits drove :o) and I still love the song from the Banana Splits

* Stubbing your toe whilst running across the road in summer barefoot, trying not to burn your feet raw was an annual experience :o)

* Matchbox cars or Barbies were essential to your development :o) I had both - well rounded .. and I also had Charlie's Angels dolls until my sister pulled the head off them all.

* You had cardboard dolls (or your sisters did) that came with books of paper clothes that you tore out and stuck on the doll :o)

* Kids read children's magazines that had cartoons without fighting and guns in them :o)

* The kid with the pool was your best friend :o) has anything changed?

* The only place you could get a pizza was Pizza Hut - and it was expensive :o) It was still a BIG THING in high school to go to Pizza Hut - remember Rachael Hussy's birthday party there in Year 8? Though in the 70's we DID have an awesome Italian pizza shop in Warrandyte.

* You played dress-ups in your parents' funky clothes that you would kill to get your hands on now :o) we were literally just talking about this yesterday.

* You had a terry towelling hat that had yellow plastic sunglasses built into the brim that came down over your face - this sounds like something Elton John is to blame for??

* You, or a female relative, had a see through umbrella that came down over the shoulders so you had to look through the plastic. They were totally useless in windy conditions, though very hard to turn inside out.

*
You weren't wearing flannelette because it was cool :o) I still love flannelette PJs and sheets

And here are just a few items that might be specific to Australia...:

* You remember Hector the Road Safety Cat sing :

Look to the right, look to the left, and look to the right again, then if the road is clear of traffic. Walk straight across the road - don't run - walk straight across the road.


* 20c worth of mixed lollies could last you hours... and 50c, well only older kids could afford that much :o) 50c worth came in brown paper bags as opposed to the little white ones that 20c came in

* Icypoles were 5c and paddle pops were 20c :o)

* Sunnyboys and poppers (boxed drinks with straws attached) were your stable school diet :o)

* Fanta tasted like Fanta should. There was Tang and Tab. Tab, so right for beautiful people, and Leed lemonade :o) The Tab add had a negro lady which would be sooooo politically incorrect now!

* You wondered how the Coke girls and boys got inside that big clear beach ball.

* You wore a leather band around your wrist and believed that you had to sleep with any boy/girl that broke it - definitely too young for that one!

* Dunlop Volleys trainers were a viable option and Puma Romes were fashionable :o)

* You remember those plastic 'Peters' ice cream signs glowing at the top of the milkbar. And you collected the plastic popsticks that had holes in them so you could make things with them, and they came in lots of bright colours :o) Back in the days when everyone lived near a 'corner store' or 'milkbar'

* You watched Hey, Hey It's Saturday... before breakfast :o) again we were talking about this yesterday

* Leopard footprints on the soles of your school shoes were ace.

* You put chip packets in the oven to make shrinkies :o) and made our mother VERY mad trying to shrink twistie packets

* An essential part of your packed lunch in highschool was a Prima, unless you bought a frozen Sunny Boy :o) Razz the red ones were my favourite.

* You actually went through at least one pair of thongs a year because you wore them so much.

* There were swap cards in with the bread that was wrapped in wax paper.

* Ice cream came in tins made of metal, not plastic pots.

If you were a child of the 70's what do you remember?

And to end ... who do I share my birthday with. I thought I'd turn to Wiki to explore beyond the known ... and came up with some interesting ones:

Catherine of Aragon (First wife of Henry 8th)
Ludwig Beethoven
Jane Austen
Margaret Mead
Sir Arthur C Clarke (perhaps there's hope for my sci-fi writing after all!)
Phillip K Dick (perhaps there really is!)
Benny Andersson
Joel Garner
Georgie Parker (I still hate her singing on Play School even if we do share a birthday!)
Miranda Otto