Speaking of Gaberlunzie – back in the dim distant past when I worked in the local library, the folk duo Gaberlunzie was due to play a gig at the local community centre and the tickets were on sale at the library. We had all been told to expect members of the public to be coming in to buy tickets.
This was the early 1970s and computers hadn’t arrived at the library, it was all cardboard tickets and card indexes, with everything filed in alphabetical order, I loved it, we were faster than computers. Readers often left their spare library tickets at the library for safe keeping, asking for them when they wanted to borrow something. We just needed their name and address, although most of the time we already knew it.
Unfortunately, my friend was off the day we were told about the Gaberlunzie tickets, so when someone came in and asked her for tickets for Gaberlunzie – she immediately said – What’s the address? Which was followed by a blank look from the woman and gales of laughter from the rest of the library assistants. Ahh simple days, but Gaberlunzie still makes me think of that time.
Something else which makes me nostalgic for those days at the library is this old Smirnoff advert, which apparently wasn’t a success, especially with potential librarians. But I love it, as well as the image, it just shrieks ‘1970s’ – which was supposedly a style-free zone, well so the kids of the 1980s claim. But for me it was a great time for fashion and design. What’s your favourite decade?
love it!
My favorite decade was the 1960s. Pushing aside my teen angst and school, there were the Beatles and all the other British bands, Yardley English Lavender, mini skirts and the Mod look, The Avengers, the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and, yes, the Girl from U.N.C.L.E. (who doesn’t love Stephanie Powers?), James Bond, the California surfer bands (I tried to become a Summer Blonde and my auburn hair ended up orange!). I was still at home, so no worries about work or mortgages, etc., and, after minimal chores, all the time in the world to read and my own library card!
Joan Kyler,
I think it probably depends which decade you are in when you hit your teens, but I love everything you mention apart from that Yardley’s Freesia creme perfume was my favourite, why don’t they make it now? My sister was a blonde and tried to dye her hair red, it turned bright orange like Irn Bru. I can still remember her going about with a head scarf on to hide it until she could get more hair dye when the shops opened. I’d forgotten you were a redhead too!
In the interest of accuracy, I don’t think I could have claimed to be a redhead, but I had dark brown hair with definite red undertones and highlights, if that’s not a contradiction. Now I’m just the old grey mare!
Joan,
Probably non redheads think of you as a redhead and redheads don’t! It sounds like the Andy Murray situation, in Scotland his hair was dark brown but now that he spends so much time in bright sunshine it has brought out the red highlights which all European hair has. Just as well you and Jack like horses then – grey mare, but aren’t you more like a silver surfer!