Family history and nostalgia seem to go together, mac and tina, I traced my male ancestry back to 1750 and learned a lot, but what they looked like - nothing!
My father took snuff, and often sent me as a boy to buy a packet of it, and Woodbines, before the days of the nanny state. His filthy handkerchiefs I remember, needing heavy boiling in the copper. Next door was a greengrocer, which sold "specks", ie fruit going bad, for pennies. Also, orange boxes could be bought cheaply, and chopped up for starting the fire, one of my jobs. I made a small pigeon loft with orange box wood when I was old enough, and annoyed the neighbours with the pigeon's  droppings and flying about. One could ramble on but I won't...

Ok Phoenix lol

Do you remember the bookies they used to be in the back entries or ginnels,and you knocked and a little door would open and the man would take the bet and say nothing at all lol I did this for my uncle who told me not to tell my aunt,lol she already knew lol
On christmas we would get an apple and an orange each ! from the bookie !!! wow big treat that.
In the winter when we were really hungry we would take some celery from the field when it was dark and stew it.
Does anyone remember the rag and bone man,lol,
or the organ grinder and his monkey ?
Oh and donkey stones lol yeh we were daft enought to clean the step with them lol
I remember the woobines too my mam sent me for a 2d one many a time when she was skint which was very often,funny though I dont look on these times as bad just normal really neither happy nor sad !
But I sure am glad they got rid of the outside loos lol

I still have memories of one of my great grandfathers - he was already a very old man when I was born, but I loved him.
As to old photos, I'm enclosing one showing my grand-parents as a young couple. I think it was taken just before my grandfather left for WW I.

That is a lovely photo Teri,one to treasure.Women always had their aprons on didnt they lol

Great photo Teri, I wish I had one of my grandfather.

What great play areas they were for us too,
`ealth and safety would would have had  work to do then wouldnt they lol
never remember anyone getting hurt either.

Yes as children we done the same thing, out in the mornings with a jam sandwich in brown bag, bottle (Glass) of squash,or even Corporation Pop (Water). As we left home Mum would say " Come home when the street light come on" and we were outta there into our world of fun! Running wild and free, doing all the things that kids today cant do unless supervised.

The pictures below were taken 11 months ago when I went back in time. This was my play ground some 50 years ago.