Mailbag September 8

I LOVED to walk through St Giles Fair when I lived in Oxford.

This photograph taken in 1964 appeared in the Oxford Mail with the caption: “’When will I be old enough to go on the dive-bombers, Dad?’ Young Wayne Racey mounted on father’s back watches keenly as the bombers twirl above.”

Wayne has celebrated his silver wedding anniversary with his wife Sally. They have a grown-up son and daughter.

Sadly, Eddie, Wayne’s dad, passed away in 1990.

RUTH RACEY, Weymouth Dorset

ICU reunion

WE ARE hoping to hold a reunion of staff who worked at the Radcliffe Infirmary neuro intensive care unit between 1980 and 1984. This was when the unit opened.

Many of us still keep in touch and hope to hold a reunion next year. It would be lovely to hear from anyone who worked there during those dates.

You published a photograph of a reunion of Radcliffe nurses in 1981 (Memory Lane, June 23). Among them was Di Smith, who worked in neuro ICU then.

I can be contacted by email at suzanne.jones46@btinternet.com

SUE JONES (nee Gillham) Oxford

Snack ‘attack’

OK, so I’m an oldie. If you remember all of these things below, you must be as old as me!

I still reckon life in the 1950s was good. We have more today, but the quality is just not there – sermon over!

Seaweed was not a recognised food

Offal was only eaten when we could afford it

Eggs only came fried or boiled Hot cross buns were only eaten at Easter time

Pancakes were only eaten on Pancake Tuesday – in fact in those days it was compulsory

Kebab was not even a word, never mind a food

Hot dogs were a type of sausage that only the Americans ate

Cornflakes had arrived from America but it was obvious that they would never catch on

The phrase ‘boil in the bag’ would have been beyond our realms of comprehension ‘Oven chips’ would have made no sense at all

The world had not yet benefited from Pot Noodles, Instant Mash and Pop Tarts

We bought milk and cream in the same bottle

Sugar was regarded as white gold Lettuce and tomatoes in winter were just a rumour

Most soft fruits were seasonal except perhaps at Christmas Prunes were medicinal

Muesli was readily available – it was called cattle feed Turkeys were definitely seasonal

Pineapples came in chunks in a tin – we had only seen a picture of a real one

We didn’t eat croissants because we couldn't pronounce or spell the word, and didn’t have a clue what they were

We thought baguettes were a serious problem the French needed to deal with

Garlic was used to ward off vampires, never to flavour bread

Water came out of the tap – if someone had suggested bottling it and charging treble for it, they would have been a laughing stock

Food hygiene was washing your hands before meals Campylobacter, Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria and Botulism were all called ‘food poisoning’

The one thing that we never had on our table was – elbows.

BRYAN COLES (formerly of Oxford) South Australia

Memories of flower show

I SAW your photograph of Steeple Aston flower show (Oxford Mail, August 27) and thought you might like to see these two pictures from years ago.

My late grandmother, Dorothy Pettefer, whose maiden name was Bolton, is in both photographs.

DIANNE DANBURY Oxford