The way we were

It was the days of hope
Hope and glory
Life-boy soap
And a never ending story
Of long summer nights
Talking about the weather
And more soap;
For the ladies
It was Imperial Leather

The milkman still used horse and cart
To do his morning run
Only full cream top bottles in his crates
And on the aging victory garden
We’d spread the dung

No tumble dryers and new fandangle
Just outside loos
And a worn out mangle
Wash boards just like Lonnie used to play
And green carbolic soap to scrub collar stains away

Football boots had leather studs
We’d play for hours in the mud
Cricket stumps were chalked on the wall
Crushed tin can’s used as a balls
The kerb a crease ‘till our mums did call

Then down the alleys we all ran
Home for tea time
Mash potatoes and spam
Listening to the valve radio
When children’s hour began

Thick bread and homemade jam
No fridges
Food all kept in the larder
The days were long
And the nights were harder

Night time fell
And to bed we’d go
Under the sheets
When street lights were glowing
Reading Enid Blyton
Without mum knowing

No duvets only blankets
Eider downs, quilts and bed spreads
And lumpy pillows to rest our sleepy heads
It was the way we were
And at least for me
In my head
It was the way I’d always be.