poohbear 1,360 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Also can't believe nobody has mentioned "conkers" I should think not...there are thousands of kids blinded and crippled from that awful game...at least that's what the pillock brigade would have us believe.They'd have kids wearing hard hats to play snobs nowadays. That 'other' top...not the windowbreaker...didn't the word carrot come into it somewhere...or is my memory failing me? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 'Carrot top' was a term for ginger haired people, wasn't it? Oh, thought I'd mention Conkers <g> Oddly, there are two conker trees down by the village bus stop but not one of the school kids awaiting the bus each morning collect them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mgread1200 141 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Carrot top! could have been but doesn't ring a bell, I remember the windowbreaker was the flat toped one with the narrow base like an old sock darning thingy but the other was just a solid piece of wood curving to a point, we used to chalk pattens on them in coloured chalk, either one would have broke a window. Conkers wasn't just about playing! it was the finding and collecting, I remember gangs of kids on wollaton park throwing sticks up at ancient trees to knock down conkers and chestnuts (roasted on fire on the dustpan) Kids should be allowed to grow up and look after themselves, a few sore knuckles was all I ever got from Conkers "Carrot top" now sounds right so must have lit up a rarely old memory Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 15, 2012 Report Share Posted January 15, 2012 Just found this...simple games,out in the fresh air.No wonder overweight kids were few and far between.Kids had a lot of fun in those days, at very little cost to their often very poor parents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mgread1200 141 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Great picture! shows the times i'm thinking about. "leg and a wing" we used to chant "A leg and a wing to see the King and out goes you" anyone know if this had any meaning as in other rhymes like "ring a ring a roses" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 "A leg and a wing to see the king " would suggest (To me any way) that it relates to someone being Hung drawn and quartered , the bit about "To see the king" suggests it could be Guy Fawkes and James 1st maybe Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carltongal 101 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 A leg and a wing 2 people would each take hold of an arm and a leg each and swing you up and down while chanting a leg and a wing to see the king a one a two and a great big three then they would let go of your legs at the highest point and wait for the drop and hopefully you landed on your feet Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Hi poohbear, what an absolutely wonderful photograph. My grand-daughter (aged 5) loves playing the old games; I'm going to show her your photograph. She'll have me looking for a whip and top next - anybody know where I can buy one? In the photograph I recognise two 'windowbreakers' being given a good whipping, I loved to chalk patterns on their tops even though I could never get on with them! Anybody remember their mum saying: "go on then, out and get some fresh air." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 If you can find someone with a wood turning lathe it should take a matter of minutes to knock one up. Try local craft fairs. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Ebay has them And I see I can buy them local together with other traditional WOODEN toys Rob Roy Toys, Long Eaton http://www.robroy-woodentoys.co.uk/whip_and_top_whip.htm Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mick2me 3,033 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 This one still fascinates me today Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 That reminds me of the note-safe the rent man used to have. Put the note in and close the safe. Open again and Hey Presto! money gone. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
poohbear 1,360 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Daisy chains... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mgread1200 141 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 "dobby" was another playground game that kept us fit. One two and a jolly good three is right, I'm racking my brain now to remember which game "out goes you" came from Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Good whip and tops with a proper leather lace can still be found but the tops are a bit on the light side to get a real good motion going when i was working as a play worker for city council one of my jobs was to teach the old street games we used to play out on the streets we managed to find an old guy who made us tops on his wood lathe and they were brilliant .Great fun as well as the children we would often get the old people joining in with us on one occation an old lady of well over 80 was out there teaching us the rymes she used to sing when skipping including skipping and showing us the actions she was brilliant ant we had a greatday. We also took marbles, snobs , diablos ,stills ,hula hoops ,elastic skipping ,balls of all kinds ingcluding good sponge balls in old stokings tights now though but cut in two.but the thing we often got complants about was chalk , Boy did some of the older people moan about that said we were encourageing graffiti till we asked if they used chalks or bricks to draw on pavements as a child most of them had to addmit that yes they did and we asked what happened once it rained ,or some one came along with a bucket of water. Ussually this was all they needed and we always carried a hard brush and lots of water to clean it up at the end of the day. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
carltongal 101 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 What about Hop Scotch chalked on the pavement Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 ...Kids had a lot of fun in those days, at very little cost to their often very poor parents... ...and if you were lucky enough to get (or inherit) a bicycle - the world was your playground. To me it was better than an airline ticket! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 dobby , hopscoch duck duck goose, are other games we taught all of which are not allowed to be playd in scool playgrounds now for health and safty reasons, one game i started playing with children indoors at the play centres was beatle drive could get as many as 20 children playing round the one table or in 6 tables of six and the winner from each table whould play in a final round gread for cold or wet days sometimes there would be a small prize for the winner but not always and this would last most of the session Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 you must have read my mind cat i was typing this as yous poped up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jackson 301 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 When we kids used to chalk on pavements in the '50's, graffiti was never heard of! Our Hop-Scotch's used to be on the pavements forever - especially during the Summer. I can't remember anybody ever complaining - political correctness was years away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 i still have marbles snobs chalk and good springy sponge balls in my activity couboard nowmost of them are the modern ones but still good to come out a play every now a again Quote Link to post Share on other sites
piggy and babs 544 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 even when were were on parks and used to use the paths sometimes the park keepers used to moan untill they realilsed we often would get the managers from leasure services out playing with us who were also there managers , some of whoom had previously been play workers and just liked to come out to play sometimes,brought them back down to earth again sometimes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Local kids here still use chalk on the sidewalk (pavement), and on their driveways. It kinda neat to see it and one decent rain shower (or a few seconds with the hose) and it is gone! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 The best tops were probably made from a really dense wood. I have some Hawthorn I wonder if that would make a good top? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beefsteak 305 Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 SWMBO was making Daisy chains with Charlotte on the lawn to my right, I was fishing with Adam, (Didn't have the jam jars with string though,) to make it even better, a couple of Buzzards were circling over the valley, suddenly a Pheasant started barking in the woods to the rear, there was a rustle in the bushes just off to my left and a wild Red Deer came to the pool for a drink, all the time I was sipping on a long glass of ice cold, home made Elderflower Champagne, ............................................perfection !! (Holiday in Cornwall , August 2011) 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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