Guest Column: Cold was properly cold back in my day

We used to have unheated bedrooms and single glazing in draughty window frames.

As a child I would often wake up to frost on the inside of the windows.

The bedding was another story with blankets that were a cross between a wire brush and sandpaper.

When it was really cold mum would put dad’s heavy overcoat on the bed for warmth.

If you were lucky when you got up there was a coal fire going downstairs.

Maybe also hot water to wash.

If your dad worked at the pit he got his concessionary coal allowance so fires were not a problem.

If not, you had what fires you could afford and supplemented with whatever you could find to burn.

In those days travel was mostly by bus.

The buses then had no doors and were open at the back.

In the winter it was a freezing journey by bus, like it or not.

The heater was a circular fan at the front which never seemed to work.

One thing then, which I have not seen for a long time, was short trousers.

These were worn winter and summer, my poor little legs were blue – ‘they’ll toughen yer up lad’ was the reply to complaints.

Football boots were nothing like the streamlined things of today.

Most of the lads I knew were like me, and their parents could not afford expensive boots.

The pair I had were miles too big and made lots of noise when you walked on hard ground.

We had to play football and rugby and do cross country in all weathers and showering was compulsory.

PE teachers then had no mercy, but they did toughen us up I think.

It was not often that you saw a parent take a child to school either and certainly no cars.

It was the bus in bad weather if you were lucky – I rarely was.