I was getting the car out of the garage this morning when I heard a vehicle coming on to the estate. I looked across and there was a milk float coming around the corner!! I haven't seen a milk float around our parts in AGES coupled with repeats on ITV3 of On the Buses it got me thinking of things that have changed out of all recognition.
When I was a lad all the town buses were double deckers (they're now single) and buses had conductors (AKA - clippies) to issue tickets and occasionally an inspector would get on and check tickets were being issued properly. The conductor has long since gone and I doubt they have inspectors anymore!
But a milk float! Everyone had their milk delivered to the door by the milkman (indeed we had a choice of a Co-op or Unigate). He'd put the bottles on the front step and collect yesterdays empties, he also sold eggs, yogurts, bread and fizzy drinks. The milk was invariably delivered before breakfast, it had to be I guess because leaving it out in the sun all day in Summer was not good.
The Milkman also inspired a certain amount of lewd humour, sketch shows used to hint at the milkmans float being parked outside her at no 52. Indeed I'm sure that there was rumours about one of our milkman and a woman down the hill. These were the times when women tended not to work and the milkman/postman was one of the few men they were likely to meet.
Alas the milk delivery is going the way of the dodo. Supermarkets sell it cheaper and people get it with their other shopping and I guess milk keeps longer now than it did 30 years ago. I'm not sure when we stopped getting milk delivered, I guess it was when one milkman retired.
The milkman though had an impact on our wildlife. Blue Tits learned to pick at the foil lids of bottles and would then get at the cream at the top of the milk bottle.
3 comments:
My mother still has her milk delivered and her milkman deserves a medal for getting through her village where the snow has been/really is very deep. Let's hear it for her milkman!!
And I can remember when the milk float was drawn by a horse ;)
Good heavens, that brought back a memory to me. When I was growing up we had a milkman deliver milk. That's funny about the Blue Tits getting at the cream.
Lol Pete, I'm sure you're older than you let on!
We had a choice of Co-op or Richmonds Dairies milk where I lived, and one of their children was a friend at school and we caught up on friendsreunited a few years back now.
Oh the memories...
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