Hi ladies:

I've been enjoying Route 66's thread "what's playing now", especially since she's been posting youtube videos of songs from the mid 60's. Her posting of Lulu singing "To Sir with Love" really brought back a flood of memories from 1967 (for those of us old enough to remember that time).

So, I thought I'd start a thread to see if any of you more "seasoned" ladies would like to share reminiscences from your pasts. We could start with 1967 and change to any other year anyone would like to reminisce about. I think it would be interesting to see what differences and similarities there were in our lives at those times, especially since we've got people from all over the globe.

Anyway, I thought I'd start it off with my memories of 1967. I was 10 years old and living in Canada. I remember feeling like I'd really pulled a fast one when a friend and I got in to see a Sidney Poitier double bill of To Sir with Love and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner without an adult, since they were rated AA. The social significance of the movies was probably lost on me at the time.

I also remember the hot summer and a Coke machine at a nearby garage that sold ice cold bottles of Coke for 10 cents. They were so cold they came out with ice crystals in them. Perfect for those hot summer days. A chocolate bar also cost a dime. A loaf of bread and a big jug of milk would still get you change from $1.00.

TV shows I remember from that time were Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched.

What memories would you like to share from '67?

Wow, AJ your memories are very specific. I don't remember the prices of things, but as I was also 10 years old that year I do remember the music. I gravitated towards Motown but I remember really liking the early Beatles songs. I lived in a small town in Pa, life was quiet and predictable. I was having crushes on girls at school. TV: Batman, Bewitched, Star Trek (a favorite) and of course I Dream of Jeannie because she was HOT! I think the Avengers was being broadcast here then, and oh my god Diana Rigg in that leather jumpsuit ... that was probably my first crush on a woman from the UK! So it started in those formative years and continues today through SIMONE. Therefore I just follow OWH2005's advice and just embrace the obsession. :D

I'll keep thinking to see if anything else comes to mind ...

Hi Diane:

So, if 1967 doesn't jog any memories, is there a year that does stick out in your mind?

In 1967 I was 21 It was the year I made the biggest mistake off my life :cry2 I got married :eek But hey it was the 60s.
Here in NZ there was no Gay Lib or anything like that, had nowhere to go so did what was expected of me.Total disaster :guns But I did manage to get two good things out of a bad thing my Kids 2 great kids. :D And because of them I now have grandkids :D they are so cool and ya can give them back.
Unlike AJ i cant rember specifics but I do rember that was the year we changed to Decimal Currancey.

Another year of note for me was 1974 the year I exploded out of the closet
that was the biggie and ive never looked back :D

Hey Silverballnz: I, too, got married when I was 21, but that was in '78, though the reason behind it isn't too dissimilar to yours. I got three great kids out of it - no grandkids yet, I can wait a few years for that. My husband was/is a decent guy, though, so I'm not sure how to classify it.

I remember '74 as the year I made a half-hearted attempt to come out of the closet. Fell for my best friend and had the most awkward telephone conversation of my life when I tried to tell her, only to have her tell me that while she was flattered, she thought if she ever fell in love it would be with a man.

Ok, now I'm confused. I thought the whole point of the 60's was that, for the first time, you *didn't* have to get married as soon as you'd finished school/university in order to be a grown-up. Couldn't you just have had sex, taken some hallucinogenic drugs and worn flowers in your hair?

Seriously, though, the path you took has obviously led to an interesting and satisfying journey, so good on you.

BTW, was 1967 the year of "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da"?

Actually CBG it was 1968. But I am a big Beatles fan and in Florida they have a zillion vanity license plates for cars, I got the John Lennon "Imagine" plate. The extra dollars goes to the Food Bank.

I'm not sure what actually qualifies for geriatrics and I would like to think that we are talking perhaps older than 70...but I do remember the 60's even if I was a kid. There was a show in USA called "The Wonder Years" and it really reminded me of the feel and time of my childhood.

The first song I was attracted to was The Supremes "Baby Love" and I must of been about 5. I also remember The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Too young to worry about marriage..as a matter of fact I never gave it a thought. I may have not known I was gay until much much later, but I sure knew I was not gonna have a husband. Go figure. The 60's were great and I luv luv Lulu and another guilty pleasure is Petula Clark. I had a huge crush on her when I was a kid...go figure.

Hey CBG, just want to say your fanfic is frakkintastic...you are great...thanks for sharing. :D

bluedogblues

If I understand correctly, you think we're all over 70? Well, I can vouch for myself and dianelscott being 50, and doing the math silverballs is 61?

However, CBG has been pretty coy about her age, so maybe she's the septugenarian? If so, the love scenes in her stories must be from ancient memories, given that some of the "positions" Helen and Nikki get themselves into in her stories would break a hip!

Have you visited Route 66's thread What's Playing Right Now in the Comfy Sofa cos it has some of the music videos you mentioned.

No No...I did not think you who are posting are over 70...I just think of the word geriatric as referring to someone much older...I guess I was being cutesy or something to that effect...

Please understand I have not meant to offend anyone...I really dig this board (how's that for 60'' groovin) Me...I am late 40's....and btw, most of my friends are in their 50's and 60's...

I have visited the comfy sofa but have yet to post to it. Love the 60's stuff and have lots of it. Another guilty pleasure is disco...yes I know, but I was young and dumb then and after snorting poppers...there was nothing like having a woman rubbing up against you on the dance floor...I must say it was quite intoxicating! Me thinks that if I did that today, I would more likely pass out!

:rofl Geez...did they do those positions back then?

Hmmm, I didn't think I'd been coy about my age - you just hadn't asked! I'm almost 45 and damn proud of every year! :tongueout I like these new smilies!

I have not, to my knowledge, had Nikki and Helen in any positions that I could not certify as safe for geriatrics, although I did have to do a poll of my (intoxicated at the time) friends once to see if one particular feat was possible and could result in erm... well more than frustration and exhaustion. After I posted that, I did have some skeptical responses, but even that was safe for aging hips - provided it was attempted on a soft surface and some stretches and warm-up exercises were performed beforehand.

Now some of the things I've made Alex and Olivia do, I haven't even put on the Internet... :devil

CBG ...you're my hero :D

ermmmmm...you have got me so curious about what you have Alex and Olivia doing that you have not put on the internet...ummmm using my imagination...but dang girl...put it on the internet...pretty please :fanfic

again...you got the best fanfic...love it and thank you... :clap

CBG

Don't you know it's not polite to ask. However, to cajole, that's something else.

CBG

That would definitely be more work than Onslow would be willing to put in.

CBG

That still won't tempt me away from Nikki and Helen.

I actually started posting in the geriatric wing or was it the comfy sofa?, whatever....as a kinda poke at myself and a few others who were around my age..........it was meant to be a serious place for us more mature women to chat?????????????????but if you read back at some of our ramblings you will notice that it ended up being rated by our shoe sizes rather than our actual age in years........... :silly


Ah 1967mmmmmmmmmmmm.....
that would have made me 13 and into the Supremes, Pink Floyd, Bee Gee's and bell bottoms.......standing in front of a mirror singing into a hairbrush being one of the favourite pastimes........air guitar on our tennis racquets.......experimenting with heavy black mascare and eye liner.........and following groups of people dressed in orange chanting something or another..........yes the age of Aquarius and Hair the musical.......

Being totally embarressed to be seen with parents, mothers in above the knee floral prints and fathers in ????? well just looking daggy........

Big hairdoo's and heaps of hairspray.....need I go on?

Gosh now the flood gates have really been open.........at 13 I was wagging school and smoking malboro's that came in ten packs for around 20cents.....blue heaven milk shakes and cokes all the rage........

There didn't seem to be the peer pressure or the promiscurity around then as now and to be honest "GAY" meant being happy and having a good time.........mmmmmmmmmm guess it still does......... :camp1 and we went on these..........can't actually remember even knowing about lesbians or such, certainly never knew any.......mind you I was suppose to be a good church going lady who was sheltered...........yea right or so my folks thought......I was an absolute rebel who would take up any dare or challenge once I was out the front door........ :devil ........

The only thing was that back then we were brought up to respect our elders and so to talk back to my parents or disobey them was a death penilty.........our paths seemed to be mapped out for us and like a few others here I too married early and suppressed any thoughts of exprementintal sex or such.........I think the 60's and early 70's was more for the older teenagers not so much for those just hitting their teens, when it came to free love and sex.......maybe us Aussies didn't get into it as much as the Americans, I don't recall.........

Well all these years later and for all that has gone under the bridge......... I am now 53 happily gay with a gorgeous partner, we have 5 kids between us and 2 grandsons..........life doesn't get much better........... :D

I started reading this thread and my very first thoughts of a reply (circa '67) mirror this second post.

<G>

In the previous yr. I was 13 and had fallen madly in love with Emma Peel/Diana Rigg in the first season of "The Avengers" broadcast here in black and white. (And knew for certain that I was attracted to women.) 1967 was the first year of that series in gorgeous color. This was my first major crush on an english woman/actress too (that leather jumpsuit indeed!) and first obsession with a brit tv series. (Tho I watched all the other shows you mentioned, with classic Trek remaining another all-time favorite.) I listened to The Beatles daily.

Oh, and I'm a neighbor in Maryland.

aj, I am chuckling at the pic of Onslow...microsofty has Hyacinth up as her avatar this week. <G>

Been reading through this for a while, not sure if I qualify as a geriatric but still :eek
The year that stands out in my childhood is 1968
This was the year my big brother got married, i was 10 years old, and finally realised my lifelong ambition..to be an only child, and to move out of the boxroom into the bigger bedroom!
The only disadvantage was my friends and i lost our source of entertainment..namely sneaking into his bedroom when he was out and reading his love letters! OMG he would have killed us if he had found out!
The wedding in August of that year was wonderful, i was a bridesmaid.
But the day ended sadly as my grandad (my last surviving grandparent) collapsed and died at the reception.
Songs that i can specifically remember from that year include...
Hey Jude...The Beatles
Honey..Bobby Goldsboro
Mrs Robinson...Simon and garfunkel
Those were the days..Mary Hopkin
Lady Madonna..Beatles
Scarborough fair....Simon and Garfunkel.
And loads more, but i would be here all day trying to remember them!

4US

Glad to read how you've found happiness. I've read a lot of your other posts and just want to say you are an inspiration.

notsuchabadgirl

You sound like the type of younger sister I was. My sister is six years older than me and I was 13 when she got married. I was just glad to get the bedroom to myself. But I'm sure she considered me a pest when she lived at home.

Jeanna

I'm sure you already know this, but just in case, if you've seen Tipping the Velvet, the actress who played Nan (I think that's the right one) is Rachael Stirling, who's Diana Rigg's daughter. The next generation carries on the tradition!

No...I did not...but I have to say she had a familiar quality to her...now I know why. Thanks for sharing that. I loved The Avengers when I was a kid. Of course, it was because of Emma.....

I saw Patrick McNee on Broadway in Sleuth in the 70's...I wish it was Diana but....

I remember bell bottoms...yes, we all had to have 'em. I had a hideous pair that was green with I believe flowers and weird stuff on them...Did not have many piccies of me from that time...because they were usually when my Mom put me in a dress which brought out an automatic pout. So, every pic. has me looking like a moody cow...little did I know then why! LOL

I did see Diana on Broadway...nude in fact (!)...in "Abelard and Heloise" in 1971. Also saw her over here on stage in "The Misanthrope."

And, yes, I knew re Rachel Stirling...there were a few moments in "Tipping" where she was the image of her mum.

bluedogblues

I well remember bell bottoms. The guys wore them too in those days. Not so much this time around.

Does anyone remember hot pants? I think I was in my early teens when they came round. I was mortified that my mother wore them too. Of course, the fact that they looked better on her - me with my skinny legs - didn't help matters.

bluedogblues

I'm kinda glad I didn't know about the connection when I watched Tipping the Velvet, but I also thought there was something about her.

Yes, AJ, I do remember hot pants. Although I was a pretty conservative kid, I wore a pair to school one day. Scandalous! But at least I didn't have to compete with my mother!

And bell bottoms, also had a hideous pair with a big print, and a low-riding pair that laced up, oh god. And the hair ... if I showed you my high school yearbook picture ... :eek

Today is International Disturbed People Day!!!
Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend...just as I've done.

I don't care if you lick windows,
take the special bus
or occasionally pee on yourself...

You hang in there sunshine,
you're frickin' special.




This is for all the Geriatrics in Nikki and Helen Land.

Cheers :crutch

Circa 1967, I was a young kid who followed my folks to see this movie, which at that time was a box-office hit. And no, I didn't develop any crush on any of the actors. There was no TV to speak of and as far as pop cultural influence, don't remember any that I can relate. I remember being a naughty child with fastidious eating habits. :eek From my part of the world a totally different experience. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV_235kRRl8