"Forty years ago I would have known the names of all these trees, bloody PG Tips," a voice in my head said as I was walking to a clients this morning. The walk via the Remembrance Garden, where the red wreaths stood out against the concrete war memorial which itself appeared ghost like in the gathering gloom, was quiet until rain began falling on my head from the leaves and branches of the trees.
That voice in my head, I have no idea where that thought came from, made me think about how such small things as the cards inside packets of tea could inspire me to first of all collect the whole set, send off for an album and then stick them in, but how it fired my imagination and inquisitiveness and thirst for more knowledge.
It probably seems odd now but things like the PG Tips cards, I-Spy books did give small children in the sixties and seventies the chance to explore other worlds, if you check out the Brooke Bond Collectables site: http://www.brookebondcollectables.co.uk/cardlist.htm you can see what a wide variety of subjects were covered by the cards in the sixties and seventies, in fact right up to date.
I've carried on this fascination with acquiring knowledge, perhaps that's why I'm bald the things I've learnt have pushed my hair out! I became known at work as 'research man' - because if you wanted to know anything you just had to ask me, if I didn't know it I'd look it up. I'm on quite a few peoples list as their first call if they should appear on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
This thirst for knowledge does have its downside occassionally. A few years ago somebody who I knew through writing called me up one Tuesday and said his team were one short in a pub quiz, would I like to help? It seemed to good an opportunity to pass up so off I went. We won, in fact we won by miles, the questions were so easy I was so embarrassed, but at the end the quizmaster gave our team the first prize and said to my friend, "Well done, but next time can you leave him behind," nodding in my direction. Charming!
Incidentally to prove how sad I am sometimes the Brooke Bond site says that the Trees in Britain series came out in 1966 - forty years ago, which if you've been paying attention is what the little voice in my head said to start this all off! Oh and by the way, it was a beech tree!
6 comments:
Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that you never seem to find many women who collect things like that?
First set of PG Tips cards I collected were the endangered animals of the world series back in the late 70s. I really should dig them out and find out which ones have completely disappeared. the Guardian recently did a series of nature posters which are platered up all over our walls and eben is learning off by heart. Hopefully when we move out to the country he won't have to learn them off the wall anymore.
My first phone a friend is a chap who rejoices in the moniker "Quiz John". Do you think that's unfair?
Don'y you think the whole Big Chief I-spy thing was priceless?
Funny enough Shy when I first met Janis she had a collection of football programmes under her bed - mind you she did have two older brothers so that may have influenced her.
I still have a solar system poster on the back of my office door (at home) from years ago and a campaign map of the Vietnam War for some strange reason.
Gavin - that sounds more like an instruction rather than a name! I loved the I-Spy thing made long car journeys (believe me in the 60's all car journeys were long) fly past.
As opposed to John the Bus, John the Milk, curiously enough Jon Kay (who is known to the children as scary Jon)...
And Welsh John the Chef, Johnny my younger son, Jonny O his ubiquitous mate....
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