Sunday, 31 October 2021

A PARALLEL UNIVERSE

 I discovered this book from a post by the author on Neighbourly recently and bought it on-line from Amazon Australia.


It's quite a good read about growing up in Christchurch in the late 1950s and 1960s. Many of the memories that Cheryl Nicol writes about are similar to mine:

  • Her father's shed that contained just about everything you might need.
  • Family holidays in a packed car and caravan.
  • School milk.
  • Family visitors.
  • Single channel television.
  • etc.

I was born in Wellington but had relatives in Christchurch and generally in mid and south Canterbury so can easily picture some of the places she mentions.


Nicol was born in 1955 only 3 years later than me and Richard so her experiences are not that much different to ours.


It's a view of New Zealand that is long gone. Times were tough but there was more community spirit in those days and people just got on with life - the No. 8 wire mentality.







9 comments:

THE CURMUDGEON said...

OK. I take it that you've read the book then.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

"Glad I got that off my chest!"

Really? Does that mean that you've kept (on your chest) the more sensible things?

Richard (of RBB) said...

I must agree with Robert a little here. Overall I don't remember the 50s and 60s being bad.

Richard (of RBB) said...

I'll have to think about that.

Richard (of RBB) said...

Well, Sue wasn't an expert on the violin in the 60s. She could have been because she didn't play it then too.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

I didn't say that the 1950s and 1960s in New Zealand were bad.
I said that times were tough - meaning for those working class people who never had much, like the woman who wrote the book.

I also said that there was great community spirit back then which, by and large isn't there nowadays.

I think that both of you should brush up on your comprehension skills. Just because you didn't make the P classes at school is no excuse. You just have to put a bit more effort in.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

Sheesh!

Richard (of RBB) said...

I was asked to be in 3P but I told them I preferred 3G.

THE CURMUDGEON said...

That's a revelation.
I would not have thought you'd got such a high mark in English.