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WELCOME TO RAY’S RANTS
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If you enjoy my Podcast episodes, I’d really appreciate it if you could follow me or subscribe. The more likes and subscribers I get, the more people will find me. Thanks!
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PODCASTS COMING SOON.
The High Street. To be released on Sunday 7th December 2020.
Is the high street dead? Is a revival of the high street feasible? Huge supermarkets finished off small businesses and many local shops disappeared. Now, major retailers are going out of business. What is the future of the high street? Will we have dozens of coffee shops? Will charity shops take over town centres? Join me for a look at the high street.
PODCASTS AVAILABLE NOW.
Do It Yourself, or a professional job?
If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself. That’s what I was told when I was young, and very often it’s good advice. Join me in this episode as I look at the difference between a professional job and DIY. You might be surprised by some of my revelations!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Automation and Job Losses.
Automation is progress, it’s great… But it means job losses. Automatic letter sorting replaced dozens of men. Electric trains replaced steam, the fireman was redundant. The bus conductor was made redundant. Shops disappeared with progress and the advent of retail parks. The coal shop, the wool shop, the ironmonger… In this episode, I look at the jobs that no longer exist.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Children!
The joys of bringing up children. The tantrums, slamming doors, the tears… And the things our parents used to say to us. You’re not going out until you’ve tidied your room. Yeah but, why can’t I? Because I said so! Join me for a look at the joys of parenting and kids.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
My brush with the aristocracy.
My brush with the Aristocracy is a fun look at the lives of the people in the Big House on the hill. My clandestine visits to the house revealed just how different my Lord and Lady were to us commoners in the village.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Junk – To Keep or Dump?
You find an kid’s bike in the attic, it’s from the 1950s… Do you dump it or keep it? An old vacuum cleaner from the 1940s… Do you take it to the rubbish tip or clean it up and keep it? One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. If you throw something away, you can be sure that you’ll regret it. But you can’t keep everything!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Seeds of Doubt.
‘I saw your boyfriend out with another girl…’ the seed of doubt has been planted! That’s all it takes, just one little comment, to destroy a relationship. I’ve received several emails from listeners who have been stung by the seed of doubt. Join me in this fascinating episode.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Decorating, then and now.
In this episode, I look back and the way people decorated their houses one hundred years ago. The paint and wallpaper, the carpets… And the way we decorate now. In some respects, what was modern then is modern now! What goes around comes around.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Ghost Hospital.
During a visit to a modern hospital, I got lost in the labyrinth of corridors and found myself taken back to a ghostly Victorian hospital. I thought I’d walked into a museum as I spoke to a doctor. The young nurses were dressed in old-fashioned uniforms, the wards were eerie… I soon realised that I’d gone back in time. In this episode, I relate my strange and, at times, frightening experience.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Cheats Never Prosper.
Adulterer, love rat, two-timing cheat… When someone cheats on their partner, it can cause heartbreak, devastation and despair. In this episode, I recall the deceit and cheating I’ve witnessed between some couples. Strangely, the outcome isn’t always bad!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Reducing Stress.
Most people suffer from stress at some stage in the lives. How can we calm ourselves after a stressful day? From listening to relaxing music to a workout in the gym, there are several ways to reduce stress. According to some, there’s a tried and tested way. Come and join me for a walk in the woods.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The Four Seasons.
Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn. The four seasons are very different, bringing different experiences to different people. Summer holidays, winter nights, dark evenings, lighter evenings… Join me for a look at the seasons.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Your Emails.
I’ve received shed loads of emails over the last year or so. In this episode, I read some of your comments, funny, happy, rude and sad. Join me for a look back over the last year of Podcast episodes, and what you thought of them.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Broken Marriage.
A young couple fall in love, they marry and build a home together, they have a baby… Then disaster hits. Divorce. What went wrong? Why? Whose fault was it?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Working From Home.
Working from home, the idea sounds great. You can start when you like, finish when you like, take a day off when you like. But… is it a good as is sounds? In this episode, I explore the good side… and the not so good side, of working from home.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Thoughts of a Recluse.
Are you a recluse? Would you rather go out for a meal with friends or stay at home? Do you try to avoid parties and BBQs? What is a recluse? I’ve been chatting to a friend who reckons he’s a recluse. Join me on 23rd August and I’ll reveal his thoughts.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
1950s Housewives.
What was it like for married women back in the 1950s? Were they chained to the kitchen sink? Cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, bringing up kids… Were they happy? I’ve spoken to several women from that era and my findings are very interesting.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Your First Radio.
Imagine you’re back in the 1930s. You have no television, no radio, no telephone. Your only entertainment was the cinema. Your only source of news was Pathe News or a newspaper. Then, your first radio is delivered by the man from the local wireless shop. You hear a live concert from the Royal Albert Hall, you hear the BBC Home Service news… A magical experience, indeed! Join me for a look back at the early days of radio and television.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Politically Correct?
You have to be careful of what you say these days. Everything is so politically correct that it’s become a maze of confusion. Can I say this? Can I say that? I take a look back at how things changed over the years including wolf whistling, curved cucumbers and old jam jars.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Hospitals Doctors and Dentists.
What were hospitals like in the 50s and 60s? How have things changed at the doctor’s surgery or in the dentist chair? I have first hand experience of a men’s surgical ward in the early 1960s. Join me as I recall my visits to the dentist and the doctor.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Food.
We all have to eat to survive, but some of us are fussy eaters. Apparently, I’m a fussy eater. I don’t like blood dripping from meat. I don’t like veins, liver, hearts, brains, tongues… But I’m not a fussy eater. It’s just that I don’t like filth!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Getting Old.
Growing old gracefully… or disgracefully? Old age seems to creep up and catch you unawares. It’s only when we discover that we can no longer do something that we’ve always taken for granted, that we realize that old age is approaching. Join me for a look at getting older.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Tunnels Under The Ground.
Tunnels, bunkers, chambers, secret rooms… There are hundreds of man-made tunnels beneath the ground. Some are nuclear bunkers, some were secret wartime command posts, radar sites and communication hubs. Join me for a chat about the mysteries of the secret tunnels.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Meeting Girls.
Meeting girls back in the 1960s and 70s wasn’t as you might imagine. There were pubs and clubs but they weren’t necessarily the best places to meet the opposite sex. Join me as I look back at some of the girls I met… and where I met them.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Where have all the insects gone?
Where have all the insects gone? And the hedgehogs and the frogs and the field mice and the… Over the last 50 years, there’s been a disastrous decline in, not only in insects, but hedgehogs and other animals.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The Games People Played.
Board games, garden games, street games such as hopscotch and roller skating… Were games in the 1950s very different to games kids play these days? Join me in a look back at the games kids played.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Hosting Students.
Every summer, foreign students flood into the UK to learn English. They stay with host families, which usually works extremely well for both student and family. However, things aren’t always what they seem…
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The English Language.
The English language, grammar, syntax, sayings… In this episode, I take a look at the mistakes people make when speaking or writing. I hope you find somthink of what might interest you, if you get my drift, know what I mean.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Early Retirement.
Your partner works and you’ve retired. You’ve had several years at home alone during the week. You have your daily routine, coffee at ten, lunch at one… Your partner takes early retirement and your routine is completely disrupted. How do you cope?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Gardens back in the 1940s and 50s were very different. No patio area, no brick built barbecue, no water feature or outside lights… So, what were gardens like back then? Join me for a look at gardens then and now.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
VE Day Celebrations and Lockdown.
As we celebrate VE Day, we also find ourselves in lockdown. Join me for a look at lockdown and take a trip back to the 1940s. Similar but very different times.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Make do and mend.
We live in a throw away world, which is a shame. In the old days, people would repair or mend things rather than dump them. In this episode, I look back at the days of make do and mend.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Friends.
Friends, good and bad. Some people are real friends, some are only acquaintances, some aren’t worth knowing. In this episode I look back at friends of all types.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Kids Then & Now.
A young lad’s questions about my younger years… You didn’t have a mobile phone? You didn’t have a TV in your bedroom? You walked to school! Your mum couldn’t drive? How did she go shopping? You didn’t go on an aeroplane?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Questions and Answers.
In this episode, I answer some of the many emails and messages I’ve received. There are a range of questions from humorous to rude and strange to obscene! Join me for some fun!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Village Life. Behind The Facade.
Following on from last week’s episode, I reveal more about life behind the scenes in a quaint English village. The vicar, the tennis club, the local bobby on his bike, the exploits of Mrs Fortescue, the girls down at the local stables… There’s far more to village life than meets the eye!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Tales of a Parish Councillor.
Decades ago, I became a Parish Councillor. My first council meeting was amusing, to say the least. But what happened with a young female councillor was unbelievable! But true!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Self Isolating.
People have asked whether I’m self isolating. Yes, I suppose I am. There again, I think I’ve always done so as I’m a somewhat of a recluse. In this episode, I talk about panic buying, staying at home rather then going out to pubs and restaurants, and personal hygiene. Join me, if you will.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Homes back in the 1950s.
In this episode, I look back at homes in the 1950s. The kitchen with its Formica worktops and coal boiler, the lounge with a coal fire, the freezing cold bathroom during winter months… Join me for a look back at the good old days!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Moaning and Groaning
In this episode, I ramble on and moan and groan about things. Pot holes in roads, coffee served in soup bowls, cars without spare wheels… Join me for a good old moan!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
That’s progress!
You’ve heard people say, ‘that’s progress for you!’ It’s usually a sarcastic remark, meaning that the old method or item was far better. In this episode, I look back at the way things were, and the way things are now.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]onmail.com
Car boot sales.
Car boot sales can be fun and very profitable. They can be a fascinating insight to the human race. Join me as I look back at my experiences both as a buyer and a seller at car boot sales.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Smoking in the 50s and 60s.
Most people smoked back in the 50s and 60s. If you didn’t smoke, people thought you odd. Now, if you smoke, people think you odd. How times have changed! Listen to my story of smoking over forty-two years… and how I finally gave up.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
TV & Radio Adverts – too loud!
Everything is so loud these days. People shout and music blasts your ears on TV adverts, video introductions assault your hearing, kids programs are aggressive and loud… Things were so much more relaxed and calm when I was a kid. Join me for a look back at quieter times.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The Lost Soul.
Back in the 1970s, I met Rachael. She was interested in the countryside… and ghosts. I arranged to meet her in the woods by a farm gate. We were going to look for ghosts. But there was far more to Rachael than I realized.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The House In The Woods.
I was always in the woods when I was a kid. Climbing trees, catching tadpoles in the pond, messing about… They were great times. One day, I came across a house buried deep in the woods. A girl lived there. Her name was Amy and she was about my age. But there was something very strange about Amy… and her house. Are you afraid of ghosts?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Family weekends in the 1950s and 60s.
What did families do on Saturdays and Sundays back in the 50s and 60s? Car maintenance, gardening, picnics, Saturday morning pictures… join me for a look back at those good old days.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Planning permission in the 1950s and 1960s.
A garden shed, a greenhouse, a TV aerial… All needed planning permission back in the 1950s and 60s. In theory, people weren’t even allowed to hang out their washing! Join me for a light-hearted look at crafty ways around planning back in those good old days.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
English sayings, phrases and oddities.
Stone the crows! Where did that saying originate? How about, a load of cobblers? The English language is quirky, interesting and forever changing. Join me for a fun look at some of the old sayings and oddities of the language.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Christmas food – then and now.
Can you imagine peeling your own sprouts, shelling your own peas, cracking your own nuts, grating your own cheese, washing your own potatoes… Christmas dinner was a very different affair in the 1950s. Join me in a trip down memory lane. We’ll also be looking into dustbins!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Chistmas in the 1950s and early 60s.
What was Christmas like in the 50s and early 60s?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
More Newspaper Reviews – 1950s 60s.
By popular demand, I’m reviewing more newspapers from the 1950s and 60s. News, comment, adverts, personal columns… Join me for another trip back in time.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Hobbies in the 1950s.
Train sets, stamp collecting, cigarette cards, matchboxes, Airfix models, Meccano… There were so many hobbies for kids back in the 1950s. Join me in a journey back in time to look at those hobbies.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Summer Holiday – 1950s style.
In this episode, I recall summer holidays in the 1950s. As kids, we were excited when we set off in the car to a caravan park. Running wild in the woods, playing in the river… Cooking wasn’t easy for mother in a cramped 1950s caravan, sleeping wasn’t exactly comfortable. But we all had fun!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Marriage.
I’m beginning a new series of episodes called That Reminds Me! In this, the first one, I relate the amazing story of a husband and wife and their five-year marriage. I’ll say no more as I don’t want to spoil the story.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Newspaper Review from the 1950s, 60s, 70s.
Join me in looking back at newspapers from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Home Entertainment over the decades.
From wireless to gramophones to transistor radios to reel to reel tape recorders to cassettes to record players to CDs… How home and in-car entertainment has changed over the decades.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Guy Fawkes night in the 1950s and 60s.
Firework or bonfire night back in those heady days was very different. Kids built huge fires on waste land, they bought penny bangers from the local sweet shop… There was no health and safety. In fact, it was pretty dangerous at times!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
School’s Out.
What did kids do after school in the 1950s and 60s? There was nothing on television, no computers, mobile phones, social media… In this episode, I’ll tell you what we did after school. And it was far from boring!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Wild Parties in the 1960s.
Everyone had parties at their house, or their parents’ house, back in the 1960s. There was always a party going on somewhere at the weekends, and they were often wild! The music was loud, the alcohol flowed, inviting odours filled the air, girls danced…
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
A trip to Bletchley Park.
The Enigma machine, the Colossus computer, the code breakers… I take a trip around Bletchley Park, one of the most secret of secret places during the 1940s and 50s.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
School in the 1950s and 60s.
School in the 1950s and 60s was very different. Kids received the cane, six of the best, if they were deemed to be bad. School dinners were disgusting. Conditions were comparatively harsh. My school was like a prison camp run by evil teachers. Join me to re-live some of my experiences in those unhappy days.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Driving, then and now.
Back in the old days, there were far fewer cars on the roads. No traffic jams, no potholes, no one-way streets… How do we cope these days with millions of cars on the roads?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
A evening in an early 1970s nightclub.
I’ll take you to an English night club where we’ll check out the drinks, the fashion and – most importantly – the girls! There’s one very lovely blonde girl who… Er… There were many small nightclubs in towns across the UK in the 1970s. Sadly, they’ve disappeared. What were they like? I’ll tell you in this latest episode.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
An evening in a 1960s British pub.
Come and spend an evening with me in a 1960s English pub. We walk through the door when the pub opens. We meet the barmaids, the locals and regulars drift in, the juke box plays… In this episode, I spend an evening chatting, drinking beer and people watching. This should be interesting as I’ll be chatting in first person, present tense.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The beginning of CB radio in the UK.
I had what was probably one of the first CB rigs in the country. It was the early 70s and I had an American AM rig. This was when no one else was on 27mHz. The band was quiet, until one evening when a voice emanated from the speaker…
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Born in the fifties, living in the 21st century.
Our familiar policeman cycles past and waves, the postman delivers the second post of the day, a lady pops into a red phone box to make a call… England in the 1950s and 1960s was far removed from the 2000s. The workplace, the schools, fashion, mini-skirts, hippies, pubs, teenagers, music, love… step back in time with me!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Co-hosting a pirate radio show with ‘The Girl’.
I’d never thought myself to be a DJ, until I met Kirsty. Known as ‘The Girl’ she was a DJ on a London pirate radio station. She had her own studio, she was professional, and when she asked me to co-host her weekly show with her, I couldn’t believe it! This is the story of ‘The Girl’, pirate radio, the studio, the music, the beer… and me.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Cars Girls and Radios.
Cars, girls and radios… not a good mix? In this podcast, I recall the happy times during the 1960s and 70s when I had cars fitted with aerials, amateur radio and CB gear… and girls. I hope you enjoy my recollections of chatting on CB and amateur radio, visiting pubs and going clubbing and…. all at the same time?
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Radio and Television in the 1950s and 60s.
Radio and television was very different in the 50s and 60s. There was one TV channel, the BBC. There were three BBC stations on long and medium wave – news, classical music and light music. So, the youngsters flocked to Radio Luxembourg on 208. But that was only available at night. Then, the pirates arrived, Independent Television arrived… … and things changed dramatically.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Recollections of GWM Radio Worthing – part two.
Part two of the GWM Radio anecdotes is here! Part one was released on Monday 15th July 2019.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
The early beginnings of an apprentice radio and television engineer.
I was only fifteen when I started work. Fun in the radio and TV workshop, fun in the pubs and clubs… life couldn’t have been better! From my initiation in a cardboard box with a fan heater to losing a customer’s television… being an apprentice was all go!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Recollections of the Marine Trawler Band.
Many years ago, I was a marine radio engineer working on the boats. Do you remember listening to coastguard stations and ships on the Trawler Band? Niton Radio, Humber Radio, Dover coastguard… I’ll be recalling some of my visits to various boats to sort out their radio gear, some of which ended up in the sea! I’ll also be recalling the many hours I spent listening (and talking) on 2182kHz on the trawler band.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Recollections of GWM Radio – part one.
I spent many happy hours in GWM Radio, an army surplus shop in Worthing. Here are a few of my recollections of that amazing emporium.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
CCF Pirate Radio Memories.
Recollections of the CCF, Combined Cadet Force, radio communications on 5330kHz Delta Oscar. Pirates, authentication codes, 19 sets, regular nets… They were happy days!
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Echo Charlie Pirate Radio.
This is my first podcast about the happy days of pirate radio on the short wave band known as Echo Charlie 6.6 mHz. Many radio amateurs began their radio hobby as pirates using WS No 19 set radios on Echo Charlie. Here, I talk about those heady days.
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
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The photos I use are either mine or come from https://unsplash.com/
Music I use in some episodes is from https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/
Comments or suggestions? Please email me. [email protected]
Back to the 1960s 70s and 50s sexy English girls mini-skirts music beer pubs clubs cars nightclubs the workplace radio television women love ghost stories and much more…