When I was in my younger days, we had a saying about some people, “All fur coat and no knickers!”
Those that had, were known as “Jam butties”
Both of these terms had the same meaning, in that the people concerned had a car on the drive, fancy house, etc. but nothing in their cupboards, ie. they lived off jam butties.
We were on the other side of all this, in that we didn’t drive, had no car and wore “Hand-me-downs,” new toys were a definite treat, but we always ate well, there was always a parent at home at mealtimes and we always got a cooked meal.
Nowadays, I see and hear this kind of thing more and more, yet it had, for a few years, almost disappeared from everyday life.
I suppose it’s all amplified now due to social media, but the principle is the same.
What gave me an insight to these lifestyles is that when I was a child, my family had moved into a new build/nice area, away from the regular old style council/large estate.
Trouble was as unseen as a police officer on the beat, it was a big thing on our street if an officer of the law turned up.
Mum and Dad were hard working, mum worked in a number of part time jobs locally, while dad would have to travel across three towns to get to his factory job, where he worked long night shifts, making his way up to supervisor/trainer of men.
The two streets of new builds, were tucked away on the outskirts of a small town, with grasslands and parks around, walking to school and back wasn’t an issue as it was reachable without having to use a main road.
All was well, I loved it there, plenty of friends, no hassles or fighting, everyone seemed to share their things, life was good.
One morning, I got up as normal, got ready for school and came downstairs to grab some breakfast before setting off.
Unusual, as dad was still up and awake after another night shift, we were sat down and told the news that we would be putting the house up for sale and moving in the near future.
OK I thought, a bit of a shock, but we had just had a new baby brother, perhaps needed the extra room and they knew what they were doing.
Off I went to school, a bit apprehensive but a bit excited as well.
As I left, dad stuck a notice up in the window, “House for sale” and I left thinking nothing more of it.
I returned at just about half four, my usual home time, ran around the back door and let myself in.
Dad was still up, I don’t think he’d been to bed that day. I spotted the notice had gone from out of the front window.
“We’ve sold the house!” stated dad.
Already? I thought. Wow!
Just like that, someone had come along, knocked on, made an offer and dad had accepted it.
So began a chain of events, that I had no idea of the magnitude of what had started until some 45 years later, when it dawned upon me.
We went from a lovely house and area, to a small town centre house, to a large town centre (ish) house, to a rough council estate.
From 1977 to 1982, the transformation of my family life, was complete.
Over the next three years, the family grew up, moved away, then came back, then moved away, then split up, then moved away again.
By 1985, the family was no more.
I was now alone and in an area where I simply did not want to be.
I packed a single bag of clothes, a few keepsakes and photos, gave up my first job, bought a return train ticket with a two week date on it and came home to the area where I was happiest.
Of course it wasn’t the same, but it was close, most of my friends had moved on, but on the whole it was good.
I stayed with my Aunt, until on the final day when my train ticket was about to run out, I got offered a job in an old discount shop. I had nowhere to live, not a problem, the owner of the shop took me across the road to bedsit owning friend of his, he made me a room, using plaster board, a bed and an old black and white tv, I nipped back to get my bag of belongings, said goodbye to my friends and my Aunt, then was dropped off at the bedsit in a nearby small town.
In 24 hours I’d gone from going back home, to a place I didn’t want to be, to having a bog standard job, living in a bedsit in a strange town where I knew absolutely nobody.
I wasn’t in the town/area I wanted to be, but it was only a bus ride away, I’d still see my friends all the time wouldn’t I?
Work was long and hard, so I didn’t get across to see my friends at all during the week and I only had one day off a week on Sundays, the buses only ran every hour, so that tailed off.
Still, I met up with my friends every other week for a beer, spending my spare £10 after I’d paid my board and lodgings, or a doss about. They got together with girls, so that fizzled out.
I was completely alone.
I didn’t write to anyone, I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t talk to anyone.
Things couldn’t get any worse, they were about to start looking up…