Milkmen/women

[Twocky61]

Re: Milkmen/women

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[MalcolmAndSheldon]

Re: Milkmen/women

My dad was briefly a milkman, while two of my uncles were long-term milkmen. As a result, back in the 1980s - my early teenage years - I had frequent weekend and holiday employment as a milkie's gopher.

I loved it, even though the work could be long, dull and often freezing on account of the very early mornings. But it was precisely those very early mornings, often requiring a 4 am start (in one instance, a knackering 3 am!) which made it so interesting, as it gave me more than a glimpse of a world that very few people actually got to see. The thing that sticks in my mind the most was how much activity there was, in those wee early hours: night shift workers travelling to and from their places of employment; the dairy itself, bustling with clattering crates of milk bottles and the hum of departing floats; and - most fascinating of all - the local...eccentrics.

Five to seven am seemed to be prime time for the oddball squad, and one in particular: a large duffel-coated man who would run up and down a particular street yelling about his mother's underwear. To my thirteen year old self, shivering as I delivered the milk and fetched the empties while it was still quite dark, to be confronted by the sight of this behemoth charging up the road while bellowing about his mum's knickers was somewhat disconcerting. He was harmless enough, though - in fact, he didn't appear to be aware of much else other than the pavement ahead and whatever it was about his mother's dress habits which bothered him so.

In any case, regarding all the other stuff you could get delivered besides milk - yep, it was surprising how much you could order off the milkman in those days: orange and apple juice, soft drinks, eggs, yoghurt, bread, teabags, pots of cream. At one time, we delivered these plastic cocktail-style milkshake shakers, along with a selection of milkshake powders. Come Christmas, it would be all crates of fizzy drink, along with an additional round where the milkie delivered turkeys. I never had to do a turkey round, however - which I was thankful for, as I heard it was too bloody much like hard work, lugging those freezing great things around.

Ah, happy days...well, mornings. Okay, more like freezing cold nights, really.

[George 1978]

Re: Milkmen/women

I remember our milkman was called Fred or something like that - I think he worked for Co-op dairies, and going back further, we used to get bottles or orange juice from the milkman. The name Alpine springs to mind - and Sunquick orange juice.

[Richard1978]

Re: Milkmen/women

I remember my local milkmen offering more products in the late 1980s - early 90s. The parents of someone at school used to get their veg delivered with their milk.

Bottles of fizzy drink around xmas was another service, modern plastic ones rather than the deposit glass ones of the "Pop man".

[darren]

Re: Milkmen/women

cant remember that when milkmen/women tried to sell bread but i do remember them coming quite early.

The clink of the bottles on your window sill and birds pecking the silver lids and sometimes getting ur milk nicked.

i suppose the milkmen etc just wanted to specialise on selling one product maybe too much work so they just specialised.

i likes "big women".....that tickled old ernie

do you remember when the milkmen tried to sell bread as well as milk, juice, eggs,......why that never caught on i don't know....seems a good idea now

[Natator]

Re: Milkmen/women

When I was maybe 6 till about 8, during the school holidays, our awesome milkman, Doug, would take me on his rounds. We'd stop a couple of times for coffee at certain houses. He'd end up at the top of my little road a couple of hours later and drop me off again. He'd often let me have a block of Cadbury's during the round.

When I was 7 I went into hospital and when I got out he came to see me, with a Dinky (maybe Corgi) metal snow plough, which I cherished.

He was such a wonderful man, in his 50's or 60's at the time I imagine. I wish I had been able to meet him later in life and let him know how much his friendship meant to the little me.

The sad thing is if this happened today everyone would wonder why this guy made friends with a little kid. back then it just happened and was absolutely fantastic.

I also remember we used to leave flat stones on the top of the bottles, to stop the birds getting at the milk. That was my job on the round.

i now love in Australia, Queensland which is one of the hot bits. They have no idea what a milk float is as they never had them, as you could never leave milk out in this heat.

[Richard1978]

Re: Milkmen/women

I can remember my milkmen selling bottles fizzy drinks around christmas time, not the old school glass ones but 2 litre plastic bottles.

Some friends mentioned their parents getting deliveries of fresh fruit & veg with thier milk.

[Twocky61]

Re: Milkmen/women

I likes "BIG women".....that tickled old Ernie

Do you remember when the milkmen tried to sell bread as well as milk, juice, eggs,......why that never caught on I don't know....seems a GOOD idea now

Dairy Crest is called Milk & More now as they do sell more than milk nowadays, Fruit juice, biscuits, eggs etc. even compost = really just like the old days which is surprising really as milk used to be delivered to most houses on a street whereas now only a few on a street if at all


http://www.milkandmore.co.uk/home

[zabadak]

Re: Milkmen/women

Full Monty!!!

Damn, now I'm hungry...

[DSCOMAN]

Re: Milkmen/women

...all as they needed was bacon, sausage and tomatoes

[DSCOMAN]

Re: Milkmen/women

I likes "BIG women".....that tickled old Ernie

Do you remember when the milkmen tried to sell bread as well as milk, juice, eggs,......why that never caught on I don't know....seems a GOOD idea now

[Twocky61]

Re: Milkmen/women

Yes Discoman lol

[DSCOMAN]

Re: Milkmen/women

Do you remember when he 'helps' the "Big Lady" onto the bus and nearly gets arrested

[Twocky61]

Re: Milkmen/women

Michael Caine bums a lift on a float in The Italian Job (I think it's going along London Wall at the time) - not a lot of people know that...

I do :d

When Michael Cain's character goes to Benny Hill's characters house to see him about hacking into Turin's traffic light system his Mum says he was caught in the lounge with net lol

"A net?" asks Michael Cain?"

Then Annette comes in with the tea trolley lol

Annete is huge & Benny Hill loves chubby women; more to cuddle

[zabadak]

Re: Milkmen/women

Michael Caine bums a lift on a float in The Italian Job (I think it's going along London Wall at the time) - not a lot of people know that...