Ray’s Rants Life in the 1950s 1960s 1970s Great Britain girls England family UK work school British music night clubs pubs fashion pirate radio Caroline English holidays television

Midweek Message 70.

Hi, I hope you're well. Did you keep a diary when you were young? If so, send me some of the entries. Whether funny or sad, I'd love to hear some snippets from your diary. This coming Sunday, I'll be reading some of the entries so please help me out. 

The Benefit of Hindsight.

Podcast - The Benefit of Hindsight. We can all look back and wish that we hadn't done this or that. We all make mistakes, but how have out past mistakes affected our lives today? 

Midweek Message 69.

Rain, thunder and lightning... and the roof leaks! I have a bowl on my desk to catch the water. The heat wave has gone, for a while. But I'm pretty sure it will return. 

The Summer of 1976

Who remembers the summer of 1976? Hot for ten weeks, a drought, hosepipe bans... And now we have the summer of 2022. Join me for a chat about the heat, political correctness, and lots of other stuff. 

Midweek Message 68.

It's getting hot again this week! Possibly reaching 36c by the weekend which is 97F. Wow, this is a proper summer! Join me for a quick chat about people who tell lies, the heat wave and more...

Compulsive Liars!

We've all met a compulsive liar at some time or other. Why do they do it? Why do people have to lie? In this episode, I look back at some of the lies I've heard over the years.

Midweek Message 67.

Hello, it's Wednesday again! We're into August now, where is the time going? It won't be long before there's a shopping day countdown... No, I won't mention December!

Vintage Television License Fee... and more

Television arrived in most people's homes in the 1950s and 60s. ITV generated their income from advertising. So, where did the BBC get their money from? Join me in this episode for a look at TV back then... and the dreaded license fee.

Midweek Message 66.

Hello, welcome to another Midweek Message... and another weather report! We're on the verge of a drought here in Britain.  That means there will be a hosepipe ban, which is normal here after a few days of sunshine! 

Money! Why is everything so expensive?

Money, lots of it or lack of it. How does it affect people? Do you crave money? Are you happy with having only a penny more than you need? Join me for a look at money. Why are things so expensive? When I was a boy, I bought a tanner's worth of chips. A few of us kids would sit by the road eating our chips out of old newspaper. Happy days! Join me for a look at money.

Midweek Message 65.

Hello and welcome to another Midweek Message. The temp here in Briton went sky high and broke all records... 40.3 Centigrade which is about 105F. Phew, it's been hot! However, it all ended last night with rain and storms. I hope you are keeping cool and enjoying the summer.

Conversation... and other stuff!

Conversation. Are you any good at chatting in a group of people? To be honest, I don't say much because I can never get a word in edgeways! I wait for someone to take a breath and.. too late! Someone else butted in!

Midweek Message 64.

Hi, and welcome to another Midweek Message. I'm not here... I'm in the Isle of Wight for a few days so I've prerecorded this message. The weather should be ultra hot this week so I might even frighten the islanders by wearing my shorts!

Standards, Then and Now

Have standards fallen over the last few decades? Do we retain the values which were so much a part of Britain back in the 50s and 60s? Join me for a look at the way things were and the way things are now.

Midweek Message 63.

Hello, I hope you're keeping well. Railway stations were lovely places in the old days. The staff wore uniforms, there were flowers and gardens, everything was freshly painted... what went wrong? Progress, I suppose!