I bet you'd get called a feral youth these days!

You haven't had a proper baked potato if it wasn't cooked .. and burnt .. on the bonfire

Did anybody used to collect Pennies for the Guy? I was never allowed to but a lot of neighbourhood boys used to spend a lot of time making one, plus a home made "bogey" with bike wheels to pull it around on.

Everyone had one of those, normally knocked together with a few scraps of wood and an old set of pram wheels.
Used to go careering out of control down steep hillsides.

We had one ... can't remember what we used for brakes but who cared about brakes

Amongst other things.
Just as well they didn't have ASBOs back then.

Apart from the spuds,we used to raid all sorts of veggies from gardens at other times of the year, chop em all up, put in some water and boil them up in this great rusty old metal caldron, on a smaller version of a bonfire.

We did penny for the guy, but only outside our house (neighbours were the only ones contributing as we were fairly isolated) We made fantastic lifesize guys ... not the pathetic excuses you see these day. The money collected went towards the fireworks for the communal bonfire party.

You could at least steer them.
The front wheels were mounted on a seperate wooden board which swivelled on a central pivot or bolt and was then controlled/steered by a piece of cord tied on to each end of the board itself.

Brakes,No.
Unless lying on our bellies and digging the boot toes into the ground behind to slow down.

I bet the average 10 year old couldn't make one of those nowadays - they wouldn't be allowed access to their Dad's tools, anyway, for fear they might cut their finger or something.

that is what is doing the country down, a lack of interest in good old fashioned mechanical and electrical, the making and fixing of things.

when I was 12 I was making a 3 valve radio, from the cutting of the metal chassis, drilling holes for the valve bases and earth points and then progressing on to the internal wiring between the valve basis with resistors capacitors and inductors etc.

I doubt the average 10yo would be interested, too much like manual labour and it doesn't come in a box with a plug on it.
If there wasnt a plug hopefully dad would do it.

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