What's made you grumpy today?

[Slim]

Quite a memorable time when I think about it. The 1982 World Cup had finished a few weeks earlier, Signals had come out at the end of the summer. I'd passed my driving test in June and was enjoying the novelty of being able to drive around, mostly in my parents' Fiesta 950 which was their second car. I'd bought my favourite Stratocaster in September. And I used to spend hours writing programs for fun on our Sinclair ZX81. I don't think we had a BBC Micro yet.

[David L]

Memorable for me too. The World Cup coincided with our first 'lads' holiday abroad in Magaluf. We would spend all day on the beach turning red and every evening in the bars, drinking San Miguel whilst watching the games...followed by the disco, of course.

Was with my first 'serious' girlfriend at the time. Me and my best mate spent a night with a couple of Welsh girls in their apartment in Palma Nova. He was in a relationship too and cracked under interrogation when we got back. She rang my girlfriend, and it all got a bit messy. We did carry on together a bit longer, but the trust was gone. However, she ended up marrying that friend and having two lovely kids. That all went pear-shaped later though. He's now no longer with us, unfortunately, died about five years ago. We laughed a lot over what went on in '82!

[Matt2112]

I remember our household taking delivery of a VHS recorder just before the '82 World Cup and being mesmerised when I first saw how enormous the cassettes were.

And the thrill and novelty of taping programmes while we watched a different channel - and using a remote control attached by a long lead..!

[pxr5]

Big year for me 1982 as it was the year I joined the RAF, so memories of basic training are my main recollections - and that awful Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come on Eileen which was on constantly and reminds me of my military beginnings. 

[Slim]

I remember our household taking delivery of a VHS recorder just before the '82 World Cup and being mesmerised when I first saw how enormous the cassettes were.

And the thrill and novelty of taping programmes while we watched a different channel - and using a remote control attached by a long lead..!

A three hour cassette cost £10 in 1981 when we got our first VHS recorder. Quite a lot of money back then.

I like to use the Mars Bar method for calculating real terms costs. So:

• A Mars Bar cost 16p in 1981
• A Mars Bar costs 65p now

Therefore in real present day terms, an E180 cassette cost the equivalent of 65/16 x £10 = £40.63

And that's ignoring the fact that Mars Bars are smaller now.

[dom]

1982 was the year I did 'O' levels and France reached the semi final of the World Cup showing themselves to be decent at football for the first time in my lifetime (bar St Etienne reaching the European Cup final a few years earlier)

One of the First games in the tournament pitted France against England.  France took the lead and I remembered that we had a French flag under the stairs.  I retrieved it and spent the rest of the game waving it while watching the game.  France lost 3 - 1 and the flag was returned to its original location.

France had a great tournament after that and reached the semi final against West Germany.  A tense 90 minutes left the game at 1 - 1 and extra time was required.  During the first period France scored 2 and led 3 - 1.  Out came the flag again for the first time since the England match and the game finished 3 - 3 after the German goalie, Schumaker, tried to behead the French player Battiston. France went on to lose on penalties.

The danger of patriotism, eh ! 

[The Picnic Wasp]

I remember our household taking delivery of a VHS recorder just before the '82 World Cup and being mesmerised when I first saw how enormous the cassettes were.

And the thrill and novelty of taping programmes while we watched a different channel - and using a remote control attached by a long lead..!

A three hour cassette cost £10 in 1981 when we got our first VHS recorder. Quite a lot of money back then.

I like to use the Mars Bar method for calculating real terms costs. So:

• A Mars Bar cost 16p in 1981
• A Mars Bar costs 65p now

Therefore in real present day terms, an E180 cassette cost the equivalent of 65/16 x £10 = £40.63

And that's ignoring the fact that Mars Bars are smaller now.

That's incredible. I'd forgotten how expensive the tapes were. That must be why I used to send requests for demo tapes of items like Yamaha or Casio keyboards. I remember I would Sellotape over the space on the casing so that I could record over them. They were usually 30 minute tapes so very useful for recording a TV programme. They were hard times financially for me, my mum and sister as my dad had died two years earlier. On this exact date 42 years ago. It makes me feel guilty that I'm now 11 years older now than he was then. He was a fit and healthy man but caught an infection helping his new employer clean out old premises as part of the company's move to new premises. It was so sad. He was ecstatic about returning to the newspaper industry after a miserable time following the Daily Express switching production to Manchester. Alas, he lost his life just as he had got it back. I suppose my life would have been very different if he had lived. University probably and who knows what else but that's a pointless thought process. I can't honestly remember how this subject began without looking back, but it was thought provoking for me. Oh yes, Channel 4!

[The Picnic Wasp]

Another Euromillions email. "You've won a prize!"

£3 this time.😩 I won't complain next time I have a £6.10 windfall.

[Slim]

Wow.  I remember watching countdown.
Used to love Fridays - countdown, the munsters, the tube...

As it happens, it's the 40th anniversary of The Tube today. I did watch it usually in its first year or two, but I can't remember the first one.

[Nickslikk2112]

Wow.  I remember watching countdown.
Used to love Fridays - countdown, the munsters, the tube...

Of course the original Countdown - Calendar Countdown - was on a Monday night on Yorkshire Television.
On before Coronation street it was.

[dom]

I think the programme originated in France "Des Chiffres et Des Lettres".

I can remember watching it in the 70s seeing the presenters and contestants look increasingly dishevelled as the week went on. Hair out of place, tie knots gradually creeping lower etc. It took me a while to realise that were filming multiple shows on the same day

[Nickslikk2112]

A shitty train journey back from London.

Booked First Class reserved seats weeks ago. Got on the train it was rammed full, all seats taken, no reservations in place. Mrs S tried to shame the people in our seats to give them up, but the selfishly entitled lowlife tattooed scum would have none of it.

Apparantly the previous train was full and they closed the barriers for it meaning scores of the great unwashed filled up the next one - ours.

Barely an apology on board and quite unsurprisingly no tickets were checked, EMR staff didn't want to get lynched.

Suffice to say a severely worded complaint has been dispatched to what passes for East Midlands Railways complaints department.

As an aside, I'll believe that there's a severely straitened economy when I see boarded up Tattoo parlours, Nail bars and Doggy Bakeries...

[pxr5]

^ They overbook the trains due to lack of services, so it's first come first served for a seat. My brother-in-law was in first class going to London and got in early for his seat. A guy got on who had also reserved the same seat so it was tough shit really. On the way back he went to get his reserved seat and none other than Tyson Fury was in it - he stood most of the ways obviously. 

[Nickslikk2112]

On the way back he went to get his reserved seat and none other than Tyson Fury was in it - he stood most of the ways obviously. 

I'd have chinned the pikey!

n.b. I'm calling him a pikey out of right to be offensive, not out of any inherent racism. Mrs S would mean it, I get called a "Tinker and Vagabond" by her because of my Irish Ancestry, I wouldn't chin her though, she's REALLY scary...

[The Picnic Wasp]

Broke a tooth during breakfast.😢