Bitter and Lemons

I've been watching those classic Coronation Street episodes that ITV3 are showing in the afternoon. I promised myself that I would only watch them until Hilda Ogden left but here I am thirteen months later (in Coronation Street repeats terms that is, in reality, with them showing two episodes a day, it's only about three months).
I view it as a kind of time capsule of the mid-late Eighties. I mean, who wouldn't be charmed/alarmed at Bros and Rick Astley being referred to as the latest thing the kiddywinks are going mad for? Or gasp as Kim Wilde's latest chart hit gets played on the jukebox in Jim's Cafe? Or gaze in wonderment at The Kabin selling long-defunct cancer stick brand Players No.6? Or smile when you see that The Kabin is also selling the Official 1989 Iron Maiden calendar?

But what I have noticed, above everything else, is how much bitter lemon is consumed in the Rovers. In fact, it seems the only drinks consumed in the Rovers are bitter, light ale, tomato juice and bitter lemon. Was bitter lemon  really this popular? We used to have it Christmas or Mum would sometimes get a bottle in because she might have fancied "something sharp to drink". Indeed, we sometimes still buy it but I could never imagine that people would go to a pub and order a bitter lemon. Here, take a look:

Dierdre and Emily throwing a curve ball here with a pair of orange juices. 

Curly's got a round in. Bitter lemons for everyone!

I *heart* the 1980s

I reckon yesterday's attack on the 1980s may have made me look like a bit of a joy vacuum. Of course it wasn't all that bad, it's just that I get annoyed that the whole decade is summed up into Kajagoogoo, Rubik's Cubes, men in tea towels, Soda Streams and Margaret Thatcher.
I had a chat about the 1980s with my sister this morning. I said to her that I think you can't take part in a revival if you're old enough to remember it the first time around. To which she replied "Speak for yourself!" Mind you, she's hung up about getting older; she's 47 on Friday. Not only that but she's been a bit off with me since I found a booklet entitled Coping With the Menopause while clearing Mum's house, I don't think she took it very well when I tossed it to her and said "This might be of use to you."

Anyway, I've decided to compile a list of what I do like about the 1980s, in no particular order:

1. Big Country



2. Brookside



3. Gregory's Girl



4. Snogging



5. CBTV



6. An American Werewolf in London



7. Microwavable doner kebabs



8. Puma G Vilas trainers



9. Local Hero



10. The Stone Roses' Fools Gold and the second part of I Am the Resurrection



11. The Cult's Electric



12. My paper round



13. Sagging school



14. Aztec Camera's Oblivious



15. No. 73



16. My dad's delight at his weekly fix of The Dukes of Hazzard



17. The cancellation of Doctor Who



18. Tape-to-tape recorders



19. Simple Minds



20. The Sledgehammer video



21. Clare Grogan



22. The Sony Walkman



23. John Swallow



24. The Falklands war - quite entertaining for an 11 year-old



25. Anything touched by the hand of Trevor Horn



26. Raw Power (not The Stooges album but a late night heavy rock and metal TV show presented by the now editor-in-chief of Mojo magazine)



27. Nottingham Forest winning the European Cup again



28. Frank Sidebottom



29. Blue Monday



30. Holidays in Rock, Cornwall



31. Viz



32. Discovering the joys of Newcastle Brown Ale



33. The Chart Show



34. Leaving school



35. The Tube



36. The Young Ones



37. Motorhead's No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith



38. The poll tax riots



39. The Comic Strip Presents...



40. Mullets - that's mine in the photo, enjoy it while you can, it comes off tomorrow. Edit: you're too late, it's another mullet now.



41. The YTS



42. The Eight Legged Groove Machine and Astley in the Noose



43. Eleanor's 'fun' pub in Newark Vegas



44. The Police splitting



45. Maconie, Collins and Quantick on the NME



46. Smash Hits up to 1987



47. Tom Hibbert in Q



48. John Peel on Top of the Pops



49. Ayrton Senna



50. This record