Courtesy of the Random Word Generator, today's word is "Dustbin".
A dustbin today is almost a redundant concept. The nearest we might get to one is a bin in a kitchen for waste. The Wheelie Bins that are ubiquitous on our streets on collection today are almost nothing like the dustbins we had when I was a child. They were actually made out of metal, can you imagine that? They looked a little like this
although not as shiny, usually.
The rattle of a dustbin lid being replaced is one of those sounds that resonates through the years. It reminds me of school holidays when I'd be at home for the collection and could watch through the window, not being allowed outside in case I got in the way.
Never mind mechanical contrivances to lift them, readers of A Certain Age will probably remember that these things were manually lifted and emptied into a Dustcart by a breed known as Dustmen. These guys were strange and almost kind of otherworldly to me when I was five or six. Tradesmen who visited the house were respectful and deferential but the dustmen were filled with pet names and nicknames for everyone. And for some reason they had to have gifts when they made their last rounds before Christmas - a peculiarity of my mother's that I've never understood.
1 comment:
I remember the dustmen (or scaffies as we called them) being given tins of beer at Christmas/New Year... 4, One each, for unlike today there were 4 men to a lorry. :)
Post a Comment