[jambutty]

Once upon a time there were thr …. Sorry! That’s a fairy tale but this is not.

Toothpaste! Or more precisely the tube that it comes in.

Not too many years ago toothpaste came in a tube made from an alloy of lead and something, probably zinc. There was probably a thin coating of something on the inside to prevent the lead content of the tube from leaching into the toothpaste and poisoning the user.

As most of the toothpaste was used up you could place the tube on a flat surface and with the handle of the toothbrush push the remnants towards the neck. And then to prevent the contents oozing back down the tube you rolled or folded it up from the bottom. Or as we used to do, is very carefully put the tube part way through a mangle.

Don’t ask what happens if you put it through too far. You don’t really want to know. On the other hand. BANG!!!! Ooooo! What a gooey mess on the floor, the walls and anything else that happened to be within range, like a passing cat or with a bit of luck the mother-in-law, who came for an afternoon visit and was still around several years later.

Today all the tubes are plastic with a memory akin to that of Leslie Welch. Only old gits like myself or apprentice geriatrics, again like myself, are likely to remember him. I’ll leave it to one of them to explain if they’ve a mind to. In other words no sooner have you folded the tube to trap the toothpaste near the neck it just about instantly unrolls thus negating your efforts.

It’s called progress I suppose.

What is your life’s little annoyance?