It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

When somebody told me recently that it was the 40th anniversary of the summer of love, I was gobsmacked. Where did all the years go? Is it really four decades since flower power, hippies, love and peace and all that stuff?

I still remember it vividly and I'm sure many other older members do too. But it must be said that flower power in Accy was not quite the same as flower power in San Francisco. One incident that sticks in my mind concerns a local hard case who had, for some unknown reason, taken a particular dislike to my mate and gave him a bit of hassle whenever he saw him up the Con. One night in that iconic summer, we were walking through the bus station, when said hard case, along with another equally tough mate came along the other way. With bus shelters on one side and the market hall wall on the other, there was no escape and we just had to carry on walking towards them with sinking hearts. As the hard guy reached my mate, his hand shot out...

...but as it did, we noticed something strange. His jacket fell open to reveal a floral shirt underneath and he grabbed hold of my mate's hand and started shaking it while uttering the classic words, "Thought I were gonna hit y'then, didn't you? Don't worry, I wouldn't hit anybody now except with a flower." With this, he wandered off with a beaming smile on his face, while we hastened to our homes to change our trousers. Obviously, his flower child conversion couldn't last, but the funny thing was, he was always very friendly towards my mate from then on and, in fact, turned out to be a sound bloke. So maybe the summer of love did some good, after all!

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Make Love not War........Peace man...........:hippy: :hippy: :hippy:

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Eee im too young for that Wynonie hehehehehe:D

No summer of love here atm - plenty of noise tho:eek: has anyone got any ear defenders going???

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Who said that the drugs don't work?:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

good tale wyn,which i can identify with lol, the time certainly brought about a change in me, think it was more the advent of puff,amphetamines, and dexys etc mixed with less alcohol,was a great summer the downside being lost a few mates after cos they sadly got addicted.enjoyed every min of that time. must state clearly though! i never had a FLOWERED SHIRT.:D going now to the music thread - ya got me at it.;)

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Was it really so long ago? Crikey!

Yes, I admit to having a carnation tucked behind my ear and a jangling yellow cowbell on a leather thong round my neck with flowers painted on it. The flowers were painted on the cowbell, not on my neck. :D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

If your going to San Fransisco ,be sure to wear some flowers in your hair .
http://www.animationplayhouse.com/girl_colors.gif

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

I was born that summer so cant remember it!!!!

(I'll make Cashy feel old :D )

Mind you it is 30 years since star wars came out!!! :D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

i may be old jen but i'm sure as hell happy i lived it.:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

I think I missed it Man...............

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

where you in a retreat doug?:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

I missed it too - was working full time - coping with a 2 yr old - moving house - all with NO HELP WHATSOEVER from an Andy Capp husband

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

I don't know if I missed it or not ... I was stoned at the time ... I think I had fun ... wasn't there a new trinity: sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll?

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

I was too busy raising a 3 year old and a nearly 2 year old to really notice. Some of us just had lives to get on with. :p

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

still into the drugs mate, only differance i need em to survive.:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Did you enjoy your self then ,because you can not turn the clock back now.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

enjoyed myself then, enjoy myself now. never could tell the time.:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Sadly it passed me by as i was busy playing footy on the rec,riding my bike,playing japs & commandoes,climbing trees & learning the english language(i'd just moved back over from Brazil,so could only speak portugese),oh & being amazed at this 'baby sister' thing we'd aquired:DStill a lot of that summer of love lives on in my record collection.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Hyndburn doesn't seem to have been a hot bed for long haired, kaftan wearing, flower children.

When I was at primary school in the mid seventies, a young teacher by the name of Peter Britcliffe, whose hair was suspiciously long, perhaps turned on, tuned in, and dropped out, in the Summer of Love.:D

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Don't think so - by the mid-70's, every bloke was wearing his hair long, even bank clerks.

It would be nice to "out" Peter as a former flower child, but I seem to remember that he was not a member of any of the three great teenage tribes (hairies, mods and rockers) that inhabited downtown Accy back then.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Bit of a 'square' then was he:DObviously planning for his political future back then,did'nt want any skeletons falling out of the closet from his days as a bit of a wild child.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

noway was he, sure either wyn, or me, would have remembered, he certainly wasn't a face about town.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

Can't honestly remember him putting in an appearance anywhere at that time - the Deck, Dahlia, Olympus, Disco Club, Jazz Club etc. Perhaps he was a regular face at the Young Conservatives, although I wouldn't know about that!

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

That was a truley remarkable time, we used to paint flowers on our faces and wear bells on our shoes. What a brilliant time it was to grow up in our teens:)

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

There is a Summer Of Love festival going on in Lyme Regis this weekend. I know because my son is playing there and has spent a lot of time this week in rehearsal learning a set of 60's music. The band will be dressed in hippy gear - wish I could have gone.

Re: It Was 40 Years Ago Today - The Summer Of Love
 

that does sound the biz, not a bad place either.;)