\nThe wooden floor makes a tap tap noise under the ladies\u2019 heels.
\nStraight in front of me, to the left is the small low counter on top of which is the biggest heaviest book I ever saw in my whole life. It was where I had to go to pay the paper bill.
\nFilthy hands, this way and that way turn the great heavy pages until they find our address. In exchange for mums bit of money I am handed the tiniest slip of dirty paper and I am expected to look after it and hand it over to mum!
\nAlong the counter to my right is where I have to queue for dad\u2019s cigs. While I am being ignored by the shopkeeper chatting to the grown ups, I look at the posh boxes of chocolates high up on the shelves behind him. Oh they looked so beautiful, couldn\u2019t I just sell my soul for a box of Milk Tray? Under my nose are all the expensive bars of chocolate, Cadburys Dairy Milk, Fruit and Nut, Whole Nut, I don\u2019t see any more, way out of my league, which is probably why.
\n\u201cTen Embassy please and a box of matches\u201d \u201cthank you\u201d
\nAt last, errands done I turn to my right and face the right hand side of the shop.
\nRight under my nose are Bounty, Crunchie, Mars bars, Flake (my favourite) The smell of the chocolate is heavenly. This is where the Polos are! Both mint and fruit and Spangles!
\n<\/em>
\nWho remembers Spangles?<\/p>\n
On the shelves behind the counter were the jars of sweets that you bought by the twopenneth! Oh where has that come from? I can hear my dad asking for them\u2026
\nMy favourite from the jars were either the violets, were they crystallised? No I don\u2019t remember them being sugary, perhaps you will help me? or those tiny little fruit balls, oh I just can\u2019t remember their name!
\nPears, I remember pears.. no more though.<\/p>\n
I have to wait here patiently because there are other kids from the street peering into the big tall glass fronted cabinet that held the kind of sweets that I could afford. Penny chews, black jacks, fruit salad, sherbet dabs, lucky dips, liquorice, round and very hard candy lollies on a white stick, shrimps, candy cigarettes with the little red bit on the end! Still waiting and thinking about great long red laces, flying saucers, gob stoppers! They have a gorgeous aniseed bit in the middle. There are always grown ups hanging around looking at the magazines. Us kids were never allowed to look at anything, or even wait by the papers! It is many many many, years since I went to the shops for my mum but the packet of fruit Polos took me right back inside the shop. I bet my brother on the Island could add to my memory and to my list of sweeties in Dawson\u2019s. I saw a packet of fruit Polos in the shop yesterday. I knew the name of course and tried to remember if they might be the same as the ones I used to buy as a child. They didn\u2019t look … Continue reading
\n<\/em>
\nNo wonder all the kids smoked, OMG it started with a sweetie\u2026 <\/p>\n
\nMum loves the liquorice dipped into sherbet\u2026Oh what will I choose?
\n\u201c6 fruit salads please\u201d
\n<\/em>
\nI turn around to my right to leave and notice over on the other side of the shop where all the magazines and newspapers were kept, a bunch of kids looking at a magazine and giggling.
\n\u201cPut that down! get out of the shop\u201d the shopkeeper yelled. The kids are long gone before he gets to clip their ears.<\/p>\n
\nNow, come back early tomorrow morning before school, then it would be a different story. We would all be there elbowing each other to get at the papers for our paper rounds\u2026<\/em>
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/miriamrogers.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/Polo.jpg\" "\\"Polo\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\nFortunately I had the presence of mind to take photo before I ate them all.
\nYes they still tasted the same, particularly the orange one.
\nPerfumes and flavours have a very powerful effect on me, they can take me right back\u2026<\/p>\n
\nWhat sweet shop memories do you have?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"