General Chat

Mayfield, I was going to say Zambuc as well, I used to sneak into my Nana's bathroom cabinet to smell it. I got a tin of it on line last year, doesn't smell quite the same. I used to love looking at the little round Beachams Pills as well, knew not to take one but I was fascinated by them.

I would stand in Grandad's grenhouse just taking in it's lovely wooden smell, even better on a hot Summer day when filled with Geraniums and tomatoes.

Ooooh, yes, the smell of a hardware shop and the school stationary cupboard.

First time I tried Root beer I thought it tasted like Germoline, which smells nothing like it did, but I do have the remains of a very old tub to sniff.

Can you still get Dentine chewing gum, a very odd smell/taste.

I also love the smell of petrol but can't stand the smell of tar. M

...and what about Ralgex, for sprains and strains, oh my word did it burn if you rubbed too much on; it would make your eyes water. I am smiling here at all of our reminiscences

I certainly remeber the sting of it, GP! Kids in our primary school had a craze for giving each other Chinese burns, so he lined up all the culprits and dabbed the
sore spots with iodine: ouch!

I once had a boyfriend who was crazy about the smell of Dettol. He would put it in his bath. But I did draw the line when he wanted me to use it as perfume! :-D

GiN That boyfriend would have had you all to himself :-D

He didn't last long enough, John ;-)

John - GinM is a Geordie lass and can spot an odd ball at a glance - :-D :-D ;-)

GinM - It did sting like hell but I can't remember what it smelled like.

GP

Hi Maryanna
Seems Zam-Buc used to contain sassafras oil a by product of camphor which might explain the change in the smell. Sassafras oil is now banned it seems in some countries. If wikpedia is right it’s also closely related to a chemical in ecstasy, maybe that’s why we liked sniffing it!

We whimped out of Ralgex we used Goddards embrocation which had a strong smell but did not burn, I seem to remember it was also known a Goddards horse oil with a white horse on the bottle.

Mayfield

I lived down a country road with very little traffic that wasn't agriculturaland would run down the garden to get an extra sniff of exhaust fumes which I loved. I still don't mind them,probably because I am still rural and not constantly exposed to them.

There were Carters Little Liver Pills advertized and my mother took Iron Jelloids which were black.

Can you still buy Zubes? I had a Zubes tin for my crayons in Form 1.

@ Sharron. I have not seen Zubes for years, I loved them and can remember the smell when you opened the tin,

"GO suck a zube" that was the advertising slogan.

My childhood memorories of smells, were Stables at the local dairy,coal dust, tar.

My Great Grandad always smelled of Deep Heat, I think it was rather than Ralgex, I remember the advert for it DEEP HEAT, in a very deep man's voice.

The smell of horses and leather in the tack room.
Nana used to have soap that smelled of Lily of the Valley and Carnation talc. Grandad preferred Wrights Coal Tar.

Gran's house smelled of cabbage !! and, I have a feeling, the stuff with the white horse on the bottle.

Mayfield, that's interesting .......... ecstasy eh ? M

I had completely forgotten Zubes! When I was young my mum used to wash my hair with a coal tar soap but it wasn't anything as exotic as Wrights. It was a black bar of soap and was supposed to keep nits at bay and smelt quite strong. She then put vinegar in the final rinse to make my hair shine. So between the black coal tar soap and the vinegar I must have had quite an aroma!

Another smell that has just come back to me is fish glue which came in a block and my Dad melted it on the stove whenever he was doing anything that required sticking.

And the cat's "six pennorth of fish pieces" and bran mash which I think must have been for the rabbits as we didn't have any other animals.

The only slightly pleasant smell I can remember was my mother's "Evening in Paris" perfume, which was probably from Woolworth's as my parents weren't well off.

Sharron - I used to love the smell of exhaust fumes in Newcastle bus station!

Vera - I remember Evening In Paris perfuime, my Auntie used to wear it, and gave me an occasional dab.