Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Nostalgia

Oliver Postgate, creater of Bagpuss, Noggin the Nog, Pogles Wood, Ivor the Engine and The Clangers has died at 83 years old.

My favourites were Pogles Wood, Ivor the Engine and The Clangers.

Ivor the Engine was particularly important for me because he taught me about my quarter Welshness. My paternal granddad came from Port Talbot in South Wales. (Ivor the Engine was set in 'the top left hand corner of Wales.') We holidayed in Wales several times in this period of my youth. When it came to rugby, it was the quarter Welsh bit that mattered. My brother and Dad followed Welsh rugby union very closely and it was going through a golden age. Considered to be one of the greatest rugby teams of all time, the names Gareth Edwards and JPR Williams still bring back memories of take out beer and my brother and Dad roaring at the television.

My favourite character in Ivor the Engine was Idris the Dragon. I think there was some confusion going on in my head. As small children with good eyesight, my sister and I had been carefully trained to spot the Red Dragon and Double Dragon beer signs on the pubs as we drove through Wales on our holidays.

It didn’t, as it happens, have much of an impact on my eventual cultural identity… apart from still enjoying a male voice choir and a pair of fine male thighs!

10 comments:

Chris Stovell said...

Totally agree both with Oliver Postgate observations - can't decide which is my fave 'though do have soft spots for Noggin the Nog and the Clangers - and with appreciation of fine male thighs!

Lane Mathias said...

I'd forgotten all about Pogles Wood!

Memories:-)

Anonymous said...

I only watched Bagpuss but I loved it so much. I loved the mice "heave!"

Karen said...

I literally just read about this in the newspaper :o( We didn't have a telly growing up, so I was never really intimate with Bagpuss and Co!

Carol said...

I adored The Clangers and Nogging the Nog....Ahhh they just don't make em like they used to!!

C x

PS. Couldn't agree more on the rudby players thighs!!

BEAST said...

...and on account of my enormous thighs.

The Frogblogger said...

Tiny Clanger was my favourite. But don't remember ever watching Bagpuss, and haven't even heard of Pogles Wood... (must have been before my time ;)

Jenny Beattie said...

Chris, It's funny but I don't remember ever seeing Noggin the Nog... And thighs are definitely my favourite.

Lane, ahhh, you see we're showing our age here.

M&T, yes, HEAVE. I remember.

Karen, does that make you love TV more or less?

Carol, The Clangers, ahhhh. I loved. I have a knitted Clanger in the roof of my house in the UK. Oh yes, knitted Clangers were the way to go in 1973.

Beast, are you back on this thread banging on about your enormous... oh, thighs.

Oh Frogblogger, you've made me feel so old. Even Husband didn't remember Pogles Wood and he's 6 months older than I am! Damn.

BEAST said...

banging on my enormous thighs - now who sounds rude?

SteveMaddalena said...

The Clangers showed that Great Britain, while not a super power, had a superb grasp of deep space and all its potential.