Milk Boys

M is for
Milk Boys
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It,s normal for teenagers to want a part-time job to pay for cd,s
clothes and such like and when I was 14 i had a job with a milk-man
delivering pintas to homes in the early morning before school.I had
fashions to keep up with.In 1973 we had Sta-Prest trousers,Arthur Black
shirts, Doc Martens, Fair-isle jumpers and wrangler jeans.Every morning
the milkman Charlie would pick up me and my two pals to go to the
creamery to load up for the morning ahead.This would be at 3 a.m. and I
happened to start the job in winter.It was brutally cold at that time
but some mornings could be quiet and beautiful with nobody about but
us.I would stand on the step at the back of the van and jump on and off
with bottles of milk for the different houses.Spillages and broken
bottles were quite common as it was difficult to grip in the icy
conditions.During the summer it was great especialy when we went round
the country villages delivering and collecting payment.Charlie would
stop at a baker,s and buy us a pie or bridie and I well remember biting
into the pie and the watery meat and grease would run down my arm up to
my armpit.But I recall how tasty they were.Now and then we,d come
across a rival milk service and throw snowballs at them.On Friday we,d
get our wages and divvy up the tips between us.Usually we got around
?15 each which in 1973 was a lot.A pair of Sta-Prests cost ?5 so the
pay was good.i remember it all vividly with fondness.I also got
scunnered looking at and drinking bottles of milk.Great days
indeed: