I pulled up at the lights next to an Ice Cream Van this week and was amazed at how little they have changed since my own career as an Ice Cream Man, killing time in the summer holidays. Still on offer was the ‘99’ and the ‘Oyster’. Even the boxes of wafers and cones looked exactly the same. How on Earth can they make a living in these days of marvellous Hagen Daas and Ben & Jerry’s available at all hours from Supermarkets?
For your amusement I have included a picture taken in 1972 of my pal, John Littlejohn, now a U.S.A. resident, and me on the right, with two cameras around my neck. The 35mm rangfinder camera was a Contax 2 and the twin lens reflex a MPP Microcord. I sold the Contax, but the Microcord bounced out of a shopping bag loosely fastened to the rack of a moped in Crete some years later. Gone forever, as have Suncream Dairies, my employer.
7 comments:
Ice cream vans. I always knew you had a penchant in this direction. We have one that comes through our village playing the Match of the Day theme, but he drives so fast by the time I've got my Pyrex bowl out to get a couple of pints of whipped he's two villages down the road.
It's a mystery why Disney don't sue the arse off most of the ones in London - they're so liberally covered with their characters they must be mobile copyright violations.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I had not thoroughly researched this piece and written off Suncream Dairies as one would one of their Italian ice creams. They do still exist in Tamworth and even have a web site at www.suncreamdairies.com. Good luck to them and all who sail in her.
What on earth did you have in your pocket? A box of Quality Street?
Fat wallet, as usual Ron.
I-Spy new author portrait. Looks like a pub I know in Hallaton, where I understand the Bottle Kicking takings were lifted the other night.
Correct Peter. Take an apple off the piano. Another memorable Ashlian portrait. Thanks.
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