These Are The Days Of Our Life

 

                                                     Sometimes I get to feelin'

I was back in the old days, long ago

When we were kids, when we were young

Things seemed so perfect, you know?

The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young

The sun was always shinin', we just lived for fun.*

Have you seen Channel 4's 'It's A Sin?

It's got me all nostalgic for the 80s.

That was definitely the time that I had the most fun and while it has been wonderful being a mum and seeing my four children grow up, it has always had an undercurrent of fear.

Not so my youth.

During the time 'It's A Sin' is set, between 1985 and 1988 coincided with my years at Bangor University, when life was all about fun, friends and squeezing the most out of every day and night.

It was such an optimistic time when I truly felt I could do anything and be anything I wanted.

If only that feeling could be bottled.

My first day at uni in late September 1985

I was the first in my family to go to university.

My dad left school at 14 and my mum, 16.

They were so proud.

But I couldn't wait to leave my two up, two down terraced home in Manchester and hit the bright lights and big city of Bangor - well it did have a cathedral!

I remember my Chemistry teacher saying 'going to university was the respectable way to leave home.'

I didn't needed an excuse.

In my first year I lived in a women-only hall of residence which left a distinct smell of disinfectant on your clothes and hair. 

Everyone at uni knew where you lived when you walked into a lecture.

I swear when I picked these photos out of the album, they still had that smell.

Few people had a television in their room and I remember we would meet up in the TV room next to the dining hall every evening.

It was there, during my first week that I watched the news and heard that Rock Hudson had died.

It was around this time that Aids started to enter my consciousness.

And then my friend told me how her gran had thrown away a cup after she had taken her gay friend round to the house for coffee. 

A very similar scene is in "It's A Sin.'

On my first day I stuck up photos of my old friends and family from home and very soon the walls were filled with snapshots of my new friends.

I was never without an instamatic camera in the days when we had to send the film away to be printed.

Mungo Jerry played in the students' union during Fresher's Week but it was Divine who for some inexplicable reason decided to play at Bangor University that stole the show later that year.

Sadly, he had died before we graduated.

In our second year I shared a house with my then boyfriend (and now husband) and four others.

We lived in an amazing house called Pen-y-bryn which means top of the hill and I had a fabulous view from my bedroom window.

I think we only cleaned the house once on our first day.

In 1988 Paul and I shared a tiny house and the year was frantic trying to fit everything into that final year.

While I have been fortunate enough not to lose any of my 80s friends to Aids I did lose one very good friend, Gideon, who died in a climbing accident.

I can still see his lovely face now and to me he remains forever young, smiling and sweet.

I left uni with a husband, an English degree and a feeling I couldn't articulate, one I discovered last year is called saudade.

A feeling summed up in this fabulous song by Queen.

In fact it was only when Freddie Mercury died that I felt a connection to Aids.

I just loved him and remember staying up all night with friends watching Live Aid on the telly.

And if you like watching a telly - I would high recommend 'It's A Sin' although beware who you watch it with as the first episode is on the hedonistic side.

Those years between 1985 and 1988 were the days of my life but these are the days of my life too.

These are the days of our lives

They've flown in the swiftness of time

These days are all gone now but some things remain

When I look and I find, no change

Those were the days of our lives, yeah

The bad things in life were so few

Those days are all gone now but one thing's still true

When I look and I find, I still love you

I still love you *

* lyrics by BRIAN MAY, FREDDIE MERCURY, JOHN DEACON, ROGER TAYLOR

So today in homage to the 80s I am wearing big hair, lace, bling and bright colours.

Have a great weekend.

I wore:

Boots and Lace Body - M & S

Dress - H&M