Heartbreaking Nostalgia

[norman]

A thread to post whatever pushes your nostalgia button. I hope it doesn't just fill up with historic pop songs.

In my case, nostalgia and naivety go hand in hand. Perhaps other associations will surface.


I'll kick it off with a look at 1960s Britain.


10 Everyday Things Brits Did in the 60s That VANISHED Forever
Jul 19, 2025

Britain once had a rhythm, a warmth, and a way of life you simply don’t see anymore. These were the REAL British days — when people knew their neighbors, the streets were alive with daily routines, and simple traditions made every day feel special. From the first morning greeting to the last pint at the local pub, these lost customs defined a generation.

Today, most have vanished. No more fixing things yourself, chatting to strangers in the shop, or picking up the daily newspaper with a smile. These weren’t just habits — they were the heart of British life.

In this video, we take you back to a Britain that felt real, honest, and alive. The places, the gestures, and the spirit that made the UK unique… and why we lost it all. If you remember these days, or wish you’d lived them, hit subscribe and join the conversation: What do you miss most about the real British days?

bOmxaNYzeOo

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

We do have the only recently begun Nostalgia Thread (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?129323-The-Nostalgia-Thread), albeit in a different section. If you're not opposed, I could easily move this over to that one.

[thepainterdoug]

In Light of this post, I would like to share a pic of my Classic Mini Cooper from England

It is a rare sight in the states here in NJ. This is one of the most beautiful designed car in history. Its small, yet big on the inside with a kind face.

The design is so endearing, that kids, little children, know its different, exclaiming, mommy mommy, theres a little toy car !

Gals love it, guys love it, it brings smiles and kind eyes to everyone. A beautiful break from the boring electric sterile march in step drudgery.

pd

[Johnnycomelately]

We do have the only recently begun Nostalgia Thread (https://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?129323-The-Nostalgia-Thread), albeit in a different section. If you're not opposed, I could easily move this over to that one.

Good idea. The 2 other posts so far in this thread, match The Nostalgia Thread to a tee, nothing heartbreaking here (yet?). Just good old nostalgia!

Thanks for the reminder of your thread, I had seen it but have missed a bit since.

If you do move posts over, and close this thread, I expect that this post and yours will be deleted as irrelevant.

[jaybee]

In Light of this post, I would like to share a pic of my Classic Mini Cooper from England

It is a rare sight in the states here in NJ. This is one of the most beautiful designed car in history. Its small, yet big on the inside with a kind face.

The design is so endearing, that kids, little children, know its different, exclaiming, mommy mommy, theres a little toy car !

Gals love it, guys love it, it brings smiles and kind eyes to everyone. A beautiful break from the boring electric sterile march in step drudgery.

pd


I love to think of you driving that lovely little Mini around the roads in America....with all the big cars and I notice the steering wheel is on the 'wrong' side....haha - so it must have been made especialy for the US market...

I live around 9/10 miles away from the place where the Mini was originally made....Longbridge on the outskirts of Birmingham - it was a time when those who got a job at Longbridge earned more money than most of the working class - if someone got a job at Longbridge they were considered well off....they had hit the Big Time... :)


AI Overview
The History of Longbridge - Longbridge Birmingham
The Mini was indeed manufactured at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham for many years. The first Mini rolled off the production line at Longbridge in 1959. The plant became the primary production site for the Mini, and it remained so for over four decades. The Longbridge factory produced over 5 million Minis during its 41-year production run

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

my Dad had a job at a factory in Bromsgrove (Garringtons) that also paid good wages - on the presses....you could hear the rhythmic boom boom boom of the presses echoing in the background through the area in the stillness of night - of course that caused hearing problems for the men who worked on the presses... including my Dad.... his factory held parties and other events for the children of the employees - including Christmas....when every child (there seemed to be hundreds of us) had a present - and me and my brother would sit at the long tables with all the other kids enjoying the feast..... sandwiches, jelly and blancmange and cake.... singing songs and having such a brilliant time....

Garringtons was quite a family affair..... not sure if Longbridge did all that - but they were considered the crème de la crème of factory jobs in the area....


The 1,000,000th Mini off the production line at the Longbridge, Birmingham. February 2 1965. (https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/nostalgia/gallery/look-back-longbridge-cars-through-28419637)

https://i2-prod.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article28420126.ece/ALTERNATES/s1227b/0_60th-anniversary-of-the-Mini.jpg

[thepainterdoug]

Jaybee/ love this and thanks for sending. I will share with a great Mini racer here in the states. Yes , I love driving my mini cause it promotes kindness and outbreaks of smiles. I had a maroon one first but the gearbox broke, I fixed it and sold it to someone.
Then I saw on the net , someone selling one in California who bought 5 from the showroom in England when BMW was taking over. He had two left and I bought the green one from him sight unseen. It had 6 miles on it! Thats it!!

they made the car so you could convert the steering in which they did in CA.

I would say I own the car for about 25 years now. People often say, Doug, I love your mini! My response; hey ,don't get personal !

[Le Chat]

Six miles!
Fantastic. What's on the clock thesedays?

[jaybee]

In Light of this post, I would like to share a pic of my Classic Mini Cooper from England

It is a rare sight in the states here in NJ. This is one of the most beautiful designed car in history. Its small, yet big on the inside with a kind face.


fun fact.... re the bolded.....

Big enough, in fact, to fit 28 women in..... :wow:....it was a bit of a squeeze but they did it (12 years ago)


28 Women Stuff Into a Mini, Set Guinness World Record! (3:30)


cp8xJRFirAM

:chuckle:

[Bill Ryan]

There are quite a few original minis on the road in Ecuador. I see them all the time. :)

Here's a really nice one (a Mini Cooper 2-seater from 1974) for sale right now: :heart:
($13,000, 76,080 km/ 47,274 miles)

https://ecuador.patiotuerca.com/vehicle/autos-mini-cooper-quito-1974/1757999
(click to see the many photos)

https://images.patiotuerca.com/thumbs/w/990x540xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/672023/1757999/o_o/pt_1757999_12054703.jpg

https://images.patiotuerca.com/thumbs/w/990x540xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/672023/1757999/o_o/pt_1757999_12054709.jpg

This one (https://ecuador.patiotuerca.com/vehicle/autos-mini-austin_1000-quito-1980/1827933) is cheaper ($8,900), but with a far higher mileage and just a regular Mini: :thumbsup:

https://images.patiotuerca.com/thumbs/w/990x540xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/2024520/1827933/o_o/pt_1827933_3890235.jpeg

[Heart to heart]

My husband Reg was a secondhand and antique dealer and one day in the 70s he was asked to clear a house in Cowes on the Isle of Wight where we have lived for the last 56 years. There was a pale blue Mini under a cover in the drive and he asked if that was to be included in the sale. It was and he bought it for me! But I didn’t drive at the time, too busy raising children, working in the shop and upholstering antique furniture. His comment “ Carolyn, I have bought you a car and you better learn to drive!” I was 42 at the time!
I did and that little car took Margo Williams, her husband Wally, and me on all our magical journeys around the island releasing earthbound spirits. Wally was very tall and always had to sit in the back!
1947 RU was the registration and she eventually went to my daughter when she learned to drive.
I still see the number plate sometimes on another car because my Mini eventually went to the great scrap heap in the sky.
What joy I had driving her in those amazing days. Such incredible memories!

[RatRodRob...RRR]

At thepainterdoug Love your Mini mate, they were very popular back in Australia when i was a young bloke, but yours had only 6 miles on it, thats crazy, its prolly not even fully run in, was yours the 1275 cc version..?
My very first car was a Mini Moke, my god i had some fun in that, i often get all nostalgic and i take myself back to the 70s with the Moke.

My last car was my VW Kombi camper, that was more fun than the Mini moke and gave me many memories of road trips around Australia, mate those were the days.
Thats my Kombi in my avatar thingy, i had to sell her bout 7 yrs ago, she took me into the bush, the Victorian Goldfields, i would camp out there for 3-4 days at a time, man i miss that prospecting for coins and relics, i might aswell post this vid of a large coin i uncovered, god i miss those days.

There is some colorful language used, not meant to be offensive, just descriptive.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h331vsfhawA

Looking back on my prospecting days fills me with a deep connection to the bush, mothernature is so wonderful and all the creatures i come across out there, lizards, snakes, spiders, roos, echidnas, parrots, kookaburras, wombats and Koalas, luv it all.

RRR

[thepainterdoug]

Jaybee

i call foul the 28 women are not getting in a mini. its a BMW phony mini, not a mini cooper. real mini owners call that, the biggie


Le Chat/ i think about 60 thou, but the engine was rebuilt

[jaybee]

Jaybee

i call foul the 28 women are not getting in a mini. its a BMW phony mini, not a mini cooper. real mini owners call that, the biggie




oooookaaay...I stand corrected :) - further research reveals that the 'BMW phony mini' is one woman bigger than the Classic Mini.... and 27 fitted into that -

Most people crammed in a Mini (Classic model) (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-people-crammed-in-a-mini-cooper)

happy now? ;)

:car:

[Johnnycomelately]

Jaybee

i call foul the 28 women are not getting in a mini. its a BMW phony mini, not a mini cooper. real mini owners call that, the biggie




oooookaaay...I stand corrected :) - further research reveals that the 'BMW phony mini' is one woman bigger than the Classic Mini.... and 27 fitted into that -

Most people crammed in a Mini (Classic model) (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-people-crammed-in-a-mini-cooper)

happy now? ;)

:car:


Finally, the thread lives up to its title. Heartbreaking. I hope you two kiss and make up.

Looks like nostalgia can be a dangerous indulgence. Who woulda thunk?

[jaybee]

Jaybee

i call foul the 28 women are not getting in a mini. its a BMW phony mini, not a mini cooper. real mini owners call that, the biggie




oooookaaay...I stand corrected :) - further research reveals that the 'BMW phony mini' is one woman bigger than the Classic Mini.... and 27 fitted into that -

Most people crammed in a Mini (Classic model) (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-people-crammed-in-a-mini-cooper)

happy now? ;)

:car:


Finally, the thread lives up to its title. Heartbreaking. I hope you two kiss and make up.

Looks like nostalgia can be a dangerous indulgence. Who woulda thunk?

:eyebrows:

ok another Mini post..... two fold nostalgia.... for the days when just about everyone went to see certain films at the cinema...or 'Pictures' as it was also called in Britain ... which created a bond...

(spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen the Italian Job (1969) yet but intends to)

The Italian Job (Car Chase-Mini Coopers) (10:20)

kuKYtRuDiuw


The Italian Job car chase!!!(Complete) It is after this movie that the Mini Cooper got so popular in SL, everyone who had a mini, started modifying! Another movie by the same name was produced with the new model Mini Coopers!

[Johnnycomelately]

:eyebrows:

ok another Mini post..... two fold nostalgia.... for the days when just about everyone went to see certain films at the cinema...or 'Pictures' as it was also called in Britain ... which created a bond...

(spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't seen the Italian Job (1969) yet but intends to)

The Italian Job (Car Chase-Mini Coopers) (10:20)

kuKYtRuDiuw


The Italian Job car chase!!!(Complete) It is after this movie that the Mini Cooper got so popular in SL, everyone who had a mini, started modifying! Another movie by the same name was produced with the new model Mini Coopers!


Yup. That is where the Bourne franchise got their idea.

This set of clips ends too soon, am missing Jason wiping the car for prints. Life was much simpler, before DNA.

Bourne Identity Car Chase Scene

BiggousDickous
2.29K subscribers

Posted Sept 25, 2008.

Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) being chased through the streets of Paris. Original Sound!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD0VD3LElOI[/url]

[Isserley]

Heartbreaking Nostalgia - in my case, it is not related to objects nor people at all. It is more about the hole I feel in my stomach when I remember my "before" state. The state before coming here, where I lost myself little by little. Only remnants and that infinite hole remain. Life in matter corrupts the spirit, whether we like it or not. This body alone acts as a prison, especially with age and deteriorating health.
No matter how hard I try to be positive and maintain this temple of the soul, it still feels like I am in a windowless cell where I persistently arrange that cell day after day to make it tidy and as bearable as possible.

All that remains is an ever fading memory of a feeling that has long since disappeared and is starting to seem like a dream or a delusion.

Zeitgeist we currently live in does not support the soul at all, but rather denies it. Such a world invokes great sadness.

"There is a kind of sadness that comes from knowing too much, from seeing the world as it truly is. It is the sadness of understanding that life is not a grand adventure, but a series of small, insignificant moments, that love is not a fairy tale, but a fragile, fleeting emotion, that happiness is not a permanent state, but a rare, fleeting glimpse of something we can never hold onto. And in that understanding, there is a profound loneliness, a sense of being cut off from the world, from other people, from oneself."

Virginia Woolf

[Harmony]

Dear Issserly, with the world events as they are and sometimes "pieces" of our life can be so difficult to live and witness. It can feel like we are "walking through the valley of darkness". When I feel that way, I expand that spark within (for me it is a Christ energy) that connects me to our Source, "please bring light and trust to what is there that I cannot see." Somehow I find strength beyond our cells and body that we shall come out of this all ok, somewhere, and keep walking on.


No one really knows another's pain, but I send you love and pray that all you need will be given before you even need to ask:heart:




Heartbreaking Nostalgia - in my case, it is not related to objects nor people at all. It is more about the hole I feel in my stomach when I remember my "before" state. The state before coming here, where I lost myself little by little. Only remnants and that infinite hole remain. Life in matter corrupts the spirit, whether we like it or not. This body alone acts as a prison, especially with age and deteriorating health.
No matter how hard I try to be positive and maintain this temple of the soul, it still feels like I am in a windowless cell where I persistently arrange that cell day after day to make it tidy and as bearable as possible.

All that remains is an ever fading memory of a feeling that has long since disappeared and is starting to seem like a dream or a delusion.

Zeitgeist we currently live in does not support the soul at all, but rather denies it. Such a world invokes great sadness.

"There is a kind of sadness that comes from knowing too much, from seeing the world as it truly is. It is the sadness of understanding that life is not a grand adventure, but a series of small, insignificant moments, that love is not a fairy tale, but a fragile, fleeting emotion, that happiness is not a permanent state, but a rare, fleeting glimpse of something we can never hold onto. And in that understanding, there is a profound loneliness, a sense of being cut off from the world, from other people, from oneself."

Virginia Woolf

[Isserley]

Thank you for the wonderful words of comfort and hope dear Harmony. I know I sound grim, but the feeling that overcame me today is fortunately not dominant and I can still find happiness and hope for a better tomorrow (whatever that means).

But when it comes to nostalgia - the kind that breaks hearts, then it is that feeling of a suppressed or broken connection with the soul due to the storms of life that comes to the surface.

[Pam]

I love your car, Doug!!! I used to own a Nash Metropolitan. In a sense they remind me of each other. I ran into problems finding parts for it when something broke but I doubt that will be the case with you. I love little cars. I was always a huge fan of the vw bug... but yours is a little cutey. Can you make it into a convertible?

[Pam]

Heartbreaking Nostalgia - in my case, it is not related to objects nor people at all. It is more about the hole I feel in my stomach when I remember my "before" state. The state before coming here, where I lost myself little by little. Only remnants and that infinite hole remain. Life in matter corrupts the spirit, whether we like it or not. This body alone acts as a prison, especially with age and deteriorating health.
No matter how hard I try to be positive and maintain this temple of the soul, it still feels like I am in a windowless cell where I persistently arrange that cell day after day to make it tidy and as bearable as possible.

All that remains is an ever fading memory of a feeling that has long since disappeared and is starting to seem like a dream or a delusion.

Zeitgeist we currently live in does not support the soul at all, but rather denies it. Such a world invokes great sadness.

"There is a kind of sadness that comes from knowing too much, from seeing the world as it truly is. It is the sadness of understanding that life is not a grand adventure, but a series of small, insignificant moments, that love is not a fairy tale, but a fragile, fleeting emotion, that happiness is not a permanent state, but a rare, fleeting glimpse of something we can never hold onto. And in that understanding, there is a profound loneliness, a sense of being cut off from the world, from other people, from oneself."

Virginia Woolf

Isserley, I just found a picture of me at 19. I was taking a short trip and actually carried my cat with me. There was such a twinkle of joy in my eyes and even the cat was happy to be carried by me on a trip to a boat ride. That sparkle of mystery is gone. The sense of possibility, the hole , I get it. I have spent just a about a year, mostly silent. Doesn't seem I have much to say so why blather on. I can go days without saying a word, without wishing to say a word. I have the luxury of being able to do that.

[thepainterdoug]

jaybee/ and everyone. it is rare that I am ever angry with anyone. I love you all!! was just being a stickler for accuracy in fact and detail

Minis were made from 1959 to 1999 My lil green one is a 1999 British Open classic car with an electric sunroof.

then BMW bought them and americanized the car. most all real mini people do not like the bmw model.

[jaybee]

jaybee/ and everyone. it is rare that I am ever angry with anyone. I love you all!! was just being a stickler for accuracy in fact and detail

Minis were made from 1959 to 1999 My lil green one is a 1999 British Open classic car with an electric sunroof.

then BMW bought them and americanized the car. most all real mini people do not like the bmw model.

re bolded...... :)....... I know and good for you - I was just playing - and your sharing of the pic of you and your Mini inspired some great posts... :thumbsup:

My Grandpa had a classic mini in the late 60s / early 70's - it was a lime green colour

then his eyesight deteriorated and Mom took it over - then one day there was a prang and it was one of those accidents where the car behind banged into the mini and made it bang into the car in front - no fault of Mom's but it all got complicated insurance~wise and it had to be scrapped with damage to the front AND back...

[jaybee]

..... two fold nostalgia.... for the days when just about everyone went to see certain films at the cinema...or 'Pictures' as it was also called in Britain ... which created a bond...


like Love Story (1970)..... at the end audiences were not just crying quietly but sobbing .... myself included....in fact just listening to the Theme music has set me off again just now...

one of the comments that encapsulates the emotion...


this is the movie I will forever cherish. everytime I hear this theme I can immediately feel tears flow into my eyes. this film made me feel something a single film has never made me feel. I will never forget.. ”love means never having to say you’re sorry” 💔

Theme From Love Story (3:20)


53Nh3XxBiWg


(ps. @ Johnnycomelately - - you wanted some 'heartbreaking' nostalgia - how will this do you...? ... :)

dabbing away the tears as I type.....

[RunningDeer]

:Music:Back up copy.:Music::Music:

Henry Mancini & His Orchestra - Theme from "Love Story”
9ab3rOIhHVM




..... two fold nostalgia.... for the days when just about everyone went to see certain films at the cinema...or 'Pictures' as it was also called in Britain ... which created a bond...


like Love Story (1970)..... at the end audiences were not just crying quietly but sobbing .... myself included....in fact just listening to the Theme music has set me off again just now...

one of the comments that encapsulates the emotion...


this is the movie I will forever cherish. everytime I hear this theme I can immediately feel tears flow into my eyes. this film made me feel something a single film has never made me feel. I will never forget.. ”love means never having to say you’re sorry” 💔

Theme From Love Story (3:20)


53Nh3XxBiWg


(ps. @ Johnnycomelately - - you wanted some 'heartbreaking' nostalgia - how will this do you...? ... :)

dabbing away the tears as I type.....

[Rawhide68]

I feel nostalgia for the 1920's and have no clue at all why that is. My parents wasnt even born back then.

If I had a time machine, the year I want to go back to is 1926 for some reason.
Could this have to with a previous incarnation of me in that time?

I have not tried hypnotic regression therapy but I'm curious why I always have had this fascination for that time on this planet even as a child.
Nostalgia to me is watching pictures, photos and films from that time.

Here is the latest episode from my favorite YouTube channel
*The1920sChannel*

dqKmv7rQjuE

[Bruce G Charlton]

I am a bit late contributing to the Mini car nostalgia, but this thread comes as a synchronicity. So here goes...

My family had a series of (about five?) Minis across about twenty-five years and starting with a very early model.

I learned to drive and passed my test on one of these - a mid 1970s model.

I always enjoyed driving the Mini. It's road-holding was good; engine braking was so marked that you hardly needed to use the footblake; it was good in the snow; and I found it quite acceptable even on long journeys (eg Edinburgh to Bristol). The seating was comfortable - or at least did not give me a backache (as so many car seats did), despite me being 6ft tall.

The early models had better design features IMO (e.g. sliding windows allowing large door pockets, a boot lid that opened with a hinge at the bottom, to make a shelf; hydrolastic suspension).

I later inherited an early 1980s model that was the only car I've owned with which I had a kind of personal relationship.

I still miss the Mini, in some ways.