Creamola Foam

Creamola Foam was a little tub of powder that, when mixed with water, turned into a fizzy fruit flavoured drink. Creamola Foam was the drink of choice for generations of children across Scotland who would enjoy making "big glasses" using the flavoured crystals and water. The drink originally came in Raspberry, Orange, and Lemon flavours and Cola was a later addition to the range. Creamola Foam became popular in Scotland from the 1950s onwards. After the grim days of austerity and rationing, having a fizzy drink you could mix yourself was quite a luxury and it remained popular. The production of the brand ceased in 1998, sparking a wave of disappointment and a growing campaign for its return ever since. The exact formula which made the sugary concoction so special was lost when production ceased in 1998, leaving would-be revivalists relying on nothing more than imprecise ingredient lists and recollections of how the drink tasted, looked and felt in the mouth.

Alas a clone of Creamola Foam has yet to be realised.

Home Shopping 1970s Style

Whilst on the theme of times when people didn’t have cars to travel everywhere in the 1970s, there were vans and lorries coming round to your street selling and delivering all manner of things. There were the usual milk lorries and ice cream vans, but we also had the fish van from Gourdon, Cargill’s butcher’s van from Arbroath, the van from Nicholl’s bakery and the lemonade lorry from Bon Accord in Aberdeen. You put the empty lemonade bottles on the doorstep from the week before and the lemonade laddies would take away the empties and bring back full bottles. The bottles of lemonade each carried a “deposit” which meant when you returned the bottles you got money.

The Changing Face of the Co-Op

I have become aware that the Co-Op brand again appears to be more visible around the streets of Dundee. The shop at the top of Caird Avenue has recently been re-branded as a Co-Op once again, years after it was last "The Sosh". The Co-Op used to be a major brand locally. In Dundee there were shops all over the place, especially local supermarkets with their dividend stamps and also a large store at the bottom of Peter Street in the City Centre that sold furniture and electrical goods.

My earliest memories of "The Sosh" were my gran buying a new washboard to do the laundry and of course the aforementioned "divi" stamps that were dished out with every purchase. It seemed to be at the heart of every community at a time when the corporate giants didn't even exist.

Having taken over Somerfield in 2008, they became the fifth biggest food retailer, but seem to be adopting a strategy that is different from the large, edge of town, superstores built by the big four. Smaller, locally based stores cater for those who want convenience without having to travel distances for their weekly shop. It is a strategy that might just work.

Credit Crunch Bingo

In tandem with George Osborne's spending review I have revised the old office bingo and suggested a new version. Some of you will no doubt be familiar with the game of office bingo. Devised as an antidote to overly long and boring meetings, this game kept participants alert by trying to catch their colleagues out when they resorted to management speak, watching for words or phrases like:

win-win

continuous improvement

out of the loop

ballpark

out of the box thinking

strategic fit

However in these days of austerity I argue that language in organisations will have to adapt and so perhaps a new set of bingo cards should be made with words or phrases like:

in the current climate

the need to make savings

challenging circumstances

considerable uncertainty

difficult times ahead

working smarter

Government Spending Cuts

Today must be a low point in modern history as George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced his spending review. Having bought, gambled and sold with money that was never theirs in the first place, our bankers who should have left the country an inheritance from economic growth have left the UK in debt to the equivalent of £1400 per person.

In these depressing times the following jokes might lighten the blow.

The current economic climate has helped me get back on my feet. The car's been repossessed.

What's the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four.

I went to a Cash Machine this morning and it said "insufficient funds". I'm wondering is it them or me.

The V&A at Dundee

The City's waterfront will be undergoing major redevelopment over the next 20 years. At the forefront of this redevelopment is a design centre to showcase international exhibits under the auspices of the world's leading museum of art and design. Currently on display at the University of Abertay, Dundee are the six designs that have been shortlisted from over 120 applicants. All designs display ambition, something that is not traditionally associated with Dundee, a city that comes seventh in everything.

Delugan Meissl (Vienna)

Described by some as akin to a Star Wars fighter craft.

Kengo Kuma (Tokyo)

Very textured white walls as if made out of match sticks. This is not a criticism, just a way of describing what it looks like.

REX (New York)

An inverted pyramid with staggered, mirrored sides said to resemble the Scottish "bluebell" flower.

Snøhetta (Oslo)

This is the only design that sits lows in the water, reminding me either of something from "Thunderbirds" or likely to be home to an aspiring Bond villain.

Steven Holl (New York)

Clad in what could be transluscent white paper, this gives the effect of something that is lightweight.

Sutherland Hussey (Edinburgh)

At first sight this seems to be the most conventional design, consisting of a box. That this box refers to the 5000 years old Crannog design, gives the design a bit more meaning.

Sweet Sensations

Apparently Marmite have today released a chocolate bar version of their famous yeast spread, a taste that people either love or hate. I am in the latter category. Under the brand Very Peculiar Milk Chocolate Bar By Marmite, the product will be stocked in retail chains such as BHS, Debenhams and Robert Dyas from 4 October. The 100g bar blends creamy milk chocolate “with a hint of the yeasty spread”, says the company. It has a suggested retail price of £3.

This is not my cup of tea but it got me thinking about chocolate bars from my childhood that are either no longer available or are in short supply.

Bar Six

This was made by Cadbury's. I always remember its orange wrapper. It had six sections (surprise surprise) with cream and wafer on the inside and chocolate on the outside. The nearest thing taste wise nowadays would be Kit-Kat Chunky.

Caramac

Not sure if it would qualify as chocolate exactly but it was very tasty. It was made by Nestlé and was a caramel flavoured bar, light brown in colour, like butterscotch sauce. Now for those of you who like McVitite's Gold Bars, then the biscuit covering is exactly what Caramac is. Imagine a whole bar of this without the biscuit. Yummy.

Tonibell Miniball

"Eat the ice cream inside me then use me as a playball."

This was a miniature plastic football about the size of a tennis ball. It was available in different colours. It was filled with ice cream which you scooped out, then when finished, replaced the lid and voila you had a wee football to kick around the streets. Look at the price on the add too - one shilling, which is equivalent to 5p.