Kid, You’re On Your Own!


 I’ve got that virus that comes back with a vengeance . Several of the older members of the hospice have it and this morning we were comparing health notes like old ladies do at a bus stop.

If you are a singleton and poorly, you only have your dogs to lick your feet better. Ok Diane the  support worker I worked with last night, who has a heart the size of a fridge, gave me her curry supper to eat as well as furnishing me with copious amounts of sweet tea, but generally kid , you’re on your own.

Hence the lucozade. 
Now when I was a child, Lucozade was classed as a medical drink. A gloriously golden sweet fizzy drink wrapped up in yellow selophane, that could only be bought at the chemists. 
It was expensive
It was wonderful and it was a treat.
Your mother really loved you when she bought you a bottle, and you had to drink it quick sticks before anyone well got there nasty little mits on it.
It was the ambrosia of the 1970s

So I bought myself a bottle today
From Tescos
There was a whole section filled with lucozade
Lucozade light, lucozade sport, lucozade high energy
All in common plastic bottles
No cellophane
No tradition.
I bought a bottle of lucozade original
And drank it in the car park

I could have wept
Ok I got a sense of the real taste of childhood
But the drink was just a fizz
A shadow of its former self
And no panacea to a snotty, painful head.


 

79 comments:

  1. They used to say that Lucozade had the highest mark-up profit of any other drink. It was basically sweet yellow water, and they charged a fortune for it.

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    Replies
    1. To a seventies child it was champagne

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    2. It was a " treat" in the 50s when I was poorly!

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  2. I expect you got a real sugar high after that!

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    Replies
    1. And got even higher peeping through the coloured papers things

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  3. When you're a mum with kids, or a grandma with kids, and you're sick, nobody takes care of you either, and they all look at you like you're putting them out.

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  4. It was all my father could manage for his last few months in the 60s, so I remember it well, with its lovely buttery smell.

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  5. Barbara Anne4:34 pm

    Oh, no! I'm so very sorry to hear you're sick again and that your well remembered Lucozade has changed beyond recognition. No fair!
    Wishing you a speedy recovery, a quiet restful weekend, and lots of comfort food.

    Hugs!

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    Replies
    1. I’m doing ok, but the snot is getting me down

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    2. Avoid milk as milk increases snot. True. Hugs!

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    3. I’ve not had dairy for days

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  6. Anonymous4:41 pm

    I HATED LUCOZADE. Its colour was unattractive and its taste was worse. Being reminded of it makes me unhappy. Roderick

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    Replies
    1. Oh Roderick , I’m sorry there’s nothing but bleak memories here today x

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  7. I never had Lucazde, but my understanding is it’s really just like Gatorade. Lots of electrolytes. Is there more to it? Hope you recover quickly.

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    Replies
    1. Google says they are similar my friend
      Big hugs to your adopted country. Today xx

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  8. Ahh, Lucozade. I can almost hear the squeak of that cellophane.
    Feel better soon, John. Xx

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    Replies
    1. The yellow cellophane made it, very clever packaging as the only thing in the 70s that had cellophane were baskets of fruit

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  9. Athene5:08 pm

    Oh, the crinkly cellophane! I was frequently ill as a child with tonsillitis infections. I loved Lucozade (bear in mind that we hardly ever had fizzy drinks, even lemonade) and it was a real treat.

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    Replies
    1. Yes drinks to be had were always diluted
      Orange squash
      Ribina was a treat and only drunk at my granny’s home

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  10. I only had it once when I had measles. Yes, I remember the squeak and the taste. I used to watch the TV through the cellophane and pretend we had a colour telly.

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    1. Yorkshire Liz5:36 pm

      Oh I did that too! But had forgotten all about it until you said it. And do you remember those cardboard specs with red and green cellophane 'lenses' so you could really pretend you had a colour tv? They came free, out of comics like Beano!

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    2. How funny I did that too

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  11. We were given it in tiny glasses like a medicine and then spent an age looking at things through the cellophane - I loved it.
    Had some after giving birth and a nurse took it away and poured it down the drain saying it was no good!

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  12. Lucozade, does it really have healing properties, or is it just expensive fizzy sugar water with a clever marketing ploy? Sorry it didn't even give you a nostalgic brow stroke. This bug seems to be back with a vengeance. Time to really take it easy and look after yourself. Imagine you are your own patient and treat yourself accordingly. No if or buts - do it! (Sending healing hugs over the ether, as well as the telling off!) xx

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  13. i used to have warm Ribena when i was poorly as a child, not sure why that was but it was quite pleasant, i hope you're soon on the mend x

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  14. Jo in Auckland6:09 pm

    Sorry to hear you are sick...hope you get over it really quickly. Lots of bed rest and fluids. Lucozade, I hated it when I was sick, the smell put me off but yes we had it and the yellow cellophane. I bought a small bottle a couple of years ago. The original lucozade is the only one that has "sugar" in it. The rest have aspartame. So of course I went for the original. I was surprised I actually liked it this time round.

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    Replies
    1. I’d drink the original in champagne glasses

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  15. Anonymous6:50 pm

    Rarely had Lucozade but as you said it was the crinkly paper & colour that made it special. As we rarely had any fizzy drinks ( a deprived 50’s child🤨😂) it was a treat but sadly I did not like it. 🤨 I remember in the 70’s giving my son warm Ribena and realising it caused breathing problems (asthma) and what I thought of as a treat for him was making him worse! All these years later I am now very reluctant to drink many of these fancy drinks & stick to water - or alcohol! 😂😂 . I do hope you feel brighter soon and have to agree that you do sound run down, over worked & stressed out, do take care. I do enjoy your blog thank you 💕💕

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    Replies
    1. I love lemsips reinforced with lemon juice and sugar

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  16. Llynn7:40 pm

    In our house the cure is hot tea with honey, fresh lemon juice and whiskey taken just before bed. Hate the taste but it usually works. Sometimes a second dose is needed. Drink quickly and head straight off to sleep.

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  17. Shelly Williams7:44 pm

    Hope you feel better soon John, cuddle up to the dogs. Lucozade, yes, I had it too when I was ill in the 1960's. If some spilt from the glass it made the surface of my wooden bedside cabinet all sticky, brings back the memories !

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    1. Both dogs are with me on the couch, Bun is there too but perched on the back

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  18. "Nurse, nurse thyself!" Keep looking after yourself John. Plenty of water and an occasional paracetamol. You'll be as right as rain in no time. A nice hot bubble bath might also help.

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    Replies
    1. I do miss my Bath at times like these

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    2. Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot you went for a shower when your bathroom was refurbished.

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  19. Anonymous7:59 pm

    Never heard of it. We had Jim beam , lemon and sugar

    Lee

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    Replies
    1. And chicken soup as you are Jewish

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    2. Anonymous9:05 pm

      And Matzo balls John !

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    3. Anonymous9:12 pm

      Yes John , but these have crushed unleavened bread combined with eggs which your usual dumplings don’t have

      Lee

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    4. Oooh matzo ball soup, ambrosia. We have the best Kosher deli here in town.

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  20. I've never heard of it either. My Mom would give us a cup of hot tea when we were sick which is why I never liked tea.
    Hope you feel better soon, John.

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  21. Lucozade is new to me, too. I hated getting sick because I had to drink hot lemonade and, believe me, that's no treat.

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    1. Your mum had the right idea but not the money perhaps lucozade was expensive that’s why it could be bought from the chemist

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  22. I've never heard of Lucozade before. I don't think it was ever sold in Canada. The self-medicating drink of choice when ill with a rebellious stomach was warm, flat ginger ale.

    I hope you feel better soon, John!

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    1. I do feel rough debra but I’ve added port to my last lemsip , and it was lovely ( don’t tell Rachel)

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  23. Clearly you have fond memories of this drink; I've never seen it in the US.
    For chest and sinus congestion, I like Lemon Ginger tea by Yogi. It also eases you to a gentle sleep.

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    Replies
    1. My relationship with ginger has always been fraught
      ( except ginger Roger’s )

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  24. Yup! You knew you were properly ill when your mum got the Lucozade in!

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  25. We weren't allowed to be sick as kids: "Man up and keep going". Luckily we were almost never sick, tho I recall chicken pox briefly. We had this really mean pediatrician--much as I hated school I hated him more.

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  26. Sympathy pouring across the waters John. Being on your own means YOU have to get up to get yourself anything, and the animals still need attention, so I'm feeling great sympathy for you. Lucozade 'original' fell foul of the PC-health lot. So it's not got the sugar, or probably the colouring it once had. Hence the knock-off Lucozade versions, to keep their market share. Sigh. The way of the world. The cure for most ills, in my 1950s childhood, was Lemon Barley Water. And aspirin, hot water bottles and strictly enforced "stay in bed"! Hope you're better soon.

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  27. Anonymous10:40 pm

    My mother in law always bought Luzoade and Malteasers when our children were ill. I now do it for our grandchildren.

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  28. Anonymous10:40 pm

    Irene

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  29. Anonymous10:47 pm

    Little solace comes
    to those who grieve
    when thoughts keep drifting
    and this great blue world of ours
    seems a house of leaves
    moments before the wind

    I found this snippet of a poem in an old book.
    I know you’ve been sad since Chris left, but the world
    Needs you. It’s time to write the book!

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  30. Anonymous10:51 pm

    Oh John what horrid luck to have the bug circling back to you, my go to is hot water, fresh lemon juice, proper local honey and a glug of single malt whisky with two aspirins sipped upon getting into bed, now if that does’t knock you out than man you need an elephant tranquilliser 😉xx. Jan in Castle Gresley

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  31. We had a very similar drink but I forget the name. It was orange and tasted a lot like ginger ale. I lived in N.Ontario at the time and my girls seemed to come down with wonky tummy a lot.

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  32. Buying Luzoade was like
    giving yourself a hug ,
    hopefully tomorrow you
    will begin to feel a bit
    better,wishes for your comfort and joy,
    -Mary



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  33. When I was a kid it was ginger ale for a stomach-ache, and hot tea for a cold. Though if my throat was really sore, I was treated to a soothing milk shake! I doubt if any of that was what the doctor ordered, but it was fine by me.

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  34. I remember having Lucozade if I was ill in bed too. Also feeling that it was making me feel a bit better! So many experiences are simply disappointing when we return to them years later.

    Living alone, even with good friends and family around, I can see that there are times when you really are on your own trying to manage. Hope you feel better very soon.

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  35. Anonymous8:03 am

    I good American coca cola is the best cure all for anything: sickness, broken hearts, boredom, whatever. If lacking that a 7-Up will do in a pinch. They need to be consumed in a glass filled with ice to cut some of the fizziness and to make it more special. Take some ibuprofen for the achiness.
    weavinfool

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  36. Blech! I'm sorry you are still feeling poorly! As a kid (without health insurance), I remember just being miserable and snotty until it passed. Not a good look for an 80s kid.

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  37. Anonymous11:36 am

    When I was sick as a kid, Canada Dry Ginger ale was the cure all. I do remember seeing lucozade but never was given it. I don’t know if it is still available here. I hope that you are feeling better by now. Those furries should help.xx Gigi

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  38. Do take care of yourself,

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  39. Oh John, we all need someone to soothe us, cuddle us and pat our backs when we don't feel well. Sending some love to you. In the South where I grew up, we had Paragoric when we had any sort of illness. Nasty stuff that my mom put in ginger ale, and made us drink. (I detest ginger ale to this day) And then we went OUT like a light. Turns out, it was made with opium. Night night, children!

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  40. I remember when Johnson's baby aspirin was a treat.

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    1. Oooh! Yes, I remember that, tasted like orange sweets? I often had headaches just so I could have some 😂

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  41. It always seems as if we bounced back more quickly when we were children. Now that we are no longer children, viruses tend to knock us on our asses. Ginger tea is my go to when I am feeling miserable. All I can really say is that it soothes a cough, and the fluid is important when you are not well.

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  42. Anonymous2:28 pm

    We were given Fennings Fever Mixture in the 1950's.
    Dreadful stuff. The remedy was worse than the ailment!

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  43. We never bought Lucozade (or Gatorade, as it's called in the states). I guess because it was marketed as a sports drink full of electrolytes, and none of us played sports. It seemed completely irrelevant to our lives.

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  44. If it’s the same as Gatorade, no thank you. I live in NY and when I was sick, my Italian American mother made me zabaglione. Now that is real medicine!

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  45. In my house, bad colds were treated with warm whiskey with a jot of honey.

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