Live the Pooh way

Nostalgic for the Nineties

I really enjoyed writing my 80s blog and I'm looking forward to reminiscing about the 90s, a decade where many important life changing things happened to me. Love these Pinterest montages that bring back so many great memories.

So much happened in this one decade and I was so many things: a student at school, sixth form, then college; a newly qualified teacher and driver (it's not a good idea to catch the school bus with your pupils) and lastly, a girlfriend to my now hubby! I also had a Saturday job that came from Works Experience, a Sunday job then a stint at McDonald's where I made friends for life. All these things happened with a fab soundtrack being played in the background. So much great music and talented artists to listen to.

There are so many amazing 90s tunes that take me back to events and times. I can relive the emotions too. My daughter's school had a fab dance concert, Back to the 90s recently. It was brilliant, covering the different music and highlighting key events. There were so many 40 something aged proud parents in the audience, singing along and just grinning. Especially watching the underground rave scene to Rhythm is a Dancer, complete with whistles, glow sticks and fluorescent clothing! Snap did have the power and tons of it!

This amazing dance show brought back so many memories of being a teenager
It's weird, and fab that my daughter is now walking around the house singing lines from 90s songs! That's how my parents probably felt when I went around singing the Beatles all the time! I love that my daughter loves 90s songs, especially the dance music. She made a dance mix tape the other week for her holiday which had Black Eyed Peas and Robin S, as well as others where lyrics were all mashed up. Brilliant! It reminded me of our mix tapes on cassettes that took us hours to mix. She did this on her phone, using Sound Cloud, then downloaded it onto my phone within minutes! No pressing pause and record and waiting for the songs to come on the charts for teenagers of today!

When my friend's teenagers started wearing Nirvana and Oasis T shirts, I'd proudly tell them I was there the first time round! Just like our parents had said to us! I absolutely loved Oasis. Still do.

On rare nights out, my friends and I are the 40 something aged women, sipping Archers and Lemonade, reliving our teens and singing along to 'Wonderwall' and 'Don't look back in Anger', rather loudly. Followed by drunken hugs!

I'm learning to 'Roll with it' and must keep taking their advice! Such a talented band.

Love this piccy from Pinterest. Gotta like a man who loves coffee. Well, I'm presuming it's coffee!

I loved the Brit Pop scene in the 90s and enjoyed dancing and singing along to all the bands below.

Blur were fab and I still sing the line from 'Parklife' about those 'dirty pigeons' in my head as I walk around the local parks with my dog!

Pulp were brilliant and, like Blur with Damon Albarn, they had a frontman with character in Jarvis Cocker. I must have listened to Pulp 'A Different Class' album thousands of times while I was writing assignments and revising.

The Millenium was a significant event for us in the 90s. It stretched out in front of us and we stared at it with a mixture of optimism and fear. Loved their 'Disco 2000' song but was singing it wrongly for ages, 'fully clothed, not grown'! I do this with a lot of songs! We actually saw the millennium in opposite the Millenium Dome, watching fireworks light up the sky and welcoming in the new century.

Other amazing bands were Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Travis and The Verve. We watched The Verve at Glastonbury (on TV) and the beginning of Bitter Sweet Symphony brought chills to me when he uttered the words, 'A slave to the money then you die.' I love songs with orchestras playing and this is brilliant.

As a late teenager, I loved playing Alanis Morrisette's 'Jagged Little Pill' album. I'd actually do my weights and exercises to this album. I listened to it again a few month's ago but the only exercise was lifting my wine glass to my mouth! I love the song 'Ironic'. Unfortunately life is.

I also loved The Corrs and would spend many an eve singing along with them. 'The Queen of Hollywood' was my fave but it is only recently that I've found out it was written about the late Marilyn Monroe. When I watch the video now, the lyrics are so haunting.

The 90s were my student days. Pretty much every Wednesday night, my friends and I would be at the Student night at the Whispers, docker clad and supping pints. Mainly lager but sometimes a Green Monster or a Snakebite. I loved these nights dancing to Morrissey, The Cure, Suede, Nirvana and many more. I used to get my grunge tops from Pentangle on Sheffield Road. Oh to be a student again! I remember having this poster of the Smiths on my wall! My cousins and I loved The Smiths and my grandma would laugh at all the titles, wondering why on Earth some weren't a bit happier!

I must get another pair of red Dockers. I can't believe I got rid of them in a moment of madness. They were so comfy and went really well with my black velvet hot pants! Not that I'll be getting another pair of them anytime soon! Crikey! My friend and her sister both got married wearing dockers. I'd do that now if we ever renew our vows. White velvet hotpants even? My friend actually posted this on her Facebook the other day which made me laugh. The modern Cinderella!

TK Maxx sell fab Dockers and I'm off to research my next pair! I love these!

The 90s was a time of seeing live bands and I need to do more of this. One of the best gigs was James with Radiohead supporting. It was at a small venue in Derby with the smallest, cosiest ever audience. When we all sat down with James, we really were sat down with James! They were both brilliant.

Both #### special.

Love this my friend posted. Doesn't take much to make me laugh!

Another fab album, and film of the 90s was 'Trainspotting'. Ewan Mcgreggor was brilliant in this. Everyone was. Such a real and honest film.

Choose Life.

I love the London underground and its busy vibe (apart from the two times I've been left on the train when everybody got off. Yes twice!) This wall art on Pinterest is fab!

I remember dancing for what felt like forever in Regent's Park to Born Slippy, Underworld. Better than any gym workout! Love this poster from Pinterest. And all these Addidas trainers are back in!

The album was amazing with such a mixture of artists like Blondie, 'Atomic' and Iggy Pop, 'A lust for life'. My fave song was 'Perfect Day', Lou Reed. I listen to this now on full blast. Such a feel good song.

Most of my 90s was spent dancing, well a lot of it anyway! The days of girly weekends and holidays in Magaluf and Tenerife. The songs that come to mind that we danced to all of the time are 'Rhythm is a Dancer', 'What is Love?' And 'Show me Love'.

There are so many more great 90s artists, bands and songs I'd love to cover. As I remember certain albums, they take me back to revising and writing essays, especially Texas, 'White on Blonde'. That album saw me through my PGCE year!

I have to end my music nostalgia with two of the songs my friends and I got ready to on a Friday night. One was Extreme, 'More than Words' and the other 'Let Loose', Crazy For You. We'd always get ready at my best friend's, now sister in law, as I had a mad crush on her big brother. My heart would beat so fast when we met on the stairs or when he walked into the kitchen. Oh to be a giddy 19 year old again! Luckily, he felt the same and now said crush is my hubby!

I've added Take That for my friends who have and are at this moment seeing them, and Rick Astley live! I loved Babe, sang by Mark. All their songs were very good. It was the time of boy, and girl bands. The Spice Girls were bringing Girl power! 2 Become 1 was my fave of theirs and Baby Spice was my fave Spice girl.

So for my friends watching Take That in the rain this eve, enjoy! Never Forget how good the 90s were! How ironic that I did forget? Their piccies were on my research! My friends are singing along in the rain bless them and it reminded me!

Many 90s films are now classics and it was interesting going down this list of movies, seeing how many I'd watched. Which is most of them!

You've got mail is up there and I loved Meg Ryan with Tom Hanks in this. And not only because she owned a small, independent bookshop! Meg Ryan was brilliant in When Harry Met Sally and continued being in some really good rom coms.

The 90s was a rom com/chick flick era, where you'd settle down on girly sleepovers to drool over the likes of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. I did! And also, Christian Slater. I loved the rom com, Bed of Roses and yes, Bon Jovi did ding the title song! I bought the CD and listened to it all the time.

My friends and I were suckers for a good rom com and regularly oohed and aahed our way through many, tears of laughter and sadness dropping into our popcorn and bottles of Lambrini or Hooch! Bridget Jones is up there as one of the best and I do feel the part was written for Renee Zellweggar. The books were good to read too, kind of a more modern, female version of the marvellous Diary of Adrian Mole! I loved her Playboy bunny scene, the inspiration for my hen do dress code!

One of my favourites was Notting Hill. Julia Roberts was another brilliant actress of the 90s, especially in Sleeping with the Enemy in the towel and tins of food scenes! Back to Notting Hill. I love everything about this film, especially the location and Rhys Ifans is so good in it.

One of my fave actresses ever has to be Drew Barrymore and she has been in so many fab films. My faves are Wedding Singer and Never Been Kissed, which I still have on DVD.

Pulp Fiction was another ace 90s film and brought back John Travolta into the public eye so I was just happy about that part anyway. I loved his and Uma's dance scene!

There were so many fantastic films and I also loved Heat with Robert de Nero and Al Pacino. Just brilliant. As was Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

My last two films both feature Leonardo Di Caprio: Romeo and Juliet and Titanic. Both classics and I can keep watching them forever and ever.

Covering my fave 90s TV programmes may take an entirely separate blog! TV was great in the 80s and 90s, especially the comedy sitcoms. We loved Friends and I can't even write that word without singing,
'So no one told you life was gonna be this way.'
Too right they didn't!
I've probably watched every episode twice and can watch reruns at any time and still laugh at all them, Joey and Pheoebe!

All the group were talented and have their own reasons to be remembered:
Pheobe's quirkiness and Smelly Cat song
Rachel's hair. Say no more! I tried to recreate it but failed!
Monica's cleanliness. My sister in law, Claire is a self confessed Monica!
Joey's Thanksgiving pants and 'How you doin?'
Chandler's clever one liners and Chandler Bing!
Ross' orange, fake tan and 'We were on a break!'
This T-shirt is fab, showing why the gang worked; all different and unique.

In fact, the other day, my friend's neice was wearing a T-shirt with that slogan and we were happily reminiscing when she told me her grandma had found it funny and rembered the scene. Suddenly, we aged in that one sentence!

My fave ever episode is when Brad Pitt, who was with Jennifer Aniston at the time, comes for dinner. His character, Will and Ross formed a non fan club for Rachel. I still find it so funny, but then again I can watch endless reruns of Brad Pitt!

I followed Carrie and her friends in Sex and the City. I loved how they all sat round, drinking cocktails and eating lettuce leaves. Bet they were aching for pizza or a burger and chips! I loved how Carrie sat, looking over the city, writing her blog. Maybe my blog might appear on the side of a bus one day? This quote is a lovely quote. I still have very good friends who knew the 90s, even 80s me! It's lovely knowing people and growing with them.

Another 90s comedy I remember so well was the Vicar of Dibley with the marvellous Dawn French. I always watched French and Saunders, loving their plays on words like Witless silence for Silent Witness. Dawn was so lovable as the Vicar and the cast were so original too. I loved it when Geraldine gave up trying to explain her jokes to Alice at the end! The funniest thing though was when she fell into the puddle and was submerged!

Absolutely Fabulous with Jennifer Saunders too. Brilliant telly. Joanna Lumley was just marvellous as Patsy. I'll never forget her face when she'd fallen asleep in the kitchen and it had caught fire.

The 90s was great for the quiz and game shows too. I loved watching Blockbusters, Catchphrase  and Family Fortunes. My fave has to be Supermarket Sweep though, with the late Dale Winton. I'd watch it on a morning, then rush for the train into college! I used to get so excited on the sweep part and shouting at the telly when the contestants missed grabbing the inflatables! I love this Pinterest meme!

Fashion of the 90s was a mixture and I had outfits that I'd love to be able to wear again, like my satin, black dress from Oasis. I'd actually be happy to fit into anything from Oasis now! I wore a lot of dresses, mainly floral, that looked fab with my red Dockers. I wore most of these below!

I loved my pairs of Levis jeans too; they were so comfy. They were great as casual, with a jacket for shopping or with a posh top for a visit to the pub. Very versatile! This 70s advert on Pinterest tickled me as they were so stretchy and comfy, they called them jeans you could bend in!

There were a few outfits that can stay in the 90s thank you. One of these was the shell suit! I had a white Reebok shell suit from an ex catalogue shop and loved it to bits. Catalogues were brilliant. I remember buying two bikinis from my friend's mum's catalogue. My fave was turquoise and had drawstrings and little white daisies on the cups. The thought of doing that now proper scares me! Even ordering a swimming costume scares me!
The 90s was a very important decade in my life and I have so much nostalgia for this period in my life. When I think back to it, so many fab memories come flooding back. Here are only a few. When I think of the 1990s it's so much more than music, films and fashion. It's reliving those experiences once again. I remember enjoying revising but cramming all my essays into the night before. I still am Last minute.com! I loved school and didn't want to leave. I remember waiting to call friends after 6pm as it was cheaper and even going to the pay phone with a pocket full of 10 and 20ps to phone friends!
I've always been the friend or family member with so many detailed memories. I'm one of those people who loves getting together and saying, 'Remember when, back in 1991 .....!' One memory leads to another and before you know it, you've spent the whole night reminiscing!

I love the fact, we were so busy having fun, we didn't see it as making memories ti look back on until much later, as shown in this quote.

I've so many lovely family memories, especially at weekends: Saturday morning shopping in town at Woolworths, Littlewoods and BHS; watching the football results for the Pools, followed by Brookside Omnibus; Sunday dinner at Gran's, followed by Lost in Space or the Grand Prix (brother's viewing choice) and Sunday eve family gatherings at my uncle's house, playing snooker whilst listening to his vinyl LPs and singles. We'd have tea and Bullseye could always be heard from the front room. Happy days!
Memories of studentdom need another blog but I remember dressing up for a seminar on Surrealism. We were studying Jean Paul Gaultier and I wore Madonna's conical bra over my clothes. I did so because I was the only one in our group who loved Madonna, or the only one daft enough! We received laughter and applause (more laughter, possibly at, not with!) The Madonna art on Pinterest is fab.

This made me think of my perfume buying phase, mainly for the bottles and free bags, rather than the scents. I loved Vivienne Westwood's Boudoir and Anna Sui's Dolly. Very strong, yet feminine 'Don't mess with me!' scents.

I love this quote because perfume smells do take me back to when I wore them.

I remember 1997 very well indeed. April to be exact. It was such a fab month and they say things come in threes. Not only did Varnsley get into the Premiership and New Labour got in. The icing on the cake was my first, and only A+ in my English test! The songs, 'I get knocked down' and 'Things can only get better' were on continual replay.
I remember my PGCE year in Leeds, living in Moortown. I'd be skint all week, borrowing bread and living on pot noodles, then when my boyfriend visited, we'd sometimes eat at our local, The Lord Darcy. It was ludicrous when I look back! We loved it though!
Memories of drunken nights: wearing Angel perfume; sipping Hooch and Mad Dog; dancing till you dropped; having three hours sleep, then working at half 6; watching Euro Trash and drinking Lambini. Fab memories.

I must admit, I don't think I could go back to drinking something different in every pub. Just how did we manage that? One pub would be Castaway, then Hooch, then Mad Dog 20/20! I would like to go back to having a pub route where you know someone in every pub though. That was amazing.

They say your teenage years are your best years. I suppose each decade of your life is good but for different reasons. We aren't the same people as we were back then. Those teenagers are still with us, but life makes us forget them. I'm reconnecting with that teenager who was excited about what life had to bring and what new adventures were to be had. It's been a long time coming! Only this time, I won't be wearing the bell bottom jeans that got drenched in puddles or the bikini and the shell suit!

As always, I hope you enjoy my little trip down Memory Lane and that it brings back some amazing memories for you. Thanks to Pinterest too. Where would I be without you?