'The good old days',we utter it so often. Coming across this old photo, it brought back even more images in my mind. The old scissor grinder was not the only one who made his presence known.
Once a week the carrier Van Gend en Loos came to our door with a delivery from Douwe Egberts, Dobbelman,, Turmac, van Nelle or Niemeyer. It was a horse-drawn vehicle with moustached Mr. Geenakker handling the reins and goods. Large cartons of smokers' requisites were off-loaded, to be opened after closing time, in the middle of the shop.
Oh those wintry days, it was hard going for horse and man, especially when rain-soaked streets turned into icy mirror-like surfaces, with the poor draughthorse clattering its hooves, frantically trying to stay upright.
On the domestic front we saw the baker delivering the loafs of bread in a basket covered with a teatowel.
Some delivery men used a bike with an enormous deep basket at the front, full of loaves. It must have been quite a balancing act for the rider.
But our man had its feet on the ground, pushing an oblong cart with large iron wheels and underneath between the wheels was a large dog in harness, helping the delivery man moving the cart along by pulling.
Our bread-carter Tinus van de Heuvel, was well known for his drinking bouts- and one day, he smilingly faced his customers without teeth.
Apparently he lost his fangs the night before while being sick at the toilet bowl and, in sozzled bliss, flushing the lot away.
Milk roundsman Brouwer also passed by daily with his horse drawn cart full of metal milk churns.
He would scoop a pint or more into our pan. The cream had already been taken off, so the milk had that blue looking tinge to it. Yes that horse-cart and it footsteps on the brick-paved road made a familiar sound each day. As the milkman went from door to door, the horse moved from house to house without being directed.
It would stop, pause to wait for his boss, then move on exactly the right moment.