Uncle Mike’s Scrapbook

My uncle Mike is my mum’s big brother – he’s 9 years older than her. Mike grew up in the 1970s when, as he puts it, ‘times were simpler’. Mike spent most of his free time outdoors playing with his friends or just hanging out. When he was ten, he got a new bike for his birthday – a Chopper. Mike used to ride his Chopper all round his neighbourhood. He loved it. He didn’t use to wear a helmet though because kids didn’t wear helmets back then – it seems that safety is taken more seriously these days!

When the weather was bad and he couldn’t play outdoors, Mike used to watch TV. There were only three TV channels and only a few shows for children so usually he played in his bedroom.  Mike loved to build things with Lego or read comics.

When Mike got bored there were no computers at home or tablets to play games on. The nearest thing to a tablet was his ‘Etch A Sketch’ pad. It had a thick, flat gray screen in a red plastic frame. He used to draw on it by twisting the knobs that controlled the stylus which moved aluminum powder on the back of the screen, leaving a solid line. The left control moved the stylus horizontally, and the right one moved it vertically to create a picture.

Now Mike is a computer programmer and he has all the latest technology at his fingertips but he doesn’t have a computer at home. He still prefers to spend his free time outdoors whenever he can.