Book excerpt: Did you ever wonder what has happened to gas mantles and chimney pieces, or why people don't go 'courting' anymore? In her new book, Thora Hird takes us on a trip down memory lane to the world as it was before the Second World War. In her usual warm, chatty and anecdotal style, she reminds us of all those words, objects and expressions that have gone out of modern usage and illustrates them with a plethora of funny stories from her own early years. Thora looks back at domestic life, the theatre, going to church, growing up before the war, working in shops, and, never forgetting her true Morecambe roots, the hustle and bustle of the northern seaside town.