We take it for granted now!

[Daisy]

Chicken was a luxury back in the day! We sometimes had it for Christmas dinner.

We sold bacon in the shop and it was delivered as half a pig. It had to be deboned and cut into about 4 segments so it would go on the bacon machine. Most shops had bacon slicers where you had to turn a handle, but for some reason ours was electric. I could never understand why dad stood over me while I sliced bacon for customers!! The cutting wheel could be adjusted so the customer could choose what thickness they wanted the slices. Cheese came in big slabs covered in cheese cloth. We cut that to order as well. The cutter was a marble slab with a wire with a wooden handle on the end. It taught me to judge the weight of things - customers could be very picky.

Does anyone remember those paraffin heaters in the house? They'd take the raw chill off a room - but always smelt of paraffin!

[Plantaholic]

That must have been exciting helping in the shop Daisy. What about the blue sugar bags.

[Daisy]

Plant - we got sugar ready bagged, and salt in blocks ready wrapped. I quite enjoyed helping in the shop, although it wasn't on a regular basis. I also enjoyed doing the windows - displays were much simpler in those days!

[Nanto2girls]

We had parrafin heaters, before hubby put in central heating in.
Always had one in the kitchen,it was the warmest room in the house.

[Grauntie Mag]

No clingfilm or foil, plastic containers or soft toilet tissue!

[Daisy]

Grauntie, so true. Even biros were a bit of a luxury, and always leaked!

No kitchen roll either, or detergent for washing up. My mum used to cut up household soap (like Fairy or Sunlight) for the boiler for washing.

[Sum1Ls]

No sun, no moon
No VE Day parties like we had in June
No church to visit, although you see the steeple
No socialising with familiar people -
No hope of meeting them -
No unmasked greeting them
No travelling by train - no bus, no locomotion,
But why go out? You’ll have no notion
When everything is shut, all entertainment stopping
No point in going out - no shopping-
(Except by Amazon )
No pubs, no lunch - no afternoon gentility -
No company - no nobility -
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
Just Zoom and FaceTime with your friends -
All those you really want to please.


But - planning walks and reading maps
Designing routes without mishaps.
For ramblers and assorted amblers.

So stuck indoors, good times you will remember
But that is all we can expect - this November.

But Grannies do not fret or shroud yourself in gloom,
The ‘ember months, though dark & cold are not all doom,
So just remember
This November,
There’s woods to walk in, leaves to kick,
Mud to squelch in, ‘shrooms to search for but not to pick,
Fires to sit by, chestnuts to roast
Pikelets and hot buttered toast,
This - and every November

And December

[Gemini]

Fabulous Sum1!

I have copied this to the poetry section in Creative Grannies. I didn't know what to call it so have given it the title December. I will change it to anything else you prefer.

[Shemadee]

We had a back boiler in the dining room and a geyser at the kitchen sink. Originally there was an open fire in the sitting room and a fire with doors in the dining. Room. Fire guards to both fires used to dry the washing on. My least favourite job was being sent for paraffin. The hardware shop wasn’t too bad as at least they knew I was there. The garage was different and would wait ages for one of the mechanics to spot me. Then I hard to lug the cans home with smelly legs an feet. Where were health and safety when you needed them!

[Daisy]

Shem, I can sympathise with that! The shop next door to ours sold paraffin and had a huge tank behind their garage. You certainly knew when it had been topped up! I used to hate the smell of washing drying on the clothes maid round the living room fire (we didn't have a dining room). All the windows would get steamed up, mum was always tetchy on wet Mondays (I don't blame her!) and dinner was always cold meat, oxo gravy, boiled potatoes and tinned marrowfat peas!

[Sunshine]

Does anyone still do chestnuts on an open fire. My dad used to do them at Christmas for us. Delicious.

[Gemini]

We used to in my childhood Sunshine. I loved them.

[Daisy]

Sunshine - we do them on the log burner. Not quite the same, but still delicious.

[Plantaholic]

We used to cook them on a shovel on an open fire.